Laie Hawaii Temple facts for kids
| Laie Hawaii Temple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Number | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dedicated | Quick facts for kids November 27, 1919 byHeber J. Grant |
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| Site | 11.4 acres (4.6 hectares) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Floor area | 42,100 sq ft (3,910 m2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Salt Lake Temple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Followed by | Cardston Alberta Temple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/laie-hawaii-temple • News & images | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Laie Hawaii Temple is a special building for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The temple sits on a small hill, about half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, in a town called Lāʻie. This town is about 35 miles (56 km) from Honolulu. The Laie Hawaii Temple is very important to Lāʻie, along with Brigham Young University–Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center. Its Visitors' Center welcomes over 100,000 people every year.
Several leaders of the Church have dedicated this temple. Joseph F. Smith first dedicated the land on June 1, 1915. Then, Heber J. Grant dedicated the finished building on November 27, 1919. Later, Spencer W. Kimball rededicated it on June 13, 1978, after it was made much bigger. After some updates to make it stronger and look new, Thomas S. Monson rededicated the temple on November 21, 2010.
The Laie Hawaii Temple was the first temple built by the Church outside the main United States. It is also the oldest temple still in use outside Utah. It is the fifth-oldest Church temple still operating today. It used to be called the Hawaiian Temple or the Hawaii Temple. Now, it follows the standard way of naming all Church temples.
Contents
History of the Laie Hawaii Temple
Early Church Missions in Hawaii
During the California Gold Rush, the first ten missionaries from the Church traveled to Hawaii. They left San Francisco on a ship called Imaum of Muscat. After 20 days, they arrived on December 12, 1850, in Honolulu Harbor. At that time, Hawaii was known as the "Sandwich Islands." A week later, the missionaries got their assignments. Some went to Kauaʻi, some to Lahaina on Maui, and others to the Big Island of Hawaii. Two stayed in Honolulu. These nine missionaries started the Sandwich Islands Mission.
The first Church group in Hawaii began on Maui in 1851. Missionaries settled on the island of Lānaʻi in 1854. Then, in 1865, they settled in Lāʻie on the island of Oʻahu.
Building the Temple in Lāʻie
In 1865, the Church bought a 6,000-acre (2,400 ha) sugarcane farm. This farm became a gathering place for Church members in the area. Joseph F. Smith was a missionary in Hawaii. He first suggested building a temple in Hawaii on February 15, 1885, in Lāʻie. George Q. Cannon, one of the first ten missionaries, visited Lāʻie in 1900. He was seen as a special leader because he strongly supported the idea of a new Hawaiian temple.
In 1915, Joseph F. Smith, who was then the sixth president of the Church, announced plans for the first temple outside the main United States. He chose Lāʻie for its location. There is a popular story about how the temple was built. Builders ran out of wood, which was hard to find on the islands. But then, a ship got stuck nearby and needed to unload some of its wood cargo. The temple builders helped the ship and were given the wood as a thank you. This wood was just enough to finish the temple.
When Native Hawaiian Church members living in Iosepa, Utah, heard about the new temple, many decided to move back to Hawaii. They had lived in Iosepa since 1889. The closest temple to them, the Salt Lake Temple, was 75 miles (121 km) away. Moving to Lāʻie meant they could be closer to the new temple. This allowed them to take part in special Church ceremonies without traveling far. By January 1917, most Hawaiians had returned home, and Iosepa became a ghost town.
Church president Heber J. Grant led the dedication of the Hawaiian Temple on November 27, 1919. Grant called the Hawaiian people "descendants of Lehi," a prophet from the Book of Mormon. He believed the new temple in Lāʻie would attract many Polynesian people to the Church. After the temple was finished, more Polynesians moved to Lāʻie to participate in temple ceremonies. Tourists also came to the area. Old guide books even compared the Lāʻie temple to the famous Taj Mahal.
Another popular story about the Laie Hawaii Temple comes from the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The story says that Japanese pilots tried to bomb or shoot at the Hawaiian Temple. This happened just before or after the attack. But they were stopped by a problem with their planes or by an unseen protective force. Some stories even say that a Japanese pilot who tried to attack the temple later joined the Church. This happened after he saw a picture of the temple from missionaries in Japan. While there are people who believe they saw this happen, historians have not found much proof for these stories.
Temple Renovations
In May 1976, the temple closed for a two-year update. It grew from 10,500 square feet (975 m²) to over 47,000 square feet (4,366 m²). Church president Spencer W. Kimball rededicated the temple on June 13, 1978.
In 2003, a big project began to update the area around the temple. This $5.5 million project lasted 14 months. Old trees were replaced with new ones, and new lights were added. The Visitors' Center also got new computer screens and displays.
In December 2008, the Laie Hawaii Temple closed again. This time, it was for updates to make it stronger and safer. The special rooms inside were also made to look like they did originally. The baptistry area was fixed and updated. The temple was rededicated on November 21, 2010, by Thomas S. Monson.
In 2020, the Laie Hawaii Temple closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Temple Architecture
Church president Joseph F. Smith wanted the Laie Hawaii Temple to look like Solomon's Temple from the Bible. The temple is often compared to the Cardston Alberta Temple. Both were designed by young architects Hyrum Pope and Harold W. Burton. Their design for Laie was inspired by the "Prairie style" of architecture. This style was popular in the early 1900s, made famous by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The temples also have designs that look like ancient buildings from Central and South America.
The temple is on an 11-acre (4.5 ha) piece of land. This land used to be part of a large sugarcane farm. Building the temple started in February 1916. It was built using local materials like crushed lava rock and strong concrete. The bright white look of the building was made using special stone-cutting tools. From above, the temple looks like a cross. It is 50 feet (15 m) tall. It measures 102 feet (31 m) from east to west and 78 feet (24 m) from north to south. The front of the temple looks like a Greek cross. It does not have a tall tower, which is rare for Church temples. Only three other Church temples do not have towers or spires: the Cardston Alberta, Paris France, and Mesa Arizona temples.
The outside of the temple has four large carvings called friezes. American sculptor J. Leo Fairbanks planned them, and his brother Avard Fairbanks helped build them. These carvings are made of concrete and show how God has worked with people throughout history. The north carving shows stories from the Book of Mormon. The west carving shows people from the Old Testament. The New Testament and the "Apostasy" (a time when some teachings were lost) are on the south carving. The "restoration" of the Church through Joseph Smith is on the east carving. On the temple grounds, there are also statues made by the Fairbanks brothers. One shows Joseph being blessed by his father. Another shows the Prophet Lehi from the Second Book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon.
As visitors walk towards the temple, they pass several pools. A special fountain called the Maternity Fountain is in front of the top pool. This fountain, also designed by the Fairbanks brothers, honors Hawaiian mothers. It shows a Hawaiian mother holding a large clam shell and pouring water over her children. This act represents mothers giving their love, hope, and care to their children.
The temple grounds have beautiful tropical gardens. You can see plants like hibiscus, Brazilian plume, birds of paradise, lantana, red ginger, bougainvillea, plumeria, and Ixora. At the bottom of the temple grounds, a fountain separates a Church Family History Center and a Visitors' Center. Inside the Visitors' Center, there is a ten-foot tall copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen's Christus statue.
The Laie Hawaii Temple is 47,224 square feet (4,387 m²) in size. It has four special rooms for ceremonies and six rooms for "sealing" families together. Artist LeConte Stewart designed many of the paintings inside the temple.
Temple Admittance
The Laie Hawaii Temple is not used for regular Sunday church services. Temples are considered very sacred places. Only Church members who follow special rules are allowed to enter. They go inside to take part in sacred ceremonies like "endowments," "baptism for the dead," and "eternal marriage." In "eternal marriage," couples and families are joined together forever. Because of these rules, people who are not Church members cannot go inside the temples. However, public tours of the outside grounds and the Visitors' Centers are available for everyone.
Temple Presidents
Some important leaders who have served as temple presidents include Edward L. Clissold (1936–38, 1943–44, 1963–65), D. Arthur Haycock (1986–89), and J. Richard Clarke (1998–2001).
See also
In Spanish: Templo de Laie para niños
