SAN ANTONIO — Not even the strong gusts of Texas wind could rival the spirit and excitement felt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Antonio Texas Temple March 29.
A crowd of approximately 450 Church leaders and spouses from central and south Texas were in attendance on the blustery Saturday morning to witness the historic event.
"The choice of the site is inspired, I assure you," said Elder H. Bruce Stucki of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southwest Area Presidency.
The temple will sit on a hill in a residential neighborhood on the north side of the city. Elder Stucki said President Gordon B. Hinckley knew it was the right location when he visited on June 24, 2001. It was the day President Hinckley announced to the members that a temple would be built in San Antonio.
"He expressed a feeling of specialness, a special feeling of peace and of serenity and he knew that this was the site," Elder Stucki said. "Here you can see the whole valley, but more important, the whole valley will be able to see the beautiful temple."
The San Antonio Temple will serve a large portion of central and south Texas. There are more than 45,000 Church members in the district spanning nearly 450 miles from north to south.
Herbert E. Turley, a Church pioneer in San Antonio, joined Elder Stucki as one of several speakers during the groundbreaking service. Casey Golightly, a former San Antonio stake president, and Rene Garza, the Eagle Pass District President, also spoke. Elder Timothy Olson, an Area Authority Seventy, conducted.
After Elder Stucki offered the dedicatory prayer, leaders put on their hard hats and used gold-painted shovels for the groundbreaking. Everyone in attendance was given the opportunity to turn the dirt.
"This is where it begins with construction, but as you've already heard, it began a long time ago in the hearts and the souls of the leaders and the people who were here," Elder Stucki said. "The stakes in Texas will always be large, powerful and full of good people."
Construction on the San Antonio Texas Temple is to begin immediately and should be completed in the summer of 2004. Local temple committee coordinator, A. Ray Otte, urged the members to use the next 15 months to focus on temple work.
"The architects, contractors and the Church Building Department will prepare the temple for the saints. It is important that we prepare ourselves for the temple," Brother Otte said. "We must have a current temple recommend and our family history work prepared for our ancestors to receive these sacred ordinances for their eternal progression."
