Willamette Valley Oregon Temple Wiki

Plans to construct the Eugene Oregon Temple were announced by President Russell M. Nelson on 4 April 2021, at the 191st Annual General Conference.^[1]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “At April 2021 Conference, Prophet Announces 20 More Temples to Be Constructed,” 4 Apr. 2021.

The Smithfield Utah Temple will be the twenty-sixth temple built in Utah and the second built in Cache County, following the Logan Utah Temple (1884).

Oregon Temples at Time of Announcement

Announced

• –

Under Construction

• –

Dedicated

• Portland Oregon [1989]
• Medford Oregon [2000]

On September 2, 2021, the official rendering of the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple was publicly released.^[4]“Official Name Announced for Temple to Be Built in Oregon.” newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 2 Sept. 2021, newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/official-name-announced-for-temple-to-be-built-in-oregon?filter=popular-topic.

Presiding at the groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 29, 2022, was Elder Valeri V. Cordón, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America West Area presidency. In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Cordón said, “We acknowledge the first Saints who came to this valley to live peacefully in their humble circumstances. We are grateful for the faithful Saints who live in this area, for their sacrifice, devotion and obedience.”

Elder Cordón continued, “We pray that the temple will be a beacon of hope and peace that inspires this community to come unto Christ, even in its construction phase.”^[6]Weaver, Sarah Jane. “Recalling Their Roots in Cache Valley, Utah, Elder Cook and Elder Stevenson Break Ground for Second Temple in the Area.” Church News, 11 Jan. 2024, www.thechurchnews.com/2022/6/18/23218635/smithfield-utah-temple-groundbreaking-elder-cook-stevenson-cache-valley-roots.

A a 10.5-acre site located at the intersection of International Boulevard and Corporate Way in Springfield, Oregon, a suburb of Eugene, near the wooded hills bordering the McKenzie River has been chosen as the location for the temple.

Plans call for a three-story temple of approximately 30,000 square feet