Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in an empty lot at the corner of Coeur Terre and Hanley Avenue at 10 a.m. Saturday for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new temple. Under a windy, cloud-strewn sky, they celebrated what will become their first temple in North Idaho.

For members of The Church in Northern Idaho, the nearest temple is currently the Spokane Washington Temple. Elder Hutch U. Fale, General Authority Seventy, expects the Coeur d’Alene Temple to be complete in two to three years. It will serve nearly 15,000 Latter-day Saints in North Idaho, who will no longer need to travel as far to worship.

“It’s our hope that this will greatly bless a lot of members who will be able to attend more regularly without having to overcome the obstacles of additional time and distance to Spokane,” Elder Fale said.

The Coeur d’Alene Temple was first announced by then-Church President Russell M. Nelson on Oct. 6, 2024, at the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Plans call for a single-story temple of approximately 29,630 square feet, along with a meetinghouse and ancillary building on the 10.91-acre site at the corner of Coeur Terre and Hanley Avenue.

The groundbreaking ceremony was invitation-only due to limited space, but members of the public were invited to join via livestream. The audience heard from a number of speakers, including Elder Fale and 17-year-old member of The Church, Edyn Amarise Beesley.

“I was praying so much, and when I was asked to speak I was in a very spiritually attuned mind,” Beesley said.

Beesley has lived in Idaho for eight years and currently resides in Rathdrum. Until now, she has only visited the temples in Moses Lake and Spokane. She is very excited for the opening of the new Coeur d’Alene Temple and plans to visit the temple as often as she can.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it,” Beesley said. “I’m here, and this is where our temple is going to be.”

To conclude the ceremony, members of The Church lined up with golden shovels in hand to turn the soil in front of them in a symbolic groundbreaking.

When the temple is completed, it will be open to the public to tour for one day before being dedicated for worship.

“It’s so beautiful here,” said Elder Fale. “What makes Northern Idaho so beautiful are the people. To see their faith, to see their diligence and their good hearts. So, I’m excited for what lies ahead.”   Edyn Amarise Beesley, 17, addresses the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Coeur d'Alene Idaho Temple Saturday morning.