The first Latter-day Saints temple to be built in the Pittsburgh region will be dedicated Sept. 15. Construction began three years ago in Cranberry Township.
Unlike common LDS church buildings, temples are used for important ceremonies such as weddings and baptisms by proxy — a practice during which a Latter-day Saint can receive a baptism on behalf of a deceased relative.
Emily Belle Freeman, the church’s young women general president, said temples are so crucial to the church’s faith that members will “drive for hours, sometimes even for days,” to experience the parts of worship that can occur only at a temple.
Over 29,000 Latter-day Saints belong to 80 congregations in Western Pennsylvania, and until now, members have had to travel to the temples in Philadelphia or Columbus.
The Pittsburgh Temple will be the 196th dedicated temple and the only one in Western Pennsylvania. An additional 154 temples are either announced or under construction across the world. Over 30 have been dedicated since 2019.
General authority seventy James Rasband said increasing access to temples has caused a growing desire among members to incorporate the temple in their weekly worship.
“There has been a feeling that the temple become less of a destination and more of something that becomes part of the regular worship of members of the church,” Rasband said. “And I think that what's happening here is perhaps reflective of what's happening worldwide.”
Plans to build a temple in Harrisburg were announced in April 2023, but a groundbreaking date has not been set.
The Pittsburgh temple is open for public viewing until Aug. 31. After that it will be reserved for church members only.
