Modesto is getting an LDS temple. Here’s when, how the public can view plans for the site
The public can view plans at an upcoming event for the new Modesto Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
All are invited to the community open house, set for 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. It will be held at a meetinghouse adjacent to where the temple will be built at 4300 Dale Road, according to a press release.
The Modesto temple will be the 10th in California, with seven operating in Fresno, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Oakland, Redlands, Sacramento and San Diego. Two temples are under construction in Feather River and Yorba Linda, the release said.
Currently, the closest temples are in Oakland and Sacramento.
Plans for the Modesto location call for a single-story temple, approximately 30,000 square feet, to be built on a site that stretches more than 17 acres.
Groundbreaking dates have not been announced.
At the open house, people will have the opportunity to see renderings of the interior and exterior of the planned temple, as well as learn about its purpose, according to the release.
Project directors from Salt Lake City will be at the event to answer questions.
Members of the Latter-day Saints consider temples the house of the Lord and the most sacred places of worship, the release said. Temples differ from church meetinghouses and are not accessible to the public.
“The primary purpose of temples is for faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ to participate in sacred ceremonies, such as marriages, which unite families forever,” the release said, “and proxy baptisms on behalf of deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to be baptized while living.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 10:53 AM.
