Dedication of the Helena Montana Temple
To show appreciation for a second temple in their state, Saints in the Helena Montana Stake sent thank-you letters and temple coloring pages to construction workers. “We decided it would be a nice and fun way to do something appreciative for those who were building the temple,” said Leann Bywater, the stake's Primary president, who helped organize the project. “And the kids were very excited to be a part of that and to do something for those who are providing service for us and for our community.”
Workers received around 500 envelopes, each containing a colored drawing, a thank-you note and a small packet of jerky donated by a company in Lincoln, Montana. The colorings and thank-you notes were posted in both the break room of the Blox facility in Bessemer, Alabama — where temple walls were prefabricated — and in the on-site construction trailer placed by Haskell for installation.
This effort “brought the stake together to really contemplate what a blessing the temple is and how appreciative we are of it,” said Helena Montana Stake President Bret R. Romney. “It raised the level of appreciation because we had to express it. And so that was a blessing to our stake.”
The house of the Lord was dedicated on June 18, 2023, by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “This temple dedication,” he said at the event, “serves as a testament of the strength and devotion of the Saints who reside in this beautiful region of Montana.”
The Apostle was joined by his wife, Sister Lesa Stevenson; Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan; Elder Randall K. Bennett, a General Authority Seventy and counselor in the North America Central Area presidency; and Michael Suhaka, managing director of the Temple Department.
“I felt love from God. I felt gratitude. And I felt like He cares about the Saints here in this region,” said Brad Hobson, a member in the Great Falls Montana Stake, about the dedication. Suzi Stanger, a co-chair for the open house and dedication committee, said, “Montana people are very sincere, and I think that was one thing that really captured them — the sincerity of the focus on the Savior.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: "We pray that the close proximity of this temple will be a blessing to those who reside in the stakes of this temple district, and that Thou wilt bless these individuals and families, including the rising generation, as they worship here often. We pray that they will be led down the covenant path to this, Thy holy house. We pray that as they participate in Thy ordinances, the power of godliness will be manifest unto them. (See Doctrine and Covenants 84:21.)"
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Helena Montana Temple here.
Timeline of the Helena Montana Temple
On April 4, 2021, Church President Russell M. Nelson announced a second temple for Montana. The groundbreaking took place on June 26, 2021, at the temple site, where Elder Vern P. Stanfill of the Seventy presided and offered the dedicatory prayer.
After an open house from mid-May to early June, the temple was dedicated by Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on June 18, 2023.
Architecture and Design of the Helena Montana Temple
The Helena temple is a single-story building with a height of 96 feet and an area of approximately 10,000 square feet. Atop the temple is a multilevel tower with a square base, a blue top and four windows on each side. This house of the Lord stands on a 4.8-acre site, including both the temple and a new meetinghouse.
The temple was built with a modular construction process, meaning its parts were prefabricated off-site then assembled on the temple site. The Alabama-based construction company in charge of this process, Blox, built 25 sections of the temple at its 50-acre site. Workers then transported the sections by semitruck to be assembled at the temple site.
Interior Photos of the Helena Montana Temple
