Dedication of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
On Sept. 15, 2024, nearly 200 years since the first Latter-day Saints were in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple was dedicated to stand as a testament of faith and resilience.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, inspired by Pittsburgh’s moniker “City of Bridges,” said before the dedication: “This is a place where earth is connected to heaven and the other way around. It is a flow of information and of wonderful inspiration and revelation. The house of the Lord is here to make covenants which connect us to heaven. These bridges, from one side to the other, from earth to heaven, are real.”
Elder Uchtdorf, who dedicated the Pittsburgh temple, was accompanied by his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf; Elder Mathias Held, a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America Northeast Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Irene Held; and Elder Craig C. Christensen, a General Authority Seventy and assistant executive director of the Church’s Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Debbie Christensen.
Elder Uchtdorf shared that in the early days of the Restoration of the Church, there was much tribulation in its growth. But the members have shown just how faithful the members in Pittsburgh are. Thanks to the faith and service of many dedicated members, the Church in the area had grown to three stakes — Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh North and Pittsburgh West — by the time the Pittsburgh temple was dedicated.
Ted Hansen, a 78-year-old member in attendance, shared that what has transpired in western Pennsylvania is a testament that this is the Lord’s work. “The thought of ever having a temple in Pittsburgh was beyond my comprehension as a 20-year-old.”
“Now we can do the Lord’s work more often,” said Ronda Yothers, who was serving as ward Young Women president from the Greensburg Ward of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Stake. Many Saints were in a similar situation to Ronda and her family, having to drive nearly four hours to and from the Washington D.C. Temple. With the construction and dedication of the Pittsburgh temple, the time shortened to a drive of less than an hour to worship in the house of the Lord.
Curtis and Donna Nelson, who were called to serve as the temple open house co-coordinators, recall when the closest temple for the Saints in Pittsburgh was the Salt Lake Temple.
Fred and Peggy Fike, longtime members of the Cranberry Ward in the Pittsburgh North Stake who joined the Church in April 1967, shared a similar experience having to drive to the Manti Utah Temple to be sealed in 1968. During construction of the Pittsburgh temple, they would often drive to the site to park and to watch to experience “the excitement and joy the temple has brought into our hearts.”
The new temple has brought not only a new beacon of hope to the members but also a light of truth to those not familiar with the Church. Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh shared about his visit to the open house of the temple: “I was very happy to be there. ... I’m a firm believer that we especially need people of faith. We need to have a much deeper appreciation of each other’s different traditions and the differences that exist among us, but also that we can look for the common denominators that can help us to really work together.”
President Chris Hoke of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania North Stake shared that the temple is “a beacon of hope, and it’s reflective of the Savior Jesus Christ. Every time they come here, [the Latter-day Saint youth] are going to see this temple and think of Jesus Christ. It’s going to change them.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Wilt Thou accept this holy house as the gift of our hearts and hands. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell here always and be felt by all who come within its portals. May a mantle of holiness come upon this sacred edifice. May it stand as a beacon of everlasting truth and light and as an invitation to come unto Thee.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple here.
Timeline of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
The Pittsburgh temple was announced April 5, 2020, by President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication for this house of the Lord were held on Aug. 21, 2021, and presided over by Elder Randall K. Bennett of the Seventy.
After a public open house from Aug. 16 to Aug. 31, 2024, the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple was dedicated Sept. 15, 2024, by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Architecture and Design of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
The Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple is a single-story building of 32,240 square feet. The building’s steel-frame structure is enveloped in granite cladding, with the stone from Portugal. The design motif of this house of the Lord centers on the mountain laurel — Pennsylvania’s state flower — and the pink and white blossoms of the dogwood tree.
The interior stone is Crema Ella marble from Turkey, accented by Inca Gold, Azul Mauba, Emperador Light, Costa Esmeralda and Safran marble. The carpet throughout the temple is soft gold and green patterned, with solid green pile in administration areas and white sculpted broadloom in the sealing and celestial rooms. The bride’s room features wall-to-wall rugs in the dogwood motif.
The temple sits on a 5.8-acre site, with grass fields and flower gardens adorning the site.
Interior Photos of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple
