day Saint garments change for women in hot climate – Deseret News

Redesigned options for the sacred garment worn by women in hot and muggy climates are being tested by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a spokesman.

Sleeveless tops, skirt bottoms and one-piece shifts are available in some parts of the world like Africa and the Philippines, according to the church's online store.

"Devout Latter-day Saints cherish the privilege of wearing the temple garment," church spokesman Doug Andersen said in a statement provided Thursday to the Deseret News. "Some of those members live in hot and humid areas. The First Presidency has authorized changes in the garment to bless those members and others who might benefit from the changes. Beyond this, the church does not comment on temple matters considered to be sacred."

The open-sleeve top, skirt bottom and the one-piece shift that is similar to a slip will be useful in areas where humidity and heat create discomfort with heavier clothing and where women generally wear dresses.

Garments are worn by Latter-day Saint women and men who have made covenants with God in holy temples in a ceremony called the endowment .

Temple covenants are a central tenet of Latter-day Saint faith. They bind members and their families together and to God for eternity. President Russell M. Nelson has led the church on the most intensive temple-building era in its history over the past six years in an effort to help members make those covenants and keep them.

"The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us," President Nelson taught during the church's April general conference.

He said the priesthood authority for temple covenants distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from others and "make it possible for every covenant-keeping man and woman to enjoy incredible personal spiritual privileges."

Members covenant to wear the garment as a physical reminder of their commitments and of God's promises to them.

"The garment of the holy priesthood is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ and is a reminder of our covenant relationship with him and Heavenly Father," the First Presidency wrote in a letter to general and local church leaders in April.

Temple worship is available to worthy members of the church who obtain a temple recommend. Leaders ask members during a temple recommend interview to confirm their readiness to enter a temple. In April, the church updated one of the temple recommend questions by splitting it in two. The two questions are:

"Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple?"

"Do you honor your sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances?"

President Jeffrey R. Holland, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote about wearing the garment in the church's September 2024 Liahona magazine .

Church members should strive to wear the garment day and night, he said.

"When we put on the garment, we are, as the First Presidency has taught, putting on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ," President Holland wrote. "That being the case, why would we ever look for an excuse to take that symbol off? ... On the contrary, whenever we do have to temporarily remove the garment, we should be eager to put it back on, as soon as possible, because we remember both the promises and the perils that give meaning to our covenants. Above all, we remember the cross and empty tomb of Christ."

Other symbols in the church are periodic, he said.

"We are baptized once in our lives," President Holland wrote. "We partake of the sacrament once a week. We attend the temple as circumstances permit.

"But the garment of the holy priesthood is different: This symbol we honor every day and night."

The church's General Handbook, which can be found online, instructs endowed members that they "should wear the garment day and night throughout your life."

It also instructs members that when they do remove the garment "for activities that cannot reasonably be done while wearing the garment, seek to restore it as soon as possible."

Other church leaders taught about the garment during the April general conference.

"We are instructed to wear temple garments continuously, with the only exception being those obviously necessary," said President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency. "Because covenants do not take a day off, to remove one's garments can be understood as a disclaimer of the responsibilities and blessings to which they relate. In contrast, persons who wear their garments faithfully and keep their temple covenants continually affirm their role as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Sister J. Anette Dennis, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, said, "Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of his Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us."

Sister Dennis added, "By keeping my covenants and obligations with God, including wearing the garment of the holy priesthood, my very life can become a personal symbol of my love and deep gratitude for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and my desire to have him with me always."