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My news sensors flared for two brief sentences during Tuesday’s news conference about the Salt Lake Temple Celebration tours next year, but then I mostly forgot about them.
After all, there was a ton of information packed into the news conference, followed by a slew of interviews after the livestream ended.
Then there was all the excitement about the launch of the first batch of reservations for the first tours of the inside of the temple since April 5, 1893.
Tens of thousands rushed to snatch up the first 1 million reservations to the tours. Clearly, a lot of people want to see “the iconic symbol of the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” as it was put by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
But I circled right back to those two sentences the morning after, when I saw a social media post from the church.
What sparked my news sensors was a comment made by President Uchtdorf, who mentioned some virtual video of the temple will be made available next month.
The social media post provided much more information, but what it shared also felt like an Easter egg many might not have seen yet because it appeared in the middle of a longer video.
Here’s what we know and can show you.
The church is prepping a technology-rich virtual tour that will bring the Salt Lake Temple open house directly to millions who can’t travel to Utah to see it in person between April 5 and Oct. 1, 2027.
“The Salt Lake Temple Celebration is not just for those who live nearby. This is a worldwide celebration,” Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in the social media post.
Some of the video assets will be available in October, as President Uchtdorf said. But the full virtual tour that will be released next April will be worth the wait, a church source said.
The social post showed a man using a fancy camera to capture images inside the new Temple Square Visitors’ Center. The camera uses advanced 3D scanning tech that will enhance the video. Viewers will be able to move throughout, say, the Celestial Room to see it in 3D from any angle.
The cameraman was Johnny Rodriguez, chief innovative officer of Fresh Consulting. He used what’s called an X Grids portal cam.
“As I walk around, it’s not only capturing photos and videos but it’s also capturing what’s called point clouds,” Rodriguez said.
Those point clouds help the technology mark where each object in a room sits in 3D space. It can then turn those images into photorealistic versions, he said.
“It really just gives the visitor a chance to kind of choose where they want to explore around the temple,” he said in the post.
Watch Rodriguez capture images and show how the technology works in this one-minute video:
A team will use this process to digitally capture the inside of the Salt Lake Temple in the next few months.
The experience will be available on TempleSquare.org and the Temple Square app next spring.
“I just think that it’s exciting that we get to bring the temple to the world,” Rodriguez said.
That’s exactly what church leaders want.
“It’s not just a Salt Lake city celebration,” President Uchtdorf said. “It’s a worldwide celebration because it’s a global church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a global church with a universal message of Jesus Christ, in whom we rejoice.”
You can also see more from the inside of the temple in a recent CNN report. See more about that below.
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Church leaders offer reasons you should be 1 of 5 million to tour the Salt Lake Temple next year (Sept. 1)
‘Rejoice in Christ’ — Salt Lake Temple Celebration theme is announced (Sept. 1)
Church of Jesus Christ wins unanimous federal ruling in tithing case appeal (Aug. 31)
BYU restructures athletic department; school vice president will oversee football program (Aug. 27)
About the church
Elder Patrick Kearon dedicated the Phnom Penh Cambodia Temple on Sunday. It is the first temple in that nation. Read his dedicatory prayer here.
The Ephraim Utah Temple open house is underway right now. See our photos.
Latter-day Saint leaders are urging church members in the Western United States to conserve water.
The First Presidency released the first rendering of the Charlotte North Carolina Temple, set the groundbreaking date for the Iquitos Peru Temple and announced the site of the Queen Creek Arizona Temple.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson ministered in Colombia and met the mayor of Cali after a 7.4 earthquake.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert met with the vice president of Sierra Leone.
The church has announced the 2027 youth theme.
Leaders broke ground for the Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple.
The Church of Jesus Christ expressed solidarity with those suffering after deadly floods in Nepal and China.
What I’m reading
Did you know church membership grew in Texas by 82% during the first quarter of this century. The Church News published a map showing the membership growth rate for every U.S. state.
Church leaders gave CNN some exclusive access to the inside of the Salt Lake Temple during the renovation. CNN recently published a story and shared video of its visit. (Paywall)
How can you not want to read this?: The joyful faith of Dolly Parton.
Our ongoing coverage of faith and AI continues. Our Mariya Manzhos tackled the question: should churches resist or embrace AI?
She also wrote about another question recently: In a town of struggling boys, can manual labor shape boys into men?
“God, not government”: Samaritan’s Purse turned down $300 million from Trump administration.
Behind the scenes
