Other than endless mentions connected with Mitt Romney's candidacy, Mormons have stayed out of the news in the past year. It's rare I do articles on them. Of the six articles I've done this month, five have been on Episcopalians/Anglicans and one on Roman Catholics, so you can see where my news priorties lie.

But Sunday's death of Gordon Hinckley, long-time leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is big news for Mormons, one of the fastest-growing religions on the American landscape.

LDS President Gordon Hinckley being interviewed by Larry King in 1998. (Courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

I was off Monday, but I thought I'd get a head start on what how the locals were reacting. I realized, with some chagrin, that I had no local contacts on my Rollodex. Unlike the aforementioned Catholics and Episcopalians, the Mormons hadn't made many local headlines on ordaining gay clergy, same-sex unions or uncovering priestly sexual abuse.

I had spent several days in Salt Lake City in September 2006 researching the religion but hadn't done a whole lot in finding out who leads the local stakes and wards, the Mormon equivalent of churches and dioceses. I glanced at the phone book but only one stake was listed and that one was in Woodbridge. I knew there were many more than that.

I called up the www.lds.org site, then clicked on "stakes and ward web sites." Hmmmm. I had to be a church member to log into that. Then I did a Google search for the local Mormon temple — you know — the fairytale castle-like place you can see from the Beltway in Kensington, Md. I could not find a web site for that place. So, back to the LDS site, a click on "temple search" and finally an address and phone number. But there was nothing on local temple web site about the passing of this revered leader.

The temple itself was closed on Mondays but a man at the visitor center told me there were no memorials there as such for the 97-year-old church patriarch. The visitor center will be one of LDS 6,000 sites around the world that will get a satellite feed of Saturday's funeral at 1 pm. EST.

"There's no wreath, even?" I incredulously asked the man at the visitor center. He wouldn't answer.

"Well, it's nice of you to call," is all he said.

That's the second strange encounter I've had with that temple visitor center. The first one was several Christmases ago when, during one week in December, I visited the temple's fabulous annual light display. Then I discovered the only way out was through the visitor center, where clumps of Mormon missionaries lay in wait. I no sooner finished debating with one group then another would approach me. I got more and more annoyed at being challenged as to why I would not accept their teachings when all I wanted to do is drop by after work to see some pretty lights. It was truly difficult to get out of that building and I swore I'd never again attend one of those displays.

Well, that was then. I will add that my 2006 visit to Temple Square was quite pleasurable, no one tried to convert me and the gardens were gorgeous. But now I'm looking for some local Mormons who can tell me what the change in leadership means to them. Leave me your contact info in the comment section and we'll be in touch.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times