The Kona Hawaii Temple is the 70th operating

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church). The temple is located in

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is also known as Kailua (a name it shares with a community located on the windward side of Oahu), as Kona (a name it shares ...

on the island of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and is the second temple built in

, along with the

Laie Hawaii Temple Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The temple sits on a small hill, half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, in the town of ...

. It is the sixth temple built in the Pacific Islands.

History

The Kona Hawaii Temple was announced May 7, 1998, with a groundbreaking ceremony presided over by John B. Dickson of the

Seventy 70 (seventy) is the natural number following 69 and preceding 71. In mathematics 70 is: * a sphenic number because it factors as 3 distinct primes. * a Pell number. * the seventh pentagonal number. * the fourth tridecagonal number. * the fif ...

held less than a year later on March 13, 1999. Approximately 1,200 people attended the groundbreaking ceremonies. Dickson, Donald L. Hallstrom, an

area seventy Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jes ...

, Hilo

stake president A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine h ...

John Sakamaki and Kona stake president Philip A. Harris each spoke at the ceremony. Dickson turned over the first shovelful of dirt, after which other onlookers, including many children, also participated. The structure itself was constructed in concrete, white marble and some native materials. Architects used a simple classical design featuring a single spire, similar to other smaller temples constructed by the church at the same time. Upon completion, an open house was held from January 12–15, 2000. LDS Church

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon Bitner Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008) was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from March 1995 until his death in January 200 ...

dedicated the Kona Hawaii Temple on January 23–24, 2000. Hinckley was accompanied to the dedication by

Boyd K. Packer Boyd Kenneth Packer (September 10, 1924 – July 3, 2015) was an American religious leader and educator who served as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (LDS Church), president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jes ...

, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Hallstrom. More than 3,800 church members attended the dedicatory sessions. In 2020, the Kona Hawaii Temple was closed in response to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Temple facts

The Kona Hawaii Temple has two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms. The temple dedication was considered the first event in a yearlong commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the church in Hawaii. NFL Hall of Fame quarterback

Steve Young Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccane ...

married his wife, Barbara Graham, in the Kona Hawaii Temple on March 15, 2000.

References

Additional reading

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External links

Kona Hawaii Temple Official siteKona Hawaii Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-Temple-USA 20th-century Latter Day Saint temples Hawaiian architecture Religious buildings and structures in Hawaii Religious buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2000 Temples (LDS Church) in Oceania Temples (LDS Church) in the United States The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii 2000 establishments in Hawaii

History

Temple facts

See also

References

Additional reading

External links