Laie Hawaii Temple | Church News Almanac
1919 Dedication of the Laie Hawaii Temple
The Laie Hawaii Temple was originally dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1919, by President Heber J. Grant. It was the first Latter-day Saint temple dedicated outside of the continental United States, and the first temple in Polynesia. This house of the Lord was announced by President Joseph F. Smith, who had served a mission in the Hawaiian islands in his youth before becoming the Church President in 1901.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May all who come upon the grounds which surround this temple, in the years to come, whether members of the Church of Christ or not, feel the sweet and peaceful influence of this blessed and hallowed spot.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Laie Hawaii Temple here.
1978 Rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple
The Laie temple has been rededicated twice since opening in 1919. Its first rededication was in June of 1978, done by President Spencer W. Kimball. In 1976, the temple was closed to incorporate a large addition to the building. This addition expanded the temple from 10,500 square feet to over 42,000 square feet. The addition also included building a new entrance to the temple and enlarged patron facilities.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “And now we express our gratitude again with thanksgiving in our hearts for the wonderful, splendid labors performed in the land of Hawaii and other islands by the early leadership of this Church. We thank Thee for their devotion to this people.”
Read the 1978 rededication prayer of the Laie Hawaii Temple here.
2010 Rededication of the Laie Hawaii Temple
The Laie temple was rededicated again in November of 2010 by President Thomas S. Monson. The Church closed the temple to update the seismic structure of the temple and to repair and renovate the baptistry.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Now, our Beloved Father, acting in the authority of the everlasting priesthood in the sacred name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we rededicate unto Thee and unto Thy Son this, the Laie Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We rededicate it as a house fo baptism, a house of endowment, a house of sealing, a house of righteousness — for the living and for the dead.”
Read the 2010 rededication prayer of the Laie Hawaii Temple here.
Timeline of the Laie Hawaii Temple
October
03
1915
Announced
The Laie temple was announced by President Joseph F. Smith, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1901-1918. The Laie temple was built where the community I Hemolele chapel had stood. The chapel served the Laie community for almost 60 years and was moved to a new location for the Laie temple to be built.
June
01
1915
Groundbreaking
President Joseph F. Smith presided at the groundbreaking for the Laie Hawaii Temple in 1915. The groundbreaking occurred before the Laie temple was announced publicly at the October general conference in 1915.
November
27
1919
Dedication
Closed for renovations
The Laie temple was closed in 1976 for two years of renovations. The renovation included adding over 30,000 square feet to the temple and rebuilding the temple’s entrance.
May
02
1978
Open house
The Laie temple held an open house prior to its rededication in 1978. This was the first time the temple had been open to the public in almost 60 years, and it received over 110,000 visitors during its open house.
June
13
1978
Rededication
December
29
2008
Closed for renovations
On Dec. 29, 2008, the Church announced the Laie temple would be closing for renovations.
October
22
2010
Open house
November
21
2010
Rededication
SEE ALL Timeline of the Laie Hawaii Temple
Architecture and Design of the Laie Hawaii Temple
There are four friezes carved into the top of the Laie temple, designed by Leo and Avard Fairbanks. Each frieze represents a dispensation of time: On the west is the Old Testament frieze, on the south is the New Testament frieze, on the north is the Book of Mormon frieze, and the frieze above the entrance of the temple on the east depicts the present day.
The Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center is just outside the Laie temple. It houses various interactive displays and videos detailing the history of Laie and the part The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints played in the community’s history. Full-time missionaries at the visitors’ center give tours and teach guests about the temple.
Interior Photos of the Laie Hawaii Temple
History of the Laie Hawaii Temple
In 1915, the chosen site for the Laie Hawaii Temple already housed the community chapel, the I Hemolele chapel. In order to build the temple, the I Hemolele chapel had to be moved to a new location. Twenty years later, the I Hemolele chapel burned down in 1940, and the Laie community hosted a Hukilau for tourists on Hukilau Beach to raise money to build a new chapel.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first Latter-day Saint temple built outside the continental United States. Previous to 1915, when members of the Church living in Hawaii wanted to attend a house of the Lord, they had to travel almost 3,000 miles to the Salt Lake Temple in Utah. Many members from Hawaii chose to move to Utah in order to be close to and receive the blessings of the temple.
The Hawaiian Saints who moved to Utah settled a city where they lived from 1889-1915. The Saints named this city “Iosepa,” which is the Hawaiian name for “Joseph.” It was named after Joseph F. Smith, who served a mission in the Hawaiian islands when he was 15. Later, Joseph F. Smith became Church President and announced a temple to be built in Laie. After the temple was announced, the Saints moved back to Hawaii, leaving Iosepa, Utah, a ghost town. After returning to Hawaii, the Saints named a street near the temple “Iosepa Street,” after the city in Utah where they had lived for the previous 26 years.
Historic photos of the Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center
The Laie temple shares its grounds with the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center. Dozens of missionaries are called to serve at the visitors’ center every year to give tours of the grounds and teach people about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 2019, prior to the Laie temple’s centennial celebration, the visitors’ center was renovated. In the renovation, a cut-away model of the Laie temple was added to the visitors’ center to show visitors the inside of the temple. This is one of only five such models, the others being at the Salt Lake Temple, the Washington D.C. Temple, the Rome Italy Temple and the Paris France Temple Visitors’ Centers.
Laie Hawaii Temple Cut-Away Model
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