Pres. Holland passed away

[Duncan]

Not too surprising, still sad

 

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-jeffrey-r-holland-memorial

[Raingirl]

47 minutes ago, Duncan said:

Not too surprising, still sad

 

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-jeffrey-r-holland-memorial

This just breaks my heart.  He gave the best talks!  He is reunited with his wife now. 

[JLHPROF]

He never recovered from his wife's passing. 

Wonderful speaker and teacher. His discourse "None Were With Him" was one of the greatest I've ever heard. He will be greatly missed.

I suppose this means we'll have a Pres. Uchtdorf again as acting Q12 Pres.

Edited December 27, 2025 by JLHPROF

[Kenngo1969]

RIP, President Holland, and condolences to family and friends.  I have a President Holland story that, although he was not involved [directly], I think he would appreciate and find amusing.  Before she realized that she wouldn't have to know much about biology or chemistry or other things of that nature to do what she wanted to do and to be successful in life, my mother attended what was then Dixie Junior College for a quarter.  

Coincidentally, a couple of weeks before President Holland's call into the Quorum of the Twelve, I happened to spot my mother's yearbook in our downstairs library.  I pulled it off of the shelf and thumbed through it, and it wasn't hard to spot President Holland, who was something of a BMOC *, at various places in it.  Prior to this, I was unaware of President Holland's association with Dixie College (from which I had graduated a year or two before).  I thought to myself, "Hmm, that's interesting," and then I replaced the book on the shelf.

A couple of weeks later, when it was announced that President Holland had been called into the Quorum of the Twelve, I told my mother, "You know, Mom, you went to school with him."  (Of course, I use the phrase "went to school with him" quite loosely here: I'm quite sure they didn't move in the same circles! )  She was skeptical.  She said, "Oh, I did not!"  I said, "You did, too, and I can prove it."

I went downstairs, retrieved the yearbook, brought it upstairs, and turned to one of the several pages that featured President Holland quite prominently.  I said, "He hasn't changed much, appearance-wise, in the last 30 years, has he?"  So, thereafter, "Elder Holland" became "Jeffrey, my classmate": "Boy, my classmate, Jeffrey, did a really good job in this Conference, didn't he?"  Whereupon I would respond, "But, Mom: His close friends call him, 'Jeff.'"   I hope, one day, to be able to tell Elder Holland that story in person.  RIP, Elder Holland, and condolences to family and friends, but God be thanked for the matchless gift of His Divine Son. 

_________________

* "Big Man on Campus"

[Chum]

8 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

"None Were With Him" was one of the greatest I've ever heard.

I agree. Another is Broken Things to Mend. For me, that talk came when my life was at a deep point in it's unraveling - but I hadn't yet realized there was no righteous thing I could do about it.
2010's priesthood sessions testified how life would improve in some relevant way (not instantly but eventually) if we just fulfilled our covenants.  Holland's talks were balm when those improvements never came.

There are many Church leaders I believe stood closer to Christ. Holland was the one I believed stood where we stood.

[Pyreaux]

Excuse my AuDHD mind to be so preoccupied by cold details of the possible futures at this time. Perhaps it's how I process loss and change by trying to create stable expectations.

Jeffrey R. Holland passed away at the age of 85. He died from complications related to a long-standing kidney condition. Dieter F. Uchtdorf has now become the Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as the next in line for seniority who is not currently in the First Presidency.

Leaving another vacancy in the Twelve, I've noticed the most striking trend in recent replacements is the internationalization of the Twelve. Which was bound to happen eventually. I'm looking to the Presidency of the Seventy for the possible next Apostle:

Carl B. Cook: Currently the Senior President of the Seventy and considered the "favorite".

Edward Dube: Originally from Zimbabwe, Elder Dube is frequently mentioned as a candidate who would represent the church's massive growth in Africa and become the first Black apostle.

S. Mark Palmer: A New Zealander who has served in the Presidency of the Seventy and would fit the pattern of international calls.

Edited December 28, 2025 by Pyreaux

[Teancum]

I know he was ill for a while. But  I will miss him. And I think he took more flack than deserved over the Musket speech. He once responded to an email I sent about something that was I was really wrestling with and his response calmed my troubled heart.

[Amulek]

I liked Elder Holland quite a bit.

For those who want a nice remembrance, here's a list of his Top 10 most viewed talks available online:

1. Lessons from Liberty Jail (~1.7 million views)

2. “Lord, I Believe” (~1.4 million views)

3. Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence (~1.0 million views))

4. Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You (~888,000 views)

5. Like a Broken Vessel (~860,000 views)

6. Broken Things to Mend (~798,000 views)

7. Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul (~570,000 views)

8. None Were With Him (~408,000 views)

9. The First Great Commandment (~615,000 views)

10. Motions of a Hidden Fire (~300,000 views)

 

 

[Kenngo1969]

On 12/27/2025 at 8:50 PM, Pyreaux said:

Leaving another vacancy in the Twelve, I've noticed the most striking trend in recent replacements is the internationalization of the Twelve. Which was bound to happen eventually. I'm looking to the Presidency of the Seventy for the possible next Apostle:

Carl B. Cook: Currently the Senior President of the Seventy and considered the "favorite".

...

Is that what the Vega$ odd$maker$ are $aying?   Sorry!    Couldn't resist!   Carry on!