Temple Dedication News Articles

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Calgary Alberta Temple: Dedication marks 140th operating temple for Church

By Gerry Avant
Church News editor

Published: Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012
CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA

Having left Salt Lake City before dawn Sunday morning, President Thomas S. Monson arrived on a winter-like Canadian morning Sunday to dedicate the Calgary Alberta Temple. Snow blanketed trees and grounds, making the scene look more like the Christmas season than fall’s harvest time.


Photo by Gerry Avant
A wintry scene greets Latter-day Saints attending the dedication of the Calgary Alberta Temple on Sunday, Oct. 28. President Thomas S. Monson presided over the dedicatory events.

Photo by Gerry Avant
President Thomas S. Monson shakes hands with members as he arrives for the dedication of the Calgary Alberta Temple on Sunday, Oct. 28.

A return to Canada is about like going home said President Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ever since he was called in 1959 to preside over the Canadian Mission, with headquarters in Toronto, he has had a great love for the country.

In comments to the Church News a few days before the temple dedication, President Monson said, “Many of our missionaries – to the Canadian Mission – came from Alberta. They were all very good missionaries. I look forward to being there with some of them and other members.”



Photo by Gerry Avant
A wintry scene greets Latter-day Saints attending the dedication of the Calgary Alberta Temple on Sunday, Oct. 28. President Thomas S. Monson presided over the dedicatory events.

After arriving in Canada, 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.”

Whenever he dedicates a temple, President Monson usually attends on the evening before a program staged by the young people of the temple district in celebration of its culture and history. This time, however, President Monson did not attend the celebration. In a video presentation shown Saturday evening at the opening of the program in the Stampede Corral, he said, “My beloved friends, although I would love to be with you in Calgary this evening, it is my dear wife Frances’ 85th birthday.

“She is unable to travel with me to Calgary for the temple dedication, and I felt it was important for me to be with her on this milestone birthday. I know you will understand. Both Sister Monson and I will be viewing this celebration live via closed circuit broadcast in our living room in Salt Lake City.



Photo by Gerry Avant
President Thomas S. Monson invites children to participate in the dedication of the Calgary Alberta Temple on Sunday, Oct. 28. On his right are Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy and his wife, Debbie; at far left is Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department.

“I plan to be in Calgary Sunday to dedicate the beautiful Calgary temple, which is the reason for this great celebration.”

During the cultural program, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, who presided over the event, led the youth and audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Sister Monson. As the song ended, the young performers and their audience of some 16,000 applauded and cheered.

On Sunday morning, President Monson placed mortar around the edges of a symbolic cornerstone, a symbolic completion of the temple’s construction.



Photo by Gerry Avant
A choir of young single adults performs at the outdoor ceremony for the sealing of the Calgary Alberta Temple's cornerstone. President Thomas S. Monson presided over the temple's dedication on Sunday, Oct. 28.

He was assisted at the dedicatory events by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder William R. Walker of the Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department.

The Calgary Alberta Temple is the Church’s 140th temple worldwide, the eighth in Canada and the third in Alberta.

© 2012 Deseret News Publishing Company     Church News

Calgary Alberta Temple: Hymns bring tears of gratitude, tears of awe and tears of humility

By Gerry Avant

Church News editor



Published: Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA



Hymns of praise, thanksgiving and testimony provided spiritual and edifying accents to the Calgary Alberta Temple dedication Oct. 28. From the first notes of "Arise, O Glorious Zion" to the final chord of "The Hosanna Anthem," music was interwoven throughout the three dedicatory sessions. The hymns literally brought tears to many eyes — tears of gratitude, tears of awe and tears of humility.



Four choirs provided music for the three dedicatory sessions: a choir of young single adults sang outside the temple as they stood near the cornerstone where President Thomas S. Monson presided over its symbolic sealing and three choirs took turns singing in the celestial room.







Photo by Gerry AvantA choir of young single adults performs at the outdoor ceremony for the sealing of the Calgary Alberta Temple's cornerstone.

Janis Kershaw was given the responsibility to oversee the four choirs that performed at the dedication. She and others on the temple music committee selected 60 members — 20 for each choir — that sang in the celestial room and 58 who comprised the young single adult choir.



"I felt very strongly that certain members needed to be in the choir," she said. "The Lord knows us all and is aware of the experiences we need. This has been a blessing in my life."







Photo by Gerry AvantAmong those who sang in Calgary Alberta Temple dedication choirs are, from left, Tiffany and Bruce Nysetvold, Grant Clayton, Doug Sullivan, Joanne Dickson and Barbara Smith.

Many choir members said they felt that "voices of angels" joined them, that they sang beyond their capabilities. This was the case especially for the young single adult choir. One of its members, Ashley Johnson, 27, died suddenly. She had been in good health, going about her daily activities and loving her time at practices with fellow choir members. Her funeral was on Tuesday, Oct. 23, just days before the temple's dedication. "Her choir" sang at her funeral.





Ashley Johnson

Her father, Wayne Johnson, met with the choir on Friday evening as they assembled in the temple prior to rehearsing outside. "Ashley loved to sing," he said. "She wanted me to tell all her friends goodbye and that she loved you, and to sing your hearts out."



On Sunday morning, a space was left vacant – Ashley's place — as the choir sang at the temple's cornerstone. Several choir members said they felt she was there. When Michael Cutler, the director, was asked to confirm the number of choir members, he said, "There were 58, including myself; 59, including Ashley, who was here in spirit."



Rebecca Sherwood said she was honored to join her voice with 19 other members of the choir in the celestial room and those of "many other unseen voices ... who were there. I am unable to describe the spirit felt as I was singing and listening to our prophet, but the feeling has been ingrained into my soul."



Bruce Hall said, "This experience has given me a glimpse into how it must feel to sing with the heavenly hosts in praise to the Lord our God."



Janielee Williamson said, "I have learned that when we take the time to see and hear and feel the Spirit in our lives the Lord teaches us. Through singing in this choir, I have tasted Zion; together we have been of one heart and of one voice, totally stretching for perfect unity."



Mardene Francis, who has made singing her career, said she was concerned that her voice was "so big it doesn't fit into small groups." She was surprised and honored when she was accepted as a choir member. "I have sung opera, oratorio, musical theatre and much more, but nothing has touched my heart as much as this experience," she said.



Megan Comin found comfort and reassurance as she prepared to sing with one of the choirs. "Two weeks ago we found out that our daughter (Caroline, age 9) is rapidly losing her eyesight. It was a complete shock and devastating news to us. That night, I went into the choir rehearsal feeling broken and overwhelmed. As we started to practice the hymn 'Arise, O Glorious Zion,' the words of the third verse really hit home in my heart as it talks about walking the narrow road with patient, firm endurance while we go through painful tribulation. Then, I wept as I could feel the arms of my Savior come around me as we sang the 'Hosanna Anthem.' I knew that the Savior loves my family and my little girl and He knows what she is going through and there is a reason for it. Being in the choir has helped heal my spirit when I needed it most and for that I will be eternally grateful."



Members of the choirs spoke of miracles. Karen Baker, who directed one of the choirs, said, "As we began to prepare, miracles started to happen. There were miracles at the auditions ... one brother, undergoing radiation treatments, sang with the voice of an angel even though his mouth and throat were full of sores. One family, who have been trying to adopt a baby, brought their new son home from the hospital on the night of our last rehearsal. Hearts of family members were touched and softened. We have struggled with work schedules and health issues. Time after time, the blessings were very evident as we received the miracles we needed."



Sister Kershaw said that on Friday evening all the choirs took turns rehearsing in the celestial room. After the third group had finished, the organ's technician was there "to fix a couple of little things." However, the power to the organ went out.



"For over a half an hour we just prayed. [Tthe technician] is not a member of the Church but knew of the importance to us to have the organ working. ... He flipped the switch and there was power; we knew that there had been a miracle. When I asked the technician what he had done, he replied, 'Nothing. It just worked.' We had to turn it off as it had an auto-off switch anyway, and then we couldn't turn it back on again. Because it had turned on before the technician knew it wasn't the organ but a power disruption somewhere in the organ. After about an hour he found the circuit board with the problem, took it home, did some micro-soldering and replaced the board; he bypassed the auto-off and the organ remained on until after the dedication. Emails went out to all the choirs to have them pray for our organ. Miracles still do happen!"



gerry@desnews.com



© 2012 Deseret News Publishing Company