Burley Idaho Temple Dedicated
President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Burley Idaho Temple on Sunday, January 11, 2025. This marked his first temple dedication as Church president. During the dedicatory prayer, President Oaks invoked divine power to ensure the presence of the Spirit and glory within the temple.
Latter-day Saints consider temples sacred spaces for worship, where ceremonies such as marriages that unite families eternally and proxy baptisms for deceased ancestors are performed.
Temple Details and Idaho Presence
The Burley Idaho Temple is a 45,300-square-foot structure, first announced in April 2021, with groundbreaking occurring on June 4, 2022. Idaho hosts several other dedicated temples in Boise, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Pocatello, Rexburg, and Twin Falls. Additional temples are announced or under construction in Caldwell, Coeur d’Alene, Montpelier, and Teton River. Idaho is home to nearly 500,000 Latter-day Saints across approximately 1,300 congregations.
President Oaks was accompanied by his wife, Kristen, and other Church leaders including Elder Steven R. Bangerter, Executive Director of the Temple Department; Elder José A. Teixeira, United States Central Area President; and Elder K. Brett Nattress, General Authority Seventy.
Reflections on Temple Dedication
President Oaks shared personal reflections, stating his choice to dedicate the Burley Temple was due to its proximity to his childhood home in Twin Falls, Idaho. He noted that the Church is in