Fiji Mormon Temple Opens its Doors to the Public
SALT LAKE CITY —
The public is invited to tour the recently renovated Suva Fiji Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church’s First Presidency has announced that the open house will be held from Monday, January 25, through Saturday, February 6, 2016, excluding Sunday, January 31.
| 1 of13 | Celestial room in the Suva Fiji Temple. During the temple endowment Latter-day Saints conclude the ceremony pondering and meditating in the Celestial room. © 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Once a temple is dedicated only Latter-day saints in good standing can enter the Church’s temples, but during the open house, the general public is invited to tour the building free of charge. Tours, consisting of a 10-minute video presentation followed by a 30-minute walking tour through the temple, will begin at the adjacent Fiji Service Centre. The temple is located at 2-20 Lakeba Street, Samabula, Suva.
“We welcome everyone to come and see our temple,” said Vito Qaqa, a local Church leader who is overseeing the open house. “We look forward to sharing with visitors why Latter-day Saints consider temples our most sacred places of worship.”
Government leaders in Fiji visited the temple on Wednesday. Read more on the Mormon Newsroom Pacific website.
Following the public open house, the temple will be formally rededicated on Sunday, February 21. The rededication will be preceded by a cultural celebration featuring music and dance by Latter-day Saint youth from around Fiji. They will be joined by their friends from other faiths. The event will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, at ANZ Stadium. The media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The Suva Fiji Temple was originally dedicated in June 2000 and was closed in October 2014 for renovation. The temple serves more than 35,000 Latter-day Saints in Fiji, Vanuatu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
The exterior of the 1,185-square-metre temple features granite from Italy. The building stands 65-feet high and is crowned with a gilded statue of the angel Moroni, who is significant to Latter-day Saints for his role in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The colors and design motifs of the temple were inspired by the flowers, beaches and jungles of Fiji. The interior of the temple features original art glass and a hand-painted mural depicting the landscape and flora of the islands.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from churches where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through baptism, marriage and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity.
Additional information about the Suva Fiji Temple is available onhttp://mormontemples.org/eng/temple/suva-fiji.
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