Syracuse Utah Temple
I came to the Syracuse Utah Temple open house a number of months ago and really enjoyed it! This time, I came to do temple work and it was under different circumstances. Earlier in the day we had the funeral services for my 94-year-old mother!
She passed away peacefully just three weeks before her 95th birthday. She loved temples and she loved Syracuse! My father was raised in Syracuse and passed away 47 years ago. Now, my mother and my dad are reunited in the spirit world with a very joyful reunion! 
Following the graveside service, my nephew dropped me off at the temple where I planned to do baptisms for the dead.
I entered the temple from the east side, not knowing that you have to enter from the west side in order to get access to the baptismal fonts. This temple is the first one I have visited that had two baptismal fonts!
They say it’s a credit to the diligence and spirituality of the youth in the Syracuse area. Apparently they were having to wait two or three months to get baptismal appointments at the other local temples. Having changed into temple clothes, and not wanting to re-change to exit the temple and re-enter from the west, I decided to do initiatories instead.
I saw something in the temple office that fascinated me: a miniature printer right next to the scanner that automatically prints out your temple names on the right size temple slips! Awesome!
Following my initiatory session, my nephew Jonathan picked me up and I took him to IHOP to grab a bite to eat. He once drove over three hours east to meet me at the Raleigh North Carolina Temple a few years ago! I wanted to get pancakes, because my grandfather used to enjoy taking us to the Syracuse Park on the Fourth of July for the annual pancake breakfast. 🥞 I went with the strawberry banana pancakes; Jonathan went for the eggs benedict.
It was delightful all the way around! On our way to the restaurant, I caught a glimpse of a western sunset over antelope Island. It was beautiful!
The Syracuse Utah Temple is the 24th temple in operation in the state of Utah. It was the 31st temple in Utah announced. It was dedicated in June 2025 by President Russell M Nelson.
What a joy to be able to do initiatory work in this temple today. Ironically, I had planned to visit five temples in Europe during Thanksgiving week, but that was preempted by my mother’s passing. What a great thing to visit Syracuse, which has always been a special place in my heart since my childhood!