Historian Matthew C. Godfrey on the ongoing legacy of the St. George Utah Temple

Church News

Religion, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, News

4.9 • 782 Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

The historic St. George Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Church’s longest-operating house of the Lord. Originally dedicated on April 6, 1877, and rededicated on Nov. 11, 1975, the temple is set to be rededicated again after extensive renovations. President Jeffrey R. Holland, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, will rededicate the edifice on Dec. 10. President Holland is a native of southern Utah who was married in the St. George Utah Temple.

This episode of the Church News podcast features Matthew C. Godfrey, senior managing historian for outreach and engagement in the Church History Department, discussing how the temple in St. George has changed the lives of generations of Latter-day Saints and how the most recent maintenance of the temple will continue to point its patrons toward Jesus Christ.

The Church News Podcast is a weekly podcast that invites listeners to make a journey of connection with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the globe. Host Sarah Jane Weaver, reporter and editor for The Church News for a quarter-century, shares a unique view of the stories, events, and most important people who form this international faith. With each episode, listeners are asked to embark on a journey to learn from one another and ponder, “What do I know now?” because of the experience. Produced by KellieAnn Halvorsen.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know, one of the really interesting things about temple work in the church is it really has been there from the beginning.
0:15.0	I mean, when you think about it, when Moroni appears to Joseph Smith in 1823, one of the scriptures that he quotes is from Malachi that talks about the sealing power, which of course is instrumental in the temple.
0:26.6	And now there's so many that have been announced or under construction or operating at this time, you can really see the hastening of the Lord's work and how it's so important to have these
0:39.3	ordinances because they really do bind us to the Savior, to Jesus Christ, and we need that
0:45.0	strength so much as we go through these challenging and difficult days. So I just feel blessed
0:51.7	to live in a time when we have so many temples.
0:58.7	This is Sarah Jane Weaver, executive editor of the Church News, welcoming you to the Church News podcast.
1:05.2	We are taking you on a journey of connection as we discuss news and events of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
1:16.6	The historic St. George, Utah Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the
1:22.0	church's longest operating house of the Lord, having been originally dedicated on April 6, 1877, and rededicated on November
1:31.4	11, 1975, the temple is set to be rededicated again December 10th after extensive renovations.
1:40.1	The St. George, Utah Temple is just one of a handful of pioneer-era temples to undergo renovations in recent years,
1:46.8	with President Russell and Nelson reminding listeners in an October 2018 general conference talk,
1:53.1	building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will.
1:59.8	This episode of the Church News podcast features senior managing historian for outreach and
2:05.2	engagement in the church history department, Matthew C. Godfrey.
2:09.5	He will discuss how the St. George Temple has changed the lives of generations of
2:14.1	Latter-day Saints and how the most recent renovations of the temple will continue
2:18.5	to point its patrons towards Jesus Christ. Welcome to the podcast, Matt. Thank you. It's great to be here.
2:25.6	Thanks for having me on. Now, you've spent so much of your career focused on Joseph Smith. Give us a
2:31.1	little bit of your background. So I come from a family of historians.
2:35.9	My parents were both historians, and I guess it kind of got into my blood.
	...

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