Mormon Temple Postpones Public Open House, Rededication Ceremony

KENSINGTON, MD — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Kensington — a Mormon temple shrouded in mystery — is postponing its public open house and rededication ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"(B)ecause of concern for the effects of COVID-19, the open house, youth devotional, and rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple are postponed until large public gatherings are deemed safe," the church announced on its website.

The public open house was scheduled to be held from Sept. 24 through Oct. 31. The rededication ceremony was supposed to be held on Dec. 13.

Anne Golightly, local public affairs director for the church, called the festivities "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Last time the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was open to the public was in 1974 — when the temple was built.

The church in Kensington, like all Mormon churches, doesn't open its doors to anyone. For members, the temple is the most sacred place of worship and is where weddings and other special ceremonies are held.

That means non-Mormons aren't allowed inside.

Only Mormons who obtain a Temple recommend — a card signed by a church leader proving that a worshipper is in good standing with the church — are allowed inside.

The church believes the religion was founded by Joseph Smith on April 6, 1830, in western New York. Smith stated he had been visited by an ancient prophet named Moroni who spoke to him about a holy text buried in a hill near Palmyra, New York. Smith is believed to have taken the record and translated it.

The Book of Mormon, which was first published in 1830, "contains religious writings of civilizations in ancient America between about 2200 B.C. and A.D. 421," the church said.

The religion has since exploded in popularity.

The church says it now has 81 churches and more than 6,681,800 church members in the United States.

Renderings of the church in Kensington can be found below: