Groundbreaking for Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple scheduled Saturday

COEUR d’ALENE — The groundbreaking ceremony for the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday at the temple site near the corner of Hanley Avenue and Coeur Terre Boulevard.

Elder Hutch U. Fale, a General Authority Seventy and member of the Church’s United States West Area Presidency, will preside at the ceremony, which will mark the official beginning of construction of the temple.

“The Coeur d’Alene Idaho Temple will be a tremendous blessing for individuals and families throughout our region,” said Bradley S. Moss, president of the Post Falls Idaho Stake, in a press release. “For years, faithful members have traveled many hours to worship in the house of the Lord. The groundbreaking is a joyful reminder that Heavenly Father knows His children and is extending His blessings to this part of the Inland Northwest. We look forward with gratitude and great anticipation to the day its doors are opened.”

Attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony is by invitation only due to limited space at the temple site. Members of the Church and the public are invited to view a livestream of the ceremony at TempleGroundbreaking.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. 

A New Temple for North Idaho

Then-Church President Russell M. Nelson announced the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Temple on Oct. 6, 2024, during the October 2024 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The temple will be constructed on a 10.91-acre site near the corner of Hanley Avenue and Coeur Terre Boulevard. Plans call for a single-story temple of about 29,630 square feet, along with a meetinghouse and ancillary building on the grounds.

The temple is expected to serve nearly 15,000 Latter-day Saints in the North Idaho region. For many local members, the new temple will significantly reduce travel time. Members in the area currently travel to the Spokane, Wash., Temple for temple worship. 

After completion, community members will be invited to tour the temple during a public open house before it is formally dedicated for worship.

Elder Hutch U. Fale

Elder Fale was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2026 after previously serving as an Area Seventy and in numerous local Church leadership assignments, including as a stake president and bishop.

Born in Provo, Utah, and raised in Tonga, Elder Fale earned degrees in history and political science from Brigham Young University-Hawaii and later received a law degree and a master’s degree in public administration from Brigham Young University. An attorney by profession, Elder Fale and his wife, Gaylene, have five children.

About Latter-day Saint Temples

Temples differ from the Church’s regular meetinghouses or chapels, where members gather for Sunday worship services. Latter-day Saints consider temples to be houses of the Lord, where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through sacred ordinances.

Inside temples, members learn more about God’s plan, make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and participate in ordinances that unite families for eternity.

The Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Temple is one of 11 Latter-day Saint temples in Idaho that have been announced, are under construction or are operating.