This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its first temple in Wyoming on Sunday.
Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the church's second-highest governing body, dedicated the new temple in Star Valley, making it the faith's 154th temple, a news release said.
Bednar described the building and its landscape as "simple" and "serene."
"In a world that's filled with commotion, confusion, sometimes chaos, beautiful, as [the temple] is, this is a place of ultimate peace and serenity here on Earth," he said, "so it will bless all who enter in powerful ways."
Bednar and his wife, Susan, a Star Valley native, joined LDS general authorities Ulisses Soares, C. Scott Grow, Larry Y. Wilson and Wilford W. Andersen of the Seventy to put the finishing touch on the exterior by placing mortar around the cornerstone, the release said. Also in attendance was Barbara Perry, wife of the late LDS apostle L. Tom Perry.
Before the dedication, thousands of Mormon youths performed in a cultural celebration at Star Valley High School.
The temple will serve 16,000 Mormons in Wyoming and parts of Idaho, the release said. During a three-week open house, 78,000 people visited the temple.
Mormons view temples as houses of God, where members perform their faith's highest religious rites, including eternal marriage.
Twitter: @mnoblenews