Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house begins today

"This was done by the First Presidency in an effort to make sure that everybody in Utah that wanted to would be able to see the dedication," Elder Walker said.

LDS Church leaders also hope the "been there, done that" attitude doesn't invade church members' attitudes regarding temple worship.

"It's an ongoing effort — one of the three missions of the church is to redeem the dead," said Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, explaining that members are responsible to identify their own ancestors so temple ordinances can be performed for their kindred dead.

"Because there are two temples here, that ought to make it even more exciting," he said, adding his hope that local bishops and stake presidents will be encouraging temple worship among members, "telling them, 'Let's get over there and do our duty.' "

Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple

Address: 11022 S. 4000 West

Public open house: Monday, June 1, through Saturday, Aug. 1, excluding Sundays, July 4 and July 24

Open-house reservations: Call 1-800-521-5105 or 801-240-7645; or go online at www.lds.org/reservations

Dedication: Nine sessions total, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 21-23

Operation: Temple opens Tuesday, Aug. 25

E-MAIL: taylor@desnews.com