'Feel the peace and comfort': Ground to be broken for Latter-day Saint Temple in Coeur d'Alene on August 29th

Ground will be broken in Coeur d'Alene for a new Latter-day Saint temple next month, making it the 11th temple announced in the state and the first in North Idaho.

Idaho has the third-largest Latter-day Saint population, with 482,905 members - around 22,400 of whom reside in North Idaho.

For Latter-day Saints, the legacy of temples span generations.

"A building that I will see the very start of could be the building that I get married in or the building that I come back and worship in when I am an adult or even a grandparent," said 17-year-old Addison Wallace of the Canfield Ward.

North Idaho members have been accustomed to a 40-plus-minute drive to the Spokane Valley temple since its construction in 1999.

"For the most part, the Spokane Temple has been relatively close, but for ... members in North Idaho alone, you know, they do have to travel a considerable distance to get to a temple. This is a huge thing for all of the saints in North Idaho. It's very emotional. It's exciting," said Post Falls Stake President Bradley Moss.

Stakes are regional congregations comprised of wards - units that serve local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Post Falls stake alone has around 3,400 members.

The long commute to the Spokane Valley temple hasn't deterred North Idaho members from attending, he said.

"However, I can only imagine (attendance is) going to increase just because of not only the proximity, but the energy and the excitement around it," Moss said.

The Coeur d'Alene temple's groundbreaking was welcome news to North Idaho members who have anticipated it since it was announced on Oct. 6, 2024.

"What it will mean to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this local area is huge because it allows them to worship and live their faith closer to home instead of having to travel to area temples," said Regional Assistant Communications Director Mikin Morton.

Morton's parents and grandparents, who grew up in the North Idaho region, used to traveled as far as Seattle and Canada to worship in the temple.

When Morton was a child, there was only one North Idaho stake. Now there are five - and there may be more in the coming years.

In North Idaho, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has seen a high growth rate in recent years when compared to other parts of the country, Moss said.

"The Church continues to grow throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington," said Hayden Lake Stake President Fred Sharp.

The Coeur d'Alene temple will make regular worship more practical for regional Latter-day Saints. Morton expects that the Coeur d'Alene Temple will relieve demand on the Spokane Valley Temple.

Although walk-ins are welcome, the Spokane Valley temple is frequently at max capacity for reservations. "That temple was bursting," she said.

Moss said that decisions surrounding temple construction, although made privately by church officials, tend to resonate with local members because of the thorough consideration that goes into determining a temple site.

"I think above all else, we believe and feel that the decisions on where temples are going to be built are based mostly on inspiration," Moss said.

The Church encountered minimal barriers in land purchase and approval for the temple's layout. The temple site has 10.91 acres, and the structure itself will be 29,630 square feet.

"We were so lucky in our area," Moss said. "Frankly, the Kootenai County and the City of Coeur d'Alene, they were a dream to work with through this whole process."

Moss accredits Coeur d'Alene's compliance with the church's land purchase in part to the Latter-day Saint community's legacy of service in North Idaho.

The Coeur d'Alene temple's rendition depicts stained glass windows, clean, white walls and a golden, central spire - an element inspired by the structure of the St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, a historic church building significant to the Coeur d'Alene community.

The Cataldo Mission of the Sacred Heart, Idaho's oldest standing building, also influenced the temple's design, Moss said.

It was constructed between 1850 and 1853 by Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

Moss notes that architects and designers often visit the region where a temple will be built beforehand. They become familiar with specific elements that local church members will identify with.

"In Coeur d'Alene, it's a unique structure ... temples typically always are unique structures in any area. However, you try to incorporate and pay homage to the area where you're building. And I think the architects and designers did a really good job with this temple," Moss said.

He said the temple could be finished and ready for dedication by 2029.

On Aug. 29, Elder Hutch Fale of the United States West Area Presidency will preside over the Coeur d'Alene temple groundbreaking.

As Elder Fale was called to serve on Aug. 1, the Coeur d'Alene temple groundbreaking ceremony will be the first he has overseen.

Fale was born in Provo, Utah, and moved to Mu'a, Tonga with his family at age 5.

For members of the Coeur d'Alene community not of the Latter-day Saint faith, leaders share a hope that they will enjoy the beauty the temple grounds have to offer.

"There's a certain spirit inside the temple grounds ... so I hope they enjoy that, certainly," Moss said.

"But what I really hope they enjoy and feel is when members of our faith go to the temple and they connect themselves more to the Savior, Jesus Christ ... then they become more like Him in their community, and they're nicer and they're kinder and they serve more. And they're, you know, good stewards to their communities and to their neighbors. And that's the biggest hope. And that's the real influence the temple provides a community."

In December 2025, Wallace spoke to Coeur d'Alene City Council members at a town hall in favor of the Coeur d'Alene Temple, alongside at least 50 other Latter-day Saints.

Although some citizens attended the meeting in opposition to the Coeur d'Alene Temple, Wallace found support was overwhelming.

"Hopefully, the City Council and everyone could see what this means to us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and also what this could mean to the community," Wallace said.

"I knew I was this part of ... the Lord's work. And I knew that, you know, this temple was going to be great for the community and that He would help speak through me - I would know what to say, and I could deliver it confidently to try to help others understand that. And I do believe we live in an amazing place where we have the freedom to worship."

Morton noted that Latter-day Saint temples are meant to be a universal symbol of hope, peace and service.

"I pray that Christians and non-Christians alike will feel the peace and the comfort that comes from knowing you're in a community of good people," she said.

As a location for sacred ordinances, including marriage and family sealings, the temple is significant to many Latter-day Saints.

Latter-day Saint youth often visit the temple to perform baptisms by proxy.

"We are baptized in the name of other people who are deceased and were not able to be baptized while they were here on earth," Wallace said. "It's a really great way to grow closer to God and to feel the spirit.

"We believe that Jesus Christ may be coming sooner rather than later," she said. "Preparing for him to come again is a really big part of our goal. And so when we go to the temple, we're able to do that. We can prepare bya getting closer to him. And also we believe that our youth are one of our strongest examples of that."

Moss, a father of eight, found comfort in temple worship during a critical moment in his life.

"I love the temple. I know that much. It's something very personal and meaningful to me ... We lost our first child when he was born, unexpectedly. And so I had a great bishop at the time that said, 'You need to go worship in the house of the Lord a little bit more often. And that will help you with your peace and healing,' " Moss said.

"I feel like a lot of the times I know (the first child). As much as my other kids," he said emotionally.

Born in Coeur d'Alene, President Sharp recalls traveling to attend the closest temple in Cardston, Alberta - a six-hour drive.

"The church was very small when I was a young person but has really grown and continues to grow throughout North Idaho and Eastern Washington and really gave us hope that we might someday receive a temple," Sharp said. "Now with one in my own community is something I never would have imagined could happen in my lifetime."

Isla Hansen's reporting is part of the Teen Journalism Institute, funded by Bank of America with support from the Innovia Foundation.

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