It’s the first time for Mormon’s 183-year history. A woman led a prayer Saturday at the semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, the Associated Press reported.

Jean A. Stevens led the morning session’s closing prayer for the more than 100,000 Mormons who have gathered in Salt Lake City for the church's two-day general conference. Millions more are watching via satellite, radio or Internet broadcast.

Stevens is a member of a three-person board in the church that advises and assists parents on teaching their children about the Mormon faith. The church has more than 14 million members worldwide.

A feminist group launched a campaign earlier this year petitioning church leaders to let women lead the opening and closing a prayer – a first for the conference’s history – as a symbol of gender equality.

Women hold leadership positions in the church, but are not allowed to be bishops or presidents of stakes, which are geographic areas equal to the Catholic’s dioceses. At previous conferences, women have given speeches and could pray in the audience.

The “Let Women Pray” campaign was launched in January and came from the same feminist group that drew national attention in December when it urges Mormon women to wear pants to church.

Amber Whiteley, 23, of St. Louis was one of the campaign organizers and said Saturdat that she was “thrilled” when she heard the news of Stevens offering the prayer.

She said, “"I think it shows that it was really compassionate on the church's behalf ... that women are really important in the church and that women's voices matter.” She continued that the event also signifies that “women’s prayers matter as much as men’s.”

Church spokesman Eric Hawkins said Mormon leaders late last year decided who would be leading the conference prayers; it was before the women prayer campaign was launched.

Hawkins did not elaborate on why Stevens was selected to do the prayer, but said that leaders of the church are the ones chosen to give invocation and benediction during the event.

Earlier Saturday, Thoms S. Monson, the church’s president, announced that the Mormons is planning to build two new temples, in Rio de Janeiro and Cedar City, Utah.

The Latter-day Saints consider temples as very sacred places. They are places used for religious rituals including proxy baptism, marriage ceremonies and other rites designed to strengthen church teachings.