Hong Kong Temple | Church News Almanac
1996 Dedication of the Hong Kong Temple
The Hong Kong Temple was the 48th temple to be dedicated for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Gordon B. Hinckley announced this house of the Lord in 1992 and later dedicated it in 1996. The Hong Kong Temple was rededicated in 2022 by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In his prayer dedicating the temple for the first time, President Hinckley said, “May it be a sanctuary of peace amid the rush and roar of this great city. May those who enter to serve here leave the world behind and reflect on the things of eternity.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Hong Kong Temple here.
2022 Rededication of the Hong Kong Temple
After extensive renovations that started on July 8, 2019, the Hong Kong Temple was rededicated on June 19, 2022. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the rededication ceremony. Elder Gong had served in the Asia Area presidency from 2011 to 2015 and eventually became the president of the Asia Area during that time.
At the rededication services, Elder Gong said, “This beautiful Hong Kong Temple invites us in this Asia Area to draw closer to our Savior Jesus Christ, build daily our spiritual foundation and bless our family generations.”
Timeline of the Hong Kong Temple
October
03
1992
Announced
The Hong Kong Temple was announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the First Presidency, on Oct. 3, 1992, during October 1992 general conference.
January
22
1994
Groundbreaking
The groundbreaking for the Hong Kong Temple was held on Jan. 22, 1994. It was presided over by Elder John K. Carmack, Asia Area president and member of the Quorum of the Seventy.
May
07
1996
Open house
The Hong Kong Temple’s open house was held from May 7 to May 21, 1996, excluding Sundays. The open house attracted over 13,000 visitors.
May
26
1996
Dedication
July
08
2019
Closed for renovation
The Hong Kong Temple closed on July 8, 2019, to undergo extensive mechanical, electrical, heating and plumbing renovations after 23 years of service.
May
23
2022
Rededication open house
The rededicated Hong Kong Temple’s open house was held from May 23 to May 29, 2022. The event attracted around 3,000 visitors.
June
19
2022
Rededication
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rededicated the Hong Kong Temple on June 19, 2022, after its renovation.
SEE ALL Timeline of the Hong Kong Temple
The Hong Kong Temple was announced at general conference in 1992 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. After being dedicated in 1996 by President Hinckley, the Hong Kong Temple served members of the Church for 23 years and closed for extensive renovation in 2019.
The open house for the rededication took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it attracted around 3,000 visitors. After three years of construction, the temple was rededicated by Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 2022.
Architecture and Design of the Hong Kong Temple
The stone on the exterior of the temple was quarried from the Jianming Quarry in Xiamen, China. The bottom half of the temple is Giallo Ornamental stone, and the top is Sunset Gold stone. The lamps, the chandeliers and many other features inside the house of the Lord have been designed to represent ancient Chinese architecture.
In July 1992, President Gordon B. Hinckley and others spent a day touring half a dozen possible sites for the temple, but every location was too small and overpriced. That night, President Hinckley awoke with an inspired idea to demolish the Hong Kong mission home and office and a nearby chapel to construct a multipurpose building. He then drew rough sketches for a building with a temple on the upper floors and other functions on lower floors.
Interior Photos of the Hong Kong Temple
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