Regina Saskatchewan Temple Wiki

Description

History

Many members in Saskatchewan are of aboriginal descent. In 1948, members of the Spencer family were the first to be baptized on the Carry-The-Kettle Native American reserve, with many other families following their example. There are now over 5,000 members of the Church in Saskatchewan.

Announcement

News of the Regina, Saskatchewan temple was announced on August 3, 1998, while President Gordon B. Hinckley was visiting with missionaries and members in Regina. During the visit, President Hinckley told the people You are good people. … You get on your knees and pray to God. That is a wonderful thing, when all is said and done. … Many years ago, generations ago, family prayer was a very common phenomenon in Canada and the United States. There isn’t much of it anymore. ^[1]“News of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 105

It is partly because of the prayers of the 6,700 members in the 252,000 square mile area of Saskatchewan that they now have a temple.

Members of the Church in Saskatchewan were shocked and delighted when the Regina Saskatchewan Temple was announced. “There was a huge collective gasp, and then the tears started,” said Sister Thomson, a Church member in Regina. “No one ever suspected a temple would be built in Regina, here in the middle of nowhere.”^[2]Janet Kruckenberg, “Saints in Saskatchewan, Canada,” Ensign, Feb. 2002, 73.

Groundbreaking

Temple construction began soon after the announcement and commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony on November 14, 1998, led by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock, who was a member of the Quorum of the Seventy and president of the North America Central Area at the time. In spite of the cold November weather, 480 people attended the ceremony. At the ceremony, a choir of young women sang “Families Can Be Together Forever” in recognition of and reverence for marriages performed in temples, which allow families to live together in heaven.

“We understand the feelings and the bond of children to parents,” said Elder Blair S. Bennett, an Area Authority Seventy, at the groundbreaking ceremony. “We understand the importance of a family, and in the temples of our God, we are able to forge those family bonds that will span the eternities.”^[3]R. Scott Lloyd, “Ground Broken for Temple on Canada’s Plains,” in Church News, Nov. 21, 1998, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/30428/Ground-broken-for-temple-on-Canadas-plains.html.

Open House

Youth members also hand-delivered 2,000 invitations to people living in Wascana View, the housing development where the temple is located.

The temple then opened to the public for tours from November 5 to November 8, 1999. About 8,460 people attended the open house, including Regina Mayor Doug Archer, who said, “It is giving me a sense of attachment. … The temple is an opportunity for Latter-day Saints to celebrate their faith in a special and meaningful way.”^[4]Janet Kruckenberg, “Halifax, Regina Prepare for Dedications of Two Temples on Two Consecutive Days,” Church News, Nov. 13, 1999, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/articles/36774/Halifax-Regina-prepare-for-dedications-of-two-temples-on-two-consecutive-days.html. Community members were very interested in learning about the purpose of temples, especially about the sealing rooms.

Because of a truckers’ strike, materials had not arrived until a few days before. Crews worked around the clock to finish the light grey granite facing, completing the exterior the night before the dedication.

The day before the temple’s dedication, a mission tri-zone conference was canceled and the 60 missionaries along with about 40 youth and adult members worked together to lay 18,000 square-feet of sod, plant trees, and raise the granite sign, which stated that the building was a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dedication

The day of dedication of the Regina Saskatchewan Temple marked a historic first: the dedication of two temples on the same day. President Packer officiated at the dedication in Regina while President Gordon B. Hinckley presided over the dedication of the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple. Plans to dedicate the Halifax temple the day before were abruptly altered November 12 when technicians were unable to repair mechanical difficulties with the airplane that President Hinckley was to take to Nova Scotia. The resulting one-day postponement of the Halifax dedication lead to the decision to hold both on the same day out of consideration for the travel demands placed upon members attending the dedications.

Under gray skies and a cold wind, President Packer placed mortar on the temple’s cornerstone along with other Church leaders to signify the completion of the temple. Then 2,020 members, many of whom had traveled hundreds of miles for the event, attended one of three sessions as President Packer gave a dedicatory prayer blessing the land of Canada, the Saskatchewan members and the temple.

In his dedicatory prayer, President Packer said, “Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving on this historic day. In this vast area of this great nation there is now a House of the Lord to which Thy faithful Saints may more conveniently come to do that work which is concerned with the immortality and everlasting life of the human soul.”^[5]Regina Saskatchewan Temple dedicatory prayer, in Church News, Aug. 3, 1998, http://www.ldschurchnewsarchive.com/temples/94/Regina-Saskatchewan.html.

Afterward, President Packer talked about the dedication and said, “The Spirit of the Lord was present in great abundance.”^[6]“Three Temples Dedicated in North America,” Ensign, Feb. 2000, 74.

At the dedication, Donna McKay, wife of Prince Albert Saskatchewan Branch President Duane McKay, commented on the relatively mild weather for the time of year in that part of Canada: “They’ve been predicting storms for two weeks. You know the Lord’s hand is in this. November is well-known for freezing rain. We’ve been very fortunate in traveling to get here.” Prince Albert is a four-hour drive to Regina.

Many other families drove hundreds of miles for the event. The Province of Saskatchewan, a 252,000-square mile area in central Canada, has a population of 1 million of whom about 4,500 are Church members. Margaret Johnson of Flin Flon Branch, Saskatoon Saskatchewan Stake, who will turn 89 on Christmas Day, rode with members for seven hours to the dedication. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling as she was assisted to the vehicle that would take her home.

“It’s so majestic,” said Dan Morse of Regina 2nd Ward, one of Regina’s first converts, as he stood outside the beautiful granite walls. No one, he said, suspected a temple would be built in their city. “Never, never, never,” he said. “The whole province has only a million people. At the groundbreaking, I saw some ground turned over, and still couldn’t believe it; not until I was in the celestial room when there was plasterboard up when the temple was being constructed could I believe it.” Brother Morse served on the local temple committee. He was in attendance when President Hinckley and President Packer visited Regina in August of 1998. Later, President Packer commented on that visit, saying, “We were greatly impressed with the reverence and dedication of the people.”^[7]Church News, 4 Dec. 1999.

About 2,000 members traveled to attend the dedication. During the dedicatory prayer, President Packer offered the temple to the Lord saying, “Wilt Thou be pleased to accept of this the offering of our hands and our hearts. It has been erected as an expression of love for Thee and for Thy divine Son.” He also asked that the Lord pour out rain upon the land, temper the elements, and prosper the Saints as “they serve thee in righteousness.”

Dedication Order

The Regina Saskatchewan Temple was the fourth temple built in Canada and the first built in Saskatchewan. The Regina Saskatchewan Temple is the 65th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Regina Saskatchewan Temple was dedicated on the same day as the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple, marking the first time that two dedications were held on the same day.

Presidents and Matrons

Sidney C Paulson, from Holladay, Utah died unexpectedly on October 12, 2018, while serving as president of the Regina Saskatchewan Temple.^[8]”Sidney C Paulson”, Provo Herald, 20 October 2018. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

Details

Location

The temple is located in East Regina on Wascana Creek close to the University of Regina but well away from the downtown business district in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

 its 3.2 acres are filled with beautiful local trees and foliage, which transform into fiery colors in the fall and glisten with snow in the winter.

Exterior

Light gray granite adorns its exterior. The Regina Saskatchewan Temple’s most defining feature is its 7-foot gold-leafed statue of angel Moroni at the top of the single spire. Moroni, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, blows a trumpet as a symbol of the gospel of Jesus Christ spreading to the world.

Interior

The Regina Saskatchewan Temple has a total of 10,700 square feet, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.