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POCATELLO — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its Pocatello Idaho Temple on Sunday in three sessions.
President M. Russell Ballard, the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided at Sunday's event.
"A temple in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a place where sacred covenants and ordinances can be performed," President Ballard said during Sunday's dedication. "We're building temples at a faster rate than ever before in the history of the Church."
Pocatello Idaho Temple open house
An open house for the Pocatello Idaho Temple had been held during the months of September and October. During that time, more than 250,000 people of different faiths got to visit the temple.
President Ballard was joined in Sunday's dedication by Elder Neil L. Andersen, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Kathy.
Elder Gifford Nielsen, president of the North America Central Area; and Elder Gary Sabin, assistant executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Valerie, also attended Sunday's dedication.
A temple to be seen 'from almost everywhere'
Elder Andersen grew up in the nearby community of Tyhee and attended school in Pocatello.
"I'm so happy to see it is a magnificent temple on the hill. It's no small temple. And you can see it from almost everywhere in the valley," Elder Andersen said.
The Pocatello Idaho Temple is 71,000 square feet and sits on the eastern foothills of the city.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held in the spring of 2019. The temple was announced in April 2017 by then Church President Thomas S. Monson.
Correction:In an earlier version, Elder Neil L. Andersen's name was incorrectly spelled Anderson.
Editor's note: Bonneville International Corporation, the company that owns KSL NewsRadio, is a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
