President Russell M. Nelson will dedicate the renovated Washington D.C. Temple on Sunday, Aug. 14, with the entire First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participating in the day’s three rededication sessions.

Joining President Nelson and his counselors, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring, other Church leaders participating in the sessions at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. will include Elders Quentin L. Cook, D. Todd Christofferson and Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé; Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Presidency of the Seventy; Sister Amy A. Wright, first counselor in the Primary general presidency; and Elders W. Mark Bassett, Kevin R. Duncan, Allen D. Haynie and Vai Sikahema, all General Authority Seventies.

The sun rises on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland, on Friday, April 22, 2022.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The announcement of participating Church leaders was published Wednesday, Aug. 3, on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Announced in 1968 and dedicated in 1974 by Church President Spencer W. Kimball, the temple became the Church’s 16th in operation. Less than a half-century later, 173 dedicated temples are found across the globe, with 51 more under construction and an additional 58 announced and in planning.

Known for its mid-century modern architecture and prominence along the Capital Beltway, the 160,000-square-foot temple stands on 52 acres. Located in Kensington, Maryland, 10 miles north of the United States Capitol, the temple serves approximately 123,000 Latter-day Saints in the District of Columbia and all or parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Closure and reopening

The Washington D.C. Temple was closed for major renovations in 2018 to update mechanical and electrical systems as well as finishes and furnishings.

In February 2020, Church leaders announced an original Dec. 13, 2020, rededication of the temple. Several months later, Church leaders postponed all the rededication-related events due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a July 20, 2021, media event at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center, a June 19, 2022, rededication date and projected open house dates were announced.

But in January of this year, the temple open house was extended a week, running from April 28 through June 11, and the rededication was rescheduled to Sunday, Aug. 14.

The current First Presidency and temple events

During the nearly four-and-a-half-year tenure of the current First Presidency, President Nelson has dedicated two new temples — the Concepción Chile Temple on Oct. 28, 2018, and the Rome Italy Temple March 10-12, 2019.

President Oaks dedicated the Barranquilla Colombia Temple on Dec. 9, 2018.

Both counselors have rededicated temples in the past eight months — President Oaks the Mesa Arizona Temple on Dec. 12, 2021, and more recently, President Eyring the Tokyo Japan Temple on July 3, 2022.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland, is pictured on Monday, April 18, 2022.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

The Washington Temple dedication in 1974

The groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication for the Washington Temple — as it was known then — was held in 1968, with actual construction beginning in 1971. The temple was dedicated by President Kimball in 10 sessions over four days, Nov. 19-22.

All but two of the Church’s general authorities then attended and spoke during one of the sessions — the two who were absent were ill and unable to participate.

The temple dedication followed a fall 1974 open house that — similar to this year’s pre-rededication open house — had its schedule extended due to high demand. Nearly 760,000 people toured the sacred edifice in 1974.

At the time of its dedication, the Washington Temple district spanned the United States east of the Mississippi River, northward into eastern Canada and southward into the Caribbean and South America. The district included some 300,000 Latter-day Saints, including 20,000 in the Washington area.

Read more coverage of the Washington D.C. Temple

• About the Washington D.C. Temple, plus the dedicatory prayer
• Washington D.C. Temple open house extended, rededication rescheduled
• In exclusive national interview, Elder Bednar calls Washington D.C. Temple ‘a place of light, of peace’
• See photographs of the inside of the Washington D.C. Temple
• Elder Bednar speaks of the Washington D.C. Temple: ‘It is not just about this building’
• Video: How temple visitors are finding stillness, peace in the nation’s capital
• Video: Elder Bednar asks, why are we surprised by today’s youth
• Elder Bednar writes about the Washington D.C. Temple, answers questions about why it exists
• Reverse Open House Series: How a temple open house inspired visits to other faiths’ sacred sites, events
• Welcoming media — traditional and social — to the Washington D.C. Temple
• What those who visit are saying at the Washington D.C. Temple

Rain falls as Latter-day Saint leaders conduct tours for members of the media at the Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland, on Monday, April 18, 2022.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News