Latter-day Saint apostle dedicates Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple, where vision ‘draws heavenward’

With an invitation for all to let thoughts, focus and gaze be drawn heavenward, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple on Sunday.

Everything about the Phnom Penh temple points toward heaven, Elder Kearon said, from the traditional architecture that draws the eye toward the beautiful spires and then heavenward, to the covenants made inside with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

“As we let our gaze be drawn heavenward in this way, we find the inward peace which can be so elusive in our busy lives,” Elder Kearon said.

The temple in Cambodia’s capital city is the 222nd of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Announced in 2018 by late President Russell M. Nelson, the temple allows Latter-day Saints here to worship more regularly — and turn their focus more regularly toward heaven.

The history of Cambodia has a dark and sad period — one not far removed from today. Many Cambodian Latter-day Saints lost relatives during the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s.

“We are in a land that has known extraordinary pain, hardship, loss and despair,” Elder Kearon said. “It is so fitting that the Lord has seen to provide a house here which will draw our hands and hearts far beyond the trials of mortality and into eternity.”

Elder Kearon’s wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, said the temple is a gift and a blessing.

“Everything we do in the temple is to draw us closer to our Savior. Everything we do in the temple is also to prepare us and to prepare those we love, our families, our ancestors, but also very much ourselves right now today, to prepare us to reenter the presence of our Heavenly Father,” she said. “That’s why I am grateful that the Cambodian people have their own temple here now within close reach. It is such a gift.”

Elder Kearon shared his gratitude to those who brought the gospel to this country 30 years ago and many who followed them, serving in missions, branches, districts, wards and stakes.

‘Let your gaze be drawn heavenward more often’

The temple stands on a 3.2-acre site along Russian Federation Boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare in Phnom Penh. A constant stream of cars, motorcycles and tuk tuks passes over the prominent nearby bridge, and the temple is clearly visible from the busy road.

The nearly 10,000-square-foot building rises approximately 35 meters (115 feet) to the top of its spire — with architecture inspired by traditional Cambodian religious structures. Designs and colors inside the building reflect traditional Cambodian textiles and patterns as well as local flowers and vegetation. Original artwork inside the temple includes depictions of local lands.

In a world that often wears people down, the temple can be a constant reminder to people of God’s love for them and for all of his children, Elder Kearon said.

Sister Kearon said prophets and the scriptures have promised that the house of the Lord is a place of holiness and a place of revelation. Latter-day Saints can go there with their woes, concerns and worries and lay them at the feet of the Savior. “We can exchange our sorrows for holiness here and for revelation,” she said.

Elder Kearon’s invitation to Latter-day Saints in Cambodia and everywhere in the world is: “May you be blessed as you let your gaze be drawn heavenward more often and as you return frequently to the temple. … Come as often as your circumstances permit. Draw near to the Lord here, and he will draw near unto you.”

‘The Light of Christ, shining to the rest of our city’

Over the three decades since the Church of Jesus Christ came to Cambodia, membership has expanded from a handful of members to more than 18,000. Members have traveled to Hong Kong or the Philippines to worship in a temple — a long and costly trip for many.

Phnom Penh Cambodia North Stake President Samnang Sea said now that the temple is dedicated, members of his stake are waiting eagerly to make covenants in the house of the Lord. He knows this will change them and change the country.

“You take the people inside the house of the Lord, and they become strong and ready to be the light of the world,” he said.

President Sea worked with the Cambodian government about the new temple. In a tremendous show of respect by the government toward the church, many government dignitaries and religious dignitaries came to participate in an open house event on Aug. 12. The public toured the building Aug. 15-22.

Nhem Sokunthea and her husband, Thlong Sokheoun, served as coordinators for the temple open house and dedication. Sokunthea has interviewed hundreds of people through BYU’s Cambodian Oral History Project, learning their personal stories about the killing fields and horrors of the communist Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979.

“Cambodian people have suffered from war, and so many people died,” she said. “The temple helps us. We can do our family history and start to find names of our ancestors to accompany them to the temple. Our ancestors will be happy for us to do their ordinances for them.”

Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple

Address: Russian Federation Boulevard, Phnom Penh 12040, Cambodia

Temple announced: Oct. 7, 2018, by President Russell M. Nelson

Groundbreaking: Sept. 18, 2021, presided over by then-Cambodia Phnom Penh Mission President Veasna Kuonno Neang

Public open house: Saturday, Aug. 15, through Saturday, Aug. 22, excluding Sunday.

Dedication: Aug. 30, 2026, by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Property Size: 3.2 acres

Building Size: Approximately 924 square meters or 10,000 square feet

Building Height: Approximately 35 meters or 115 feet to the top of the spire

Temple district: Cambodia and parts of Vietnam