President Oaks tours Salt Lake Temple following April surgery

SALT LAKE CITY (Deseret News) — President Dallin H. Oaks and his counselors in the First Presidency toured the Salt Lake Temple on Friday as a six-year renovation project moves forward toward a six-month public open house next year.

“The opportunity to tour the temple today was a welcome chance to be with my brothers in the First Presidency in a place we cherish,” said the leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I have been looking forward to this opportunity to see firsthand the progress of this important project.”

President Oaks said the tour was a welcome part of his recovery from hip replacement surgery on April 15, according to a news release.

His doctors said a typical recovery time is three to four months. President Oaks has continued to work from his office in downtown Salt Lake City.

President Oaks, 93, was ordained the faith’s 18th president on Oct. 14. He and other church leaders have shared their anticipation of the first opportunity for the general public to see inside the historic, pioneer-era temple since 1893.

“We look forward to welcoming people from throughout the world during the Salt Lake Temple Celebration and open house, to be held from April through October 2027,” President Oaks said in a Facebook post.

The renovation is designed to strengthen the foundation of the temple against future earthquakes.

Joining President Oaks on the tour were his counselors in the church’s First Presidency, Presidents Henry B. Eyring and D. Todd Christofferson.

They visited both finished and unfinished rooms as construction work continues.

“Above all,” President Oaks said in a Facebook post, “we look forward to teaching about the sacred purposes of temples throughout the world. In the temple, faithful men and women receive divine instruction, sacred responsibilities and spiritual power.”

Latter-day Saints believe that temple ordinances allow them to make covenants with God that bind them and their families to Heavenly Father and to each another for eternity.

The church will open a new Temple Square Visitors’ Center on May 18. It includes a remarkable new “Inside a Temple” experience complete with replica temple rooms so visitors can better understand the purpose of temples and their role in Latter-day Saints’ worship of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Reservations for those tours were quickly claimed, but more reservations will be released June 1, with additional availability added every other Monday. Guests can reserve tickets online or through the Temple Square app.

The renovation project was announced in 2019 by late church President Russell M. Nelson. Construction work began in earnest in January 2020.

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