LDS Church to break ground next month for temple in Idaho

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Meridian Idaho Temple, seen here in a rendering, will be held Aug. 23.

MormonNewsroom.org

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SALT LAKE CITY The LDS Church has announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for the Meridian Idaho Temple will be held on Aug. 23 at 10 a.m.

The groundbreaking is the first announced since the faith's April general conference, when no new temples were announced but church President Thomas S. Monson said the temple department would concentrate on completing previously announced temples.

President Monson announced plans for the Meridian Temple during the April 2011 general conference.

It will be the 15th temple under construction, leaving an additional 12 that have been announced but for which ground has not yet been broken.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 143 operating temples. That list includes the Ogden Utah Temple, which actually has been under renovation for several years. The renovation is nearing completion, and free tickets for a five-week open house became available online Monday morning.

The Meridian Temple will be the fifth LDS temple in Idaho. One is 12 miles away in Boise. The others are in Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Rexburg.

The Meridian temple site is located at 7345 North Linder Road. The website ldschurchtemples.com says Meridian is the fastest-growing city in Idaho with a 115 percent increase in population from 2000 to 2010.

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LDS Church to break ground next month for temple in Idaho