LDS Church Makes Significant Donation to Operation Smile
|Oct 2010 — Salt Lake City
Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints October 27, in a joint news conference to thank the Church for its recent $927,000 donation.
Funds will support medical missions over the next year to help a combined 3,800 children in Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and Jordan who are afflicted with cleft palate and other facial deformities.
Dr. William P. Magee, co-founder and CEO of Operation Smile, speaks about the LDS Church donation to Operation Smile. William P. Magee, co-founder and CEO of Operation Smile, speaks about the LDS Church donation to Operation Smile.“There’s no such thing as any one person doing anything in life. There is no one hero,” said Dr. William Magee, co-founder and CEO of Operation Smile. “Without so many people [working together], no job would get taken care of. There’s never one person that does it. The LDS Church is a great example of that. … We want to say thank you for sharing your love. God bless you.”
According to Operation Smile, every three minutes a child is born with a cleft lip condition that will go untreated. Furthermore, one in 10 children born with a cleft will die before their first birthday.
“We are grateful for members of the LDS Church who have so freely donated financially to the Church’s Humanitarian Fund,” said Fred Riley, Church project manager for Humanitarian Services. “It is through such donations that this partnership with Operation Smile can come to fruition. “
“We know that much good will come from this partnership and look forward to helping to increase the good work that Operation Smile provides,” Riley said.
The LDS Church is a longtime supporter of Operation Smile and including today’s financial commitment has donated nearly $1.2 million to the organization since 1991. Most recently, the LDS Church supported Breakfast for Smiles, a yearly Operation Smile event.
David Archuleta to Perform with Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Annual Christmas Concert
Singer-songwriter David Archuleta will join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for their annual Christmas concerts, titled Christmas With the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy will conduct the concerts.
The concerts will be presented in the Conference Center in downtown Salt Lake City on Thursday, 16 December, at 8 p.m. and Friday, 17 December, and Saturday, 18 December, both at 7:30 p.m. The weekly half-hour CBS radio broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday, 19 December, at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Center will also feature Archuleta. This will be followed by additional music from the previous performances in a mini-concert.
“I am so excited to have this opportunity of performing with the choir,” said David, “I have enjoyed listening to their music all of my life and feel honored to be part of this unforgettable experience.”
“We are very pleased that David will be able to join us for our concerts this year,” said Mack Wilberg, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.” We’ve watched his growth as a performer from our own community to his now international acclaim. We are delighted to join his talents with those of the choir and orchestra for our Christmas performances.”
Random Ticket-Selection Process
Free tickets for these concerts and the Music and the Spoken Word broadcast are required. Because of very high demand for tickets to this event in past years, tickets are distributed through a random selection process.
For more information on the choir and these concerts, become a fan of the Choir’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/mormontabernaclechoir and sign up for the weekly choir newsletter on mormontabernaclechoir.org
President Monson Breaks Ground
for Rome Italy Temple
|Oct 2010 — ROME, Italy
Construction has begun in the “eternal” city for a new Latter-day Saint temple. Thomas S. Monson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with Church and local community leaders, participated in the traditional groundbreaking ceremony for the Rome Italy Temple 23 October 2010.
President Monson underlined the uniqueness of the historical moment, the importance of which goes beyond the borders of Rome and Italy. He thanked the members of the Church for their commitment to follow the example of Jesus Christ.
“My heart is filled with gratitude,” said President Monson as he addressed the 500 guests in attendance. “Members throughout Italy, and the entire Mediterranean area, will be able to come here.”
(Watch and embed video of Rome Italy Temple groundbreaking on YouTube).
“A ceremony that profoundly touched me for the sincere and heartfelt appreciation of those attending,” said Senator Lucio Malan. “A positive day for Italy because those who profess to obey the laws of the state and the laws of God make the country in which they live a better place.”
President Monson surprised members of the Church when he announced that a temple would be built in Rome, Italy during the October 2008 general conference.
The LDS Church will build the temple on a beautiful 15-acre site in the community of Settebagni, Rome. When completed, it will serve over 23,000 Church members living in Italy and in neighboring countries.
Currently the Church operates 134 temples worldwide. The Rome Italy Temple will be the twelfth in Europe and the first in Italy.
The temple exterior will be constructed from granite and have decorative glazing. The interior finish will be of the finest material and workmanship: marble, woodwork, Venetian plaster and decorative painting. The three-story temple will be approximately 40,000 square feet with two tall spires.
“This truly is a historic and memorable day,” said Elder Walker of the First Quorum of the Seventy. “This great city is known for its history, for its beauty and for its Christian tradition and now it will be home to one of the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
The temple will be part of a new religious and cultural center which will include a multifunctional meetinghouse, a visitors’ center, family history center and patron housing. Much of the center will be open to the public and will include buildings and gardens that will be of interest to and benefit members of the Church in the surrounding community.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where Christ’s teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and strengthen their commitment to serve Jesus Christ and those around them.
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