For 16-year-old Janie Jensen, the Cleveland Ohio Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being built close to home is not only a blessing but “a call to action.”
“The Lord placed the temple here because He knew that we’d be ready for it, and that we could do the work that He needs us to do,” said Janie, a member of the Westlake Ward, Cleveland Ohio Stake.
On Sunday, Aug. 16, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Cleveland Ohio Temple, located about 20 miles southwest of the historic Kirtland Temple. The same day, Church President Dallin H. Oaks will dedicate the Belo Horizonte Brazil Temple.
Janie was one of an estimated 200 youth who volunteered at the Cleveland temple open house, which ran from June 18 through July 3, excluding Sundays. She helped place coverings on visitors’ shoes before they entered the building, to protect the temple’s carpets and flooring.
“It was really cool to see everyone coming through and everyone coming for the same purpose — to just see the temple and be excited for it to be dedicated and to have one in our area,” she said.
In her personal scripture study and when she participates in lessons at church, Janie said she is trying to more intentionally listen for and recognize the Holy Ghost speaking to her. “Then, when I go to the temple, I’ll be able to connect better and listen,” she said.
History of temple attendance in northern Ohio
Ohio is home to nearly 66,000 Latter-day Saints who meet in almost 130 congregations. The dedication of the Cleveland Ohio Temple marks the first return of an operating temple to northern Ohio since the 1836 dedication of the historic Kirtland Temple, which is no longer in operation as an active temple.
The new temple also honors a history of members in northern Ohio traveling long distances to receive ordinances and make covenants in the house of the Lord.
Before any temples were constructed in the region, one of the closest options was the Washington D.C. Temple, dedicated in 1974. Sixteen years later, the Toronto Ontario Temple dedicated in 1990 became the closest temple for many members in the Great Lakes area.
Ohio’s first temple still in operation today came in 1999 with the dedication of the Columbus Ohio Temple, located 125 miles from Cleveland. Members in northern Ohio rejoiced even more with the dedication of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple in 2024, which would expand access to the house of the Lord for the northern Ohio region until the Cleveland temple was finished.
During April 2022 general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a temple would be constructed in Cleveland, Ohio. Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, a General Authority Seventy and then-first counselor in the Church’s North America Northeast Area presidency, presided over the groundbreaking on June 1, 2024.
A single-story building of approximately 9,950 square feet, the Cleveland temple stands on an 11.04-acre site on Brecksville Road in Independence. The well-developed suburb is known as “the heart of Cuyahoga County.” Cleveland’s rich architectural heritage inspired the new temple’s design motifs, incorporating elements from the city’s historic buildings.
Evidence of the ongoing Restoration
The Cleveland Ohio Temple’s connection to the history of the Restoration is significant to Hiram Ohio Stake President Thomas P. Aardema. Nearly two centuries ago, early Saints in Ohio sacrificed immensely to build the Kirtland Temple. Only a few years later, they were forced to leave behind a building they loved and had consecrated with “extraordinary faith,” said President Aardema.
“That sacrifice has always been moving to me,” President Aardema wrote in an email to the Church News. “In Doctrine and Covenants 82, the Lord promised that He would build up the land of Kirtland in His own due time. In many ways, the Cleveland Ohio Temple feels like a continuation of that promise. It stands as evidence that the Lord remembers His people, fulfills His promises, and continues His work in this historic area.”
During the temple open house, President Aardema had a personal experience that strengthened these feelings. “Shortly after entering the temple,” he said, “I noticed a beautiful commissioned painting of the Kirtland Temple near the recommend desk. Seeing that image moved me to tears. I was overwhelmed by the realization that a house of the Lord once again stands in the region where the first temple of this dispensation was dedicated and where sacred priesthood keys were restored.
“For me, that moment beautifully symbolized the ongoing Restoration and the Lord’s continuing work in our day.”
The temple’s inspired location
Many members of the Church in northern Ohio — including Elder Nathan L. Johnson, Area Seventy in the Church’s United States Northeast Area, who was born and raised in the Cleveland area — hoped the new temple might be built near the Church’s historic sites in Kirtland or Hiram.
“But when we heard of the location and then really thought about it, it is so clearly inspired,” Elder Johnson said of the city of Independence, about a 30-minute drive from Kirtland.
“From all four stakes in the temple district, we’ll have members that are within 15 minutes of the temple. It could not be more ideally placed in proximity to interstates, and the centrality of it is truly an inspired choice,” he said.
“We can really see that this is being built for the work that needs to be done, and in thinking about the needs of members who will be attending as patrons. … I have been really touched by the Lord’s mercy in bringing temples closer to us.”
‘A bridge to the community’
President Darryl May, first counselor in the Cleveland Ohio Stake presidency, said the Cleveland temple open house created meaningful opportunities for neighbors, friends, civic leaders, and members of other faiths to learn about what Latter-day Saints believe.
“We have witnessed countless expressions of kindness, curiosity and respect throughout the process,” he wrote in an email to the Church News. “The temple has become a bridge to the community, fostering greater understanding and strengthening relationships. …
“The temple is not a place that separates us from our neighbors — it inspires us to love and serve them more fully.”
Sharing the temple with a friend
The open house provided David Stalnaker an opportunity to show his childhood best friend the inside of a temple. Though not a member of the Church, Stalnaker’s friend Steve Campana has helped maintain the John and Elsa Johnson Home in Hiram, Ohio, and other Church properties for more than 30 years. Stalnaker’s family were the caretakers of the home and farm.
“When Steve heard about the Cleveland temple, he asked if his family could attend the open house because he had never been able to see the inside of a temple and wanted that opportunity,” said Stalnaker, a member of the Hiram Ward, Hiram Ohio Stake.
“As we made our way to the temple doors, Steve and his family noticed the building and landscaping and commented on how beautiful everything looked. Once inside, the temple workers explained the importance of the temple and the significance of each room. The artwork, baptismal font and lighting helped create a peaceful, reverent feeling as we walked through.”
After the tour, Stalnaker said, his friend asked to see inside more Latter-day Saint temples. They started making plans to attend the Salt Lake Temple open house in 2027.
‘The Lord has watched over us’
Thomas Rice, a longtime Latter-day Saint in Cleveland, has witnessed the growth of the Church in the area since his youth. Northern Ohio is a religious community, he said, and missionary work has continued to grow.
“I grew up not far from the [Cleveland] temple site. It’s been all that I’ve known,” said Rice, who was baptized in 1960 at age 10 with his family after a young girl in the neighborhood invited his sister to attend Primary.
Rice, a member of the Brook Park Ward, Cleveland Ohio Stake, has served as the stake patriarch for the last 15 years after his release as stake president. He said he sees God’s hand in the timing of the temple.
“The Lord knew exactly when the appropriate time was here for the temple to be built and to bless Greater Cleveland and northern Ohio,” he said. “I think the stakes here in northern Ohio were prepared for the announcement and the expectation and the hope that it has brought to this area. … The Lord has watched over us and provided.”
Cleveland Ohio Temple
Address: 5997 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio 44131
Announced: April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson
Groundbreaking: June 1, 2024, presided over by Elder Vaiangina Sikahema, a General Authority Seventy
Public open house: June 18 through July 3, 2026, excluding Sundays
To be dedicated: Aug. 16, 2026, by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Property size: 11.04 acres
Building size: 9,950 square feet
Building height: 100 feet (including the spire)
