Dedication of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple
The first Latter-day Saint stake in Colorado was organized in 1940, and the Fort Collins Colorado Stake was created in 1968. Since then, multiple stakes have been formed in the Fort Collins area, which is home to thousands of Church members.
Gwen Tracy, a member of the Parkwood Ward, Fort Collins Colorado Stake, grew up in the area, and her parents were baptized as members of the Church when she was 3 years old. At the Fort Collins temple dedication, Tracy recounted to Church News the story of her family’s sealing in the Salt Lake Temple:
“I remember standing in the temple, waiting to be sealed,” she said. “I remember the feeling, and it is the same feeling that I get when I come in the temple today.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Fort Collins Colorado Temple on Oct. 16, 2016.
“We want to thank every one of you who has participated and is participating in such a wonderful way to have the house of the Lord here in Fort Collins,” President Uchtdorf said at the dedication. “It is a continuous effort; it is a lifetime effort, because the temple and its values represent our way of life. These are the values and the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Russ McClure, a former stake president of the Fort Collins Colorado Stake, told Church News at the dedication that “there has been an excitement and energy and focus” about the temple.
“The Saints are wonderful here,” said McClure. “This new temple is an indicator of the Lord’s trust in ... the people. ... We love the temple. We know that where much is given, much is required. We are invested in temple worship and understand the responsibility of the temple.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Bless all who attend this temple in any capacity, that Thy sacred covenants and ordinances may be deeply anchored in their minds and hearts. May they know that the service they give is service unto Thee, and may they find joy therein.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple here.
Timeline of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced a temple for Fort Collins, Colorado, on April 2, 2011. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was held Aug. 24, 2013.
More than 105,000 visitors toured the completed house of the Lord during its open house from Aug. 19 through Sept. 10, 2016, and over 17,000 attended a cultural celebration with performances by nearly 4,000 youth from the temple district on Oct. 15, 2016.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Fort Collins Colorado Temple on Oct. 16, 2016.
Architecture and Design of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple
The 42,205-square-foot Fort Collins Colorado Temple was built on a 12.3-acre site 53 miles north of Denver. Local trees — including juniper, spruce, pine, maple and honey locust — populate the temple grounds, and a stone fountain sits in the main temple plaza.
The interior art-glass windows depict floral designs based on vegetation in the Rocky Mountains, and an original oil painting wall mural depicts the local landscape. Flooring throughout the temple is made of various types of stone, including white and gold onyx; beige limestone; gold, cream and beige marble; and blue granite.
Interior Photos of the Fort Collins Colorado Temple
