The first Latter-day Saint temple in the Pittsburgh area will be dedicated on September 15. Construction began three years ago in Cranberry Township.

Unlike traditional LDS Church buildings, temples are used for important ceremonies such as weddings and proxy baptisms—a practice in which a Latter-day Saint can receive a baptism on behalf of a deceased relative.

Emily Belle Freeman, general president of the Church’s Young Women, said temples are so important to the Church’s faith that members will “drive for hours, sometimes days” to attend parts of the service that can only take place in a temple.

More than 29,000 Latter-day Saints belong to 80 congregations in western Pennsylvania, and until now members had to travel to temples in Philadelphia or Columbus.

The Pittsburgh Temple will be the 196th dedicated temple and the only one in Western Pennsylvania. Another 154 temples are either announced or under construction worldwide. More than 30 have been dedicated since 2019.

General Authority Seventy James Rasband said that increasing access to temples has led to a growing desire among members to include the temple in their weekly worship services.

“There is a sense that the temple is becoming less of a destination and more of something that is becoming part of the regular worship of Church members,” Rasband said. “And I think what is happening here is perhaps a reflection of what is happening around the world.”

Plans to build a temple in Harrisburg were announced in April 2023, but a groundbreaking date has not yet been set.

The Pittsburgh Temple will be open to the public until August 31, after which it will be open to Church members only.