History was made as the Manila Philippines Temple held its first virtual temple lighting last 28 November 2020.
The annual lighting, usually graced by hundreds of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its interfaith friends, was attended solely by the Philippines Area Presidency and their wives as well as friends from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Members and opinion leaders joined the event through Zoom. This arrangement was followed in compliance with health and safety protocols set by the local government brought by the current pandemic.
Hosted by Janella Renner, the program began with The Christ Child – a short dramatization of the Nativity story which recounts in stunning detail the sacred events found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the Bible.
Following this, Elder Steven R. Bangerter of the Philippines Area Presidency gave a message centered on the story of the Savior’s birth, reminding everyone of the Savior’s role as the light of the world.
“In times of trial and adversity – the Savior’s birth, life, ministry, atoning sacrifice and resurrection enables us to feel hope, peace, and comfort as the light of the world brightens the path ahead. As Light of the world, He declared His message of hope, love and redemption. The Savior’s call to action to ‘love one another’ echoes through the ages,” he said.
Elder Bangerter concluded his special message with a reminder, “We honor Him as we unitedly follow His example to bless one another as He has blessed us – one by one.”
In lieu of the annual countdown with interfaith friends, the Area Presidency and their wives held a countdown on the temple grounds together with hundreds of individuals and families on Zoom. The lighting of the traditional capiz parol was featured during the lighting ceremony. Prerecorded messages and musical numbers were also featured during the program including Xia Vigor’s ‘One by One’, a special message from Mayor Joy Belmonte and Fr. Carlos Reyes.
| 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 |
Temple Lighting
For more than 30 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been lighting the 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 located on Temple Drive, Green Meadows Quezon City.
The LED lights that are used to dot the green landscape of the temple grounds are energy- and cost-efficient. Additionally, the lights are cooler in temperature, which protect trees and plants from excess heat.