Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been released from a Salt Lake City hospital, where he had been treated for more than five weeks.
“After an extended hospital stay,” a church news release said Sunday, the 82-year-old leader “is now recuperating at home.”
Holland and his children, the release said, “are grateful for the many prayers offered on his behalf during his health challenge and time of sorrow following the passing of [his wife, Patricia] Holland.”
She died July 20 at 81.
Her husband, known for his compelling and compassionate sermons, was admitted to the hospital in early August.
It marked the latest episode in the popular leader’s serious health challenges, which began as he neared his 80s.
In June 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, Holland was hospitalized to undergo diagnostic tests for an undisclosed illness not related to COVID-19.
He bounced back, thanks to what he termed a “miraculous” recovery. In spring 2021, during a video appearance for a family history conference, the apostle used a walker after a previous illness had left him with numbness in his legs.
In April, Holland was temporarily excused from his duties as an apostle as he underwent kidney dialysis, and he and his wife suffered from the effects of COVID-19. Illness kept him from attending General Conference that month, but, in June, he announced that he had begun slowly returning to work.
As his health improves, the release said, Holland “looks forward to resuming active service in his ministry.”