May
26
Gila Valley Mormon Temple is Dedicated
May 26, 2010 by Giuseppe Martinengo Leave a Comment | Filed in Mormon Church
The last temple of of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Gila Valley Arizona Temple, is the 132nd Mormon temple and it was dedicated Sunday, May 23, in three sessions.
The new temple now serves 21,000 Church members in southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico.
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple was the third temple built in Arizona, following the Mesa Arizona Temple in 1927 and the Snowflake Arizona Temple in 2002.
The announcement of the construction of The Gila Valley Arizona Temple and the Gilbert Arizona Temple constituted the first temple announcement done by President Thomas S. Monson as the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Two of four Church-owned baseball fields in the community of Central were cleared to allow for the construction of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple.
On September 22, 2009, the statue of the angel Moroni was installed atop The Gila Valley Arizona Temple, taking the building to its final height and form.
A total of 90,865 visitors toured The Gila Valley Arizona Temple during its public open house period, resulting in 1,299 comment cards and 139 missionary referrals.