Dedication of the Calgary Alberta Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the Calgary Alberta Temple on Oct. 28, 2012. Snow covered the ground, and temperatures were below freezing for most of the day. As such, a canvas tent was placed outside the temple, and several heaters warmed the area around the cornerstone so that the mortar wouldn’t freeze during the cornerstone ceremony.
Other Church leaders in attendance at the event’s three sessions included Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, and Elder William R. Walker, executive director of the Temple Department.
President Monson served as president of the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962, and shortly after arriving in Canada for the 2012 dedication, he said, “Whether east or west, north or south, I love Canada and all our members here. I have a special place in my heart for this land and its people.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “May this house provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for those beyond the veil. Let them feel of Thy divine love and mercy.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Calgary Alberta Temple here.
Timeline of the Calgary Alberta Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced plans to build a temple in Calgary on Oct. 4, 2008. Moving forward on those plans, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the temple on May 15, 2010, and was presided over by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy.
More than 100,000 people toured the house of the Lord from Sept. 29 through Oct. 20, 2012. After a cultural celebration on Oct. 27, the Calgary Alberta Temple was dedicated by President Monson on Oct. 28, 2012.
Architecture and Design of the Calgary Alberta Temple
The 33,000-square-foot Calgary Alberta Temple was built on 10.17 acres of land. The temple grounds are filled with bushes, flower beds and trees. The exterior of this three-story edifice is made of gray granite from China. A meetinghouse sits adjacent to the temple.
Similar to the Edmonton Alberta Temple, this house of the Lord also features a wheat motif in its stained-glass windows, railings, doorknobs and furniture, symbolic of the important role that agriculture plays in Alberta. A hand-painted mural in the temple by Leon Parson depicts an Alberta landscape.
Interior Photos of the Calgary Alberta Temple
