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SALT LAKE CITY — Two sessions of the LDS Church’s general conference will alternate, church officials announced Friday.

In a letter addressed to church leadership, members of the First Presidency, the LDS church's top leadership, said the church will be simplifying its semiannual general conference sessions by alternating the women’s and priesthood sessions, now holding them each annually.

In recent years, the church would host a session solely for girls and women ages 8 and up a week before the rest of the general conference sessions. The following week, men and boys ages 12 and up would attend a priesthood session on Saturday evening, after two general sessions that same day.

Now, the women’s session will be held in place of the priesthood session once a year in October. The priesthood session will take place each April.

Officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said the consolidation of the sessions will help reduce and simplify “the work of the church and the demands made upon leaders and members.”

“We are confident this change will be a blessing in the lives of members throughout the church,” the letter said.

The changes will take effect in April 2018 at the church’s next general conference. The times of each of the general conference sessions will not change, with the exception of the women's session.