Church Leaders Break Ground for a Second Colorado Temple

SALT LAKE CITY — 

Ground has been broken for the Fort Collins Colorado Temple, one of 171 temples either in operation, under construction or announced in the world.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Church’s Presidency of the Seventy presided over the Saturday, 24 August, groundbreaking. He was joined by Elders William R. Walker and George F. Rhodes Jr. of theSeventy, in addition to several local Church leaders. A 45-member choir, comprised of Latter-day Saints from Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, provided the music.

During the service, Elder Rasband recounted the history of ancient temples, and compared them to those constructed in modern times.

"In the dedication of Solomon's temple, King Solomon asked 'will God dwell on the earth?' The Lord answered..'my name shall be there.' That sounds familiar to what we're starting here in Fort Collins, Colorado," he said.

The Fort Collins temple will be the second one in this Rocky Mountain state. The Denver Colorado Temple was dedicated in 1986.

Elder Rasband said when the Fort Collins Temple is completed it will be used for multiple purposes, including being a house of prayer, of revelation, of learning and instruction.

Plans to construct the Fort Collins Colorado Temple were first announced by Church PresidentThomas S. Monson in April 2011.

The temple is on a 15-acre site located on the southeast corner of the intersection at Trilby Road and Timberline Road. Approximately 44,000 members of the Church in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming will be served by the new temple.

The groundbreaking ceremony was broadcast to local chapels in the 12-stakes (a geographical subdivision roughly equivalent to a diocese) to be served by the temple, where thousands more participated.

Once construction is complete, a public open house will be scheduled and announced. Following the open house, the temple will be formally dedicated and thereafter used by faithful members of the Church.

For the nearly 15 million Latter-day Saints throughout the world, the Fort Collins Colorado Temple will be a sacred “house of the Lord” where families can be united for eternity.

Mormon temples differ from the Church’s chapels, where members meet for weekly Sunday worship services. Temples are considered houses of the Lord and are used by faithful Mormons for marriages, baptisms for deceased ancestors and ordinances intended to provide eternal family relationships. These temples are open throughout the week and closed Sundays. Worldwide, there are currently 171 temples either in operation, under construction or announced.