SE Iowa News

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints issued the following announcement on July 27.

Update on July 27, 2020: Phased temple reopenings are announced each week. Most temples are in Phase 1 of reopening. Beginning July 27, 12 temples entered Phase 2. See a full list of temples and their current status.

In a letter sent May 7, 2020, to all Church members, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressed their gratitude for the efforts of all those who have worked to address the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“With profound gratitude to our Heavenly Father that He has heard our prayers, we rejoice in announcing a careful, phased reopening of temples,” the First Presidency said. “Beginning Monday, May 11, 2020, living husband-and-wife sealing ordinances will be performed in selected temples for members who have been previously endowed.”

Sealings at Selected Temples

In the first phase of temple reopening, temple ordinances will be limited to husband-and-wife living sealings (marriages) for members who are already endowed. This will begin at selected temples in Idaho and Utah (USA) and Germany and Sweden (see list of temples opening at the end of this article). The current status of individual temples can be viewed on each individual temple’s page on Temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

These sealings will take place Monday through Saturday by appointment only and initially will be limited to one sealing ceremony or family at a time in the temple. When the appointment is made, staff will verify that the couple lives within the approved geographic area for receiving ordinances in that temple. All government and public health directives will be observed, including restrictions related to travel and crossing of state or other regional borders, and the use of safety equipment such as masks.

For these living sealing ordinances, temples will have a very limited number of staff in the temple—as few as two or three people. Each bride, groom and their limited number of guests will be greeted at the door of the temple and escorted to the sealing room. The bride and groom are invited to come to the temple dressed in the customary white trousers, shirt and tie (for men) and dresses (for women). They will then dress in ceremonial temple clothing within the temple.

The number of participants in each sealing will be restricted to the bride, groom and a limited number of guests per instructions provided at the time of scheduling. Only those who are in good health and have no symptoms of COVID-19 should come to the temple. The sealing and other rooms in the temple will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized following each ceremony.

Phased reopening

The reopening of temples will proceed in a cautious and carefully planned and coordinated manner based on local government restrictions and as authorized by the Temple Department. The four phases of opening are designed to reduce risk, accommodate the demand and capacity of the temple, and observe any relevant health restrictions in the temple district.

Phase 1: Living husband-and-wife sealings by appointment

• Perform living sealings only for previously endowed members under strict guidelines and safety precautions

Phase 2: Open for all living ordinances only

• Perform all temple ordinances for living individuals
• Maintain closure of patron housing, clothing, and cafeteria operations

Phase 3: Open for all ordinances with restrictions

• Continue providing ordinances for living individuals
• Provide proxy ordinances for ancestors in a restricted manner
• Open patron housing, clothing, and cafeteria operations as needed

Phase 4: Open for full operations

• Resume regular temple operations

See a full list of temples and their current status

As directed by the Temple Department, other temples will be reopened based on local government and public health directives. They will follow this same phased approach in reopening, beginning with husband-and-wife sealings by appointment.

Ordinance Priority

For currently scheduled living ordinances, members will be contacted by temple staff to confirm their appointment or to reschedule. Priority for scheduling ordinances will then be given to members who had their appointments canceled because of temple closures. Members in this circumstance should call the temple to schedule an ordinance. Final priority will then be given to new appointments.

Information About Specific Temples

Members can see the opening status of their specific temple and any restrictions by going to this temple list PDF or to Temples.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Temple presidents will also work with Area Seventies to share information on the reopening status of their assigned temple.

Safety

In addition to the processes outlined above, each temple presidency will take extra precautions to help protect temple workers and patrons. This will include allowing patrons to wear their own masks and gloves, providing hand sanitizer at several locations in the temple, and encouraging frequent handwashing and appropriate social distancing. All those who serve in the temple will do so on a volunteer basis. Adjustments to temple operating schedules, seating arrangements and temple facilities will also be made to further increase safety.

The First Presidency concluded their letter with an expression of hope and a request: “We ask for your continued faith and prayers that this pandemic and its lingering effects may pass. We look forward to the day that we can resume full operation of our temples, congregations and missionary service.”

Temple Status 

The following two temples will begin Phase 1 of reopening on August 3, 2020, bringing to date a total of 127 temples reopening:

• Córdoba Argentina Temple
• Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo Temple

The following three temples began Phase 1 of reopening on July 27, 2020, bringing to date a total of 125 temples reopening:

• Columbia River Washington Temple
• Guayaquil Ecuador Temple
• Preston England Temple

The following 12 temples began Phase 2 of reopening on July 27, 2020.

• Billings Montana Temple
• Bismarck North Dakota Temple
• Columbus Ohio Temple
• Copenhagen Denmark Temple
• Frankfurt Germany Temple
• Freiberg Germany Temple
• Helsinki Finland Temple
• Seoul Korea Temple
• Stockholm Sweden Temple
• Taipei Taiwan Temple
• The Hague Netherlands Temple
• Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

See a full list of temples and their current status

The following seven temples began Phase 1 of reopening on July 20, 2020, bringing to date a total of 122 temples reopening:

• Fortaleza Brazil Temple
• London England Temple
• Manaus Brazil Temple
• Oakland California Temple
• Recife Brazil Temple
• São Paulo Brazil Temple
• Suva Fiji Temple

The following six temples began Phase 1 of reopening on July 13, 2020, bringing to date a total of 115 temples reopening:

• Halifax Nova Scotia Temple
• Los Angeles California Temple
• Montreal Quebec Temple
• Porto Alegre Brazil Temple
• Seattle Washington Temple
• Spokane Washington Temple

Two temples which had previously reopened as Phase 1, the Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Mexico Temple and the Monterrey Mexico Temple, are now closed. The following 12 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on July 6, 2020, bringing to date a total of 109 temples reopening:

• Asunción Paraguay Temple
• Boston Massachusetts Temple
• Fresno California Temple
• Madrid Spain Temple
• Manhattan New York Temple
• Montevideo Uruguay Temple
• Newport Beach California Temple
• Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple
• Rome Italy Temple
• Redlands California Temple
• Sacramento California Temple
• San Diego California Temple

The following six temples began Phase 1 of reopening on June 29, 2020, bringing to date a total of 99 temples reopening:

• Columbia South Carolina Temple
• Colonia Juárez Chihuahua Mexico Temple
• Guadalajara Mexico Temple
• Las Vegas Nevada Temple
• Monterrey Mexico Temple
• Toronto Ontario Temple

The following four temples began Phase 1 of reopening on June 22, 2020, bringing to date a total of 93 temples reopening:

• Apia Samoa Temple
• Brisbane Australia Temple
• Paris France Temple
• Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple

The following 12 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on June 15, 2020, bringing to date a total of 89 temples reopening:

• Curitiba Brazil Temple
• Detroit Michigan Temple
• Durban South Africa Temple
• Hartford Connecticut Temple
• Johannesburg South Africa Temple
• Kona Hawaii Temple
• Laie Hawaii Temple
• Manila Philippines Temple
• Medford Oregon Temple
• Nuku'alofa Tonga Temple
• Palmyra New York Temple
• Portland Oregon Temple

The following 11 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on June 8, 2020, bringing to date a total of 77 temples reopening:

• Aba Nigeria Temple
• Accra Ghana Temple
• Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple
• Indianapolis Indiana Temple
• Lisbon Portugal Temple
• Lubbock Texas Temple
• Meridian Idaho Temple
• Papeete Tahiti Temple
• Reno Nevada Temple
• Rexburg Idaho Temple
• Sapporo Japan Temple

The following 14 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on June 1, 2020, bringing to date a total of 66 temples reopening:

• Adelaide Australia Temple
• Albuquerque New Mexico Temple
• Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple
• Calgary Alberta Temple
• Fukuoka Japan Temple
• Melbourne Australia Temple
• Nauvoo Illinois Temple
• Perth Australia Temple
• Raleigh North Carolina Temple
• San Antonio Texas Temple
• St. Louis Missouri Temple
• Sydney Australia Temple
• The Hague Netherlands Temple
• Vernal Utah Temple

The following 18 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on May 25, 2020, bringing to date a total of 52 temples reopening:

• Anchorage Alaska Temple
• Cardston Alberta Temple
• Columbus Ohio Temple
• Dallas Texas Temple
• Denver Colorado Temple
• Draper Utah Temple
• Edmonton Alberta Temple
• Fort Collins Colorado Temple
• Helsinki Finland Temple
• Houston Texas Temple
• Kansas City Missouri Temple
• Louisville Kentucky Temple
• Mount Timpanogos Temple
• Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple
• Orlando Florida Temple
• Regina Saskatchewan Temple
• St. Paul Minnesota Temple
• Vancouver British Columbia Temple

The following 17 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on May 18, 2020, bringing to date a total of 34 temples reopening:

• Atlanta Georgia Temple
• Billings Montana Temple
• Birmingham Alabama Temple
• Bismarck North Dakota Temple
• Copenhagen Denmark Temple
• Gilbert Arizona Temple
• Jordan River Utah Temple
• Memphis Tennessee Temple
• Nashville Tennessee Temple
• Phoenix Arizona Temple
• Seoul Korea Temple
• Snowflake Arizona Temple
• Star Valley Wyoming Temple
• Taipei Taiwan Temple
• The Gila Valley Arizona Temple
• Tucson Arizona Temple
• Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple

The following 17 temples began Phase 1 of reopening on May 11, 2020*:

• Boise Idaho Temple
• Bountiful Utah Temple
• Brigham City Utah Temple
• Cedar City Utah Temple
• Frankfurt Germany Temple
• Freiberg Germany Temple
• Idaho Falls Idaho Temple
• Logan Utah Temple
• Manti Utah Temple
• Monticello Utah Temple
• Ogden Utah Temple
• Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple
• Payson Utah Temple
• Provo City Center Temple
• Provo Utah Temple
• Stockholm Sweden Temple
• Twin Falls Idaho Temple

*Some temples in Idaho and Utah are undergoing annual maintenance and will reopen as that work is completed.

Original source: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-limited-reopening-temples