In 2022, non-Mormons to be allowed inside the Maryland temple for the 1st time in 45 years
WASHINGTON (7News) — Next year, for the first time in more than 45 years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will allow non-members to see the inside of the Mormon temple in Kensington, Maryland.
The temple was first opened to the public from September 17 to October 19, 1974, and more than 750,000 visitors toured the building. The temple was dedicated that November and has not been open to the public since that time.
The church first announced in February 2017 that the D.C. temple, as they refer to it, would close in March 2018 for upgrades to the mechanical systems and to get new furnishings.
On Tuesday, the church released more details about a planned "re-dedication" on June 19, 2022, and a public open house that will be held beforehand, between April 28 and June 4, 2022.
Free tickets will be made available on November 1, 2021, HERE.
An open house had been scheduled for fall 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans.
Latter-day Saint temples are where faithful Mormons participate in sacred ceremonies such as marriage and the uniting of families for eternity, the church says. Temples differ from meetinghouses or chapels, where all are welcome to meet for Sunday worship service and other activities.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE D.C. TEMPLE:
- The temple was the first built in the Eastern United States
- The temple was the first to feature six spires since the construction of the Salt Lake Temple, which inspired the design
- Soaring to a height of 288 feet, the Washington D.C. Temple is the tallest temple in the Church
- The exterior is faced in white Alabama marble, symbolizing purity and enlightenment, which is shaved to 5/8 of an inch in some areas to allow a soft glow of sunlight to pass into the interior during the day
- The seven floors of the Washington D.C. Temple represent the six days of creation and the day of rest
