Christmas carols filled the halls of the Missionary Training Center (MTC) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as guests and friends of other faiths gathered to celebrate the traditional temple lighting on the grounds of the Manila Philippines Temple on December 1, 2022.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
After two years of lockdowns and virtual events, a face-to-face temple lighting ceremony was again held at the temple grounds. Members, celebrities and influencers, friends from various interfaith communities, and civic community leaders came together, including Monsignor Bernardo Pantin, Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines; Usec. Nina Taduran of the Department of Social Welfare and Development; Justices Apolinario Bruselas and Marie Christine Jacob of the Court of Appeals; Ms. Elizabeth Carlos-Timbol, President of the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Rural Bankers of the Philippines; Rev. Fr. Carlos Reyes, Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila.
In his message, elder Steven R. Bangerter of the Philippines Area Presidency reminded everyone that it is through the Savior's birth, life, ministry, atoning sacrifice, and resurrection that we can feel peace and comfort amidst trials and adversaries. Elder Bangerter concluded his message by inviting everyone to heed the Savior's call to action through the ages to "as I [Jesus Christ] have loved you, love one another" and "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
The Church also introduced the Light the World initiative to highlight the event. Anyone using the giving machines will be able to donate money to people in need by purchasing something from the special machines and then giving it to others. It aims to give people a way to "give as Jesus gave" by enabling them to perform an immediate act of service.
The Light, the World giving machines are inside the Festival Mall Alabang and Ayala Center Cebu and will be available from 17 and 25 November, respectively, to January 2 during mall hours.
Temple Lighting
For more than 30 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been lighting the Manila Philippines temple grounds as a Christmas tradition. Lights are turned on from dusk until 10:00 pm daily, including Sundays and Mondays, until the end of December. The Manila Temple is on Temple Drive, Green Meadows, Quezon City.
The LED lights that dot the green landscape of the temple grounds are energy- and cost-efficient. Additionally, the lights are cooler in temperature, which protects trees and plants from excess heat.