The Perth Australia Temple is the 106th operating

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church). It is located at 163–173 Wordsworth Avenue, Yokine, Western Australia, which is a suburb of

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. The temple serves approximately 12,000 members in the area. The intent to build the temple was announced on 11 June 1999, by the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

and is the fourth in Australia. The temple has a single attached spire with a statue of the

angel Moroni The angel Moroni () is an angel whom Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, reported as having visited him on numerous occasions, beginning on September 21, 1823. According to Smith, the angel Moroni was the guardian of the gold ...

. The temple was designed by Christou Cassella & JEC, using a classic modern architectural style. A groundbreaking ceremony, to signify the beginning of construction, was held on 20 November 1999, conducted by Kenneth Johnson, a church general authority.

History

The temple was announced by the First Presidency on 11 June 1999. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 20 November 1999, marking the commencement of construction. The ceremony was presided over by Kenneth Johnson and attended by local church members and community leaders. Previously members had to travel a distance equivalent to going from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in order to attend the nearest temple in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. Local reaction to the temple was favorable. LDS Church leaders received letters from both the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and the

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

expressing their confidence that the temple would be a positive influence on the community. After construction was completed, approximately 37,000 visitors toured the temple during a public open house held from 28 April to 12 May 2001. 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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple on 20 May 2001. In 2020, like all the church's others, the Perth Australia Temple was closed for a time in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Design and architecture

The temple is on a plot, which it shares with a stake centre. The building has a classic modern architectural style and uses traditional Latter-day Saint temple design. Designed by Christou Cassella & JEC, the temple's architecture reflects both the cultural heritage of Perth and its spiritual significance to the church. The structure is tall, and is constructed with olympia white granite. The exterior has tall glass windows on the sides, as well as "a contemporary design with a circle motif carved in the granite above the windows and along the bottom tier of the spire." The temple has a

baptistry In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptist ...

, two instruction rooms, and two

sealing room In temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), an ordinance room is a room where the ceremony known as the '' Endowment'' is administered, as well as other ordinances such as Sealings. Some temples perform a progr ...

s, each designed for ceremonial use. The design has elements representing Latter-day Saint symbolism, to provide deeper spiritual meaning to its appearance and function. Symbolism is important to church members and include the statue of the angel Moroni on top of the spire, which represents " the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Admittance

On 17 March 2001, the church announced the public open house that was held from 28 April to 12 May 2001 (excluding Sundays). The temple was dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley on 20 May 2001, in four sessions. Like all the church's temples, it is not used for

Sunday worship In Christianity, the Lord's Day refers to Sunday, the traditional day of communal worship. It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the ...

services. To members of the church, temples are regarded as sacred houses of the Lord. Once dedicated, only church members with a current

temple recommend In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord. Temples are considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usuall ...

can enter for worship.

References

External links

Official Perth Australia Temple page

Perth Australia Temple
at ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org {{LDS-Pacific, state=expanded 21st-century Latter Day Saint temples Religious buildings and structures in Perth, Western Australia Temples (LDS Church) completed in 2001 Temples (LDS Church) in Australia 2001 establishments in Australia

History

Design and architecture

Admittance

See also

References

External links