Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was excused from April 2023 General Conference. He and his wife Patricia are suffering from the effects of COVID. At 82 years of age, Elder Holland is immunocompromised and dealing with a kidney condition. His demise is not imminent, but in an unprecedented announcement, the First Presidency has graciously extended him a 2 month leave of absence from Church service so he can heal and recoup his strength.

This means Elder Holland will not preside at the BYU commencement on Thursday, April 27, 2023 as planned. He will also not deliver the SUU commencement address on Friday, April 28, 2023, as planned.

We at Scripture Central love Elder and Sister Holland and wish them both a speedy recovery. We also love President Russell M. Nelson, a physician, and thank him for being so attentive to the needs of a fellow quorum member.

Read the Official Church Statement

Highlights from Elder Holland

On August 16, 2017, we celebrated the Chiasmus Jubilee marking the 50^th anniversary since Jack Welch discovered the ancient literary form chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland keynoted that event, delivering a powerful discourse entitled “The Greatness of the Evidence” that continues to resonate today.

Watch The Greatness of the Evidence

One of the first KnoWhys that Scripture Central ever published focused on the unshakeable testimony of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on the Book of Mormon. We agree with Elder Holland that the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion and provides safety for the soul.

Read KnoWhy #2

Notes of interest about Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland:

• Grew up in St. George, Utah.
• Played on Dixie High School state championship football and basketball teams.
• Served in the British Mission with Elder Marion D. Hanks as his mission president.
• Played college basketball for Dixie College (Now Utah Tech University).
• Earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from BYU, then a second master’s degree and a PhD from Yale.
• Taught as an Institute Instructor in Hayward, CA; Seattle, WA; New Haven, CT; and Salt Lake City, UT.
• Served as Dean of Religious Education at BYU, founded the Religious Studies Center.
• Served as Church Commissioner of Education, succeeding Neal A. Maxwell.
• Served as BYU President, succeeding Dallin H. Oaks.
• Called as a General Authority Seventy, then an Apostle.
• Lived in England while serving as President of the Europe North Area.
• Lived in Chile while serving as President of the Chile Area.
• Organized the 3,000^th stake of the Church in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
• Addressed the Harvard Law School, the UK Parliament, and a conference at Oxford.
• The Centennial Commons Building on the Utah Tech University campus is named after him.
• Helped found the BYU Jerusalem Center.
• Served as President of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU) and a member of the NCAA President’s Committee.
• Honored with the “Torch of Liberty” award from the Anti-Defamation League.
• Son Matt served as President of Utah Valley University. Son David teaches at Harvard.  

To learn more about Elder and Sister Holland’s recent health struggles and their testimony of faith, watch this video of them testifying of how their health struggles have brought them closer to the Lord.

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