Member-only story
Inside a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) Temple with a Temple Worker: Part 1
Come with me into the realm of the sacred.
Disclaimer:
What this piece is not
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the temple and its ordinances (ceremonies) are sacred to me. For that reason, this is not an exposé. This essay will not go into detail about specific sacred ceremonies that take place inside the temple.
What this piece is
I served as a hostess when we opened up our local temple to the public earlier this year, and I experienced firsthand the questions that people have about LDS temple worship. Through that experience, I realized that despite the sacredness of the temple ceremonies, there are many things we as members of the Church can share about the temple, its purpose, and what happens there with those outside of the Church. Now that I am a temple worker, my intent is to offer a glimpse into Latter-day Saint temple culture through the eyes of a temple worker while still staying true to the covenants and promises I made to keep certain things sacred. My goal is to educate, enlighten, and inform all those who are genuinely curious to learn more.
5:30 am
I walk through the giant, gold double doors and into the high-ceilinged entrance hall. A plush carpet just inside the entryway muffles my steps against the polished marble floors.
This is not the kind of place I would normally frequent in my “real life.” I don’t work in a fancy high-rise office building in a major city, or eat out at Michelin-rated restaurants for dinner, or stay in five-star luxury hotels when I travel. I am a work-at-home mom living in a modest four-bedroom home in a typical suburban neighborhood. We go camping on the weekends.
But because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and because I am a temple worker, several times a month I walk through the doors of my local temple, about 40 minutes from my home, and I am transported to a place where it is always impeccably clean, reverentially quiet, and where every detail is carefully curated and understatedly elegant. And oddly enough, I feel at home there.
