{"id":494930,"date":"2026-10-13T19:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/494930\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T19:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T19:04:22","slug":"modesto-california-temple-begins-open-house-phase-church-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/494930\/","title":{"rendered":"Modesto California Temple begins open-house phase \u2013 Church News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prior to its dedication next month, the Modesto California Temple<\/a> begins its public open house this week, running Oct. 16-31, excluding Sundays.<\/p>\n

The open-house phase begins with a media day Tuesday, Oct. 13, then invited guests will tour the sacred edifice Oct. 14-15.<\/p>\n

Elder Hugo E. Mart\u00ednez<\/a> \u2014 a General Authority Seventy and member of the United States West Area presidency \u2014 guided news representatives through the temple on Tuesday\u2019s media day.<\/p>\n

In conjunction with those media tours, the Church published<\/a> interior and exterior photos of the Modesto temple Oct. 13 on ChurchofJesusChrist.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe celestial room of the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n

After the open house, Elder Quentin L. Cook<\/a> of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will dedicate the Modesto temple on Nov. 22. Elder Cook had worked as an attorney and business executive in California before being called as a general authority.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the Yorba Linda California Temple<\/a> was dedicated<\/a> June 7, and the San Diego California Temple<\/a> was rededicated<\/a> Aug. 23 \u2014 both by President D. Todd Christofferson, second counselor in the First Presidency.<\/p>\n

Once dedicated, the Modesto temple will become the Church\u2019s 10th temple in California.<\/p>\n

It will be dedicated the same day as the Torre\u00f3n Mexico Temple<\/a>, with the two becoming the Church\u2019s 230th and 231st temples worldwide.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe recommend desk of the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Design and features<\/p>\n

The Modesto temple is a single-story edifice of 31,352 square feet, standing on a 17.6-acre site next to an existing meetinghouse at 4310 Dale Road, in Modesto, California. The exterior, combining insulated concrete forms and structural steel construction, is clad with stone.<\/p>\n

Design elements of the temple apply motifs inspired by California\u2019s Central Valley, like almond blossoms, strawberries, agricultural fields, canal systems, local railroads and waterways flowing from the Sierra Nevada region. Blue, green and gold are incorporated throughout the interior.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe baptistry of the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n

Linear patterns in the millwork give a nod to agricultural fields and irrigation systems of California\u2019s Central Valley, and several pieces of artwork also tie to the valley\u2019s landscape, waterways, orchards and agriculture. Cherrywood is used for the doors and stained millwork, while painted millwork uses paint-grade maple and poplar.<\/p>\n

Crema Ella marble is the primary stone inside the building, with stone accents of Emperador Light, Azul Macaubas, Verde Giada, Inca Gold and Crema Bella. The ceiling comprises gypsum board and acoustic tiles. Glass, acrylic, brass and crystal elements are used in decorative lighting elements of the temple.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints About the Modesto temple<\/p>\n

On April 3, 2022, then-Church President Russell M. Nelson<\/a> announced<\/a> a house of the Lord for Modesto, California, one of 17 temple locations he identified in the April 2022 general conference<\/a>. It was also the 100th temple he announced overall.<\/p>\n

Ground was later broken<\/a> Oct. 7, 2023, to begin the construction phase. Elder Gary B. Sabin<\/a> \u2014 then a General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the North America West Area presidency, now emeritus \u2014 presided over the ceremony. This was the day before the Feather River California Temple<\/a> was dedicated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In his remarks at the Modesto temple\u2019s groundbreaking, Elder Sabin said<\/a>: \u201cWe are reminded that temples bring us closer to Christ, and when we come closer to Christ, we are more joyful. We\u2019re so grateful for all the members \u2014 past and present \u2014 whose faith and courage have made this possible along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA sealing room inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church in California<\/p>\n

Located along the Pacific Ocean coast, California currently has the second-largest number of temples of any U.S. state, with Utah being the first. California currently has 12 temples operating, under construction and announced.<\/p>\n

The Modesto temple will join nine operating temples: Los Angeles<\/a> (in 1956), Oakland<\/a> (1964), San Diego<\/a> (1993), Fresno<\/a> (2000), Redlands<\/a> (2003), Newport Beach<\/a> (2005), Sacramento<\/a> (2006), Feather River<\/a> (2023) and Yorba Linda<\/a> (June 2026).<\/p>\n

Temples are also planned for Bakersfield<\/a> and the San Jose suburb of Sunnyvale<\/a>, both announced in April 2023.<\/p>\n

\"AA waiting area inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n

Latter-day Saints first arrived in California on July 31, 1846, in what was then Yerba Buena. The company of around 230 people tripled the population of Yerba Buena and helped build it into the prosperous city of San Francisco.<\/p>\n

Today, nearly 730,000 Latter-day Saints live in California, meeting in more than 1,000 wards and branches.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Modesto California Temple at night. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Modesto California Temple<\/p>\n

Address: 4310 Dale Road, Modesto, California 95356<\/p>\n

Announced: April 3, 2022, by President Russell M. Nelson<\/a><\/p>\n

Groundbreaking: Oct. 7, 2023, presided over by Elder Gary B. Sabin<\/a>, a General Authority Seventy<\/p>\n

Public open house: Oct. 16-31, 2026, excluding Sundays<\/p>\n

To be dedicated: Nov. 22, 2026, by Elder Quentin L. Cook<\/a> of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles<\/p>\n

Property size: 17.6 acres<\/p>\n

Building size: 31,352 square feet<\/p>\n

Building height: 115 feet (including the spire)<\/p>\n

\"TheThe bride’s room of the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"AnAn instruction room inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"TheThe celestial room of the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"TheThe Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"AA chandelier inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"AA waiting area inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"TheThe Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \"AnAn art-glass window inside the Modesto California Temple. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prior to its dedication next month, the Modesto California Temple begins its public open house this week, running…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,52607],"class_list":["post-494930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-temples"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}