Announced: May 7, 1998.
Location: 44 Cumberland Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2V 2C7; phone: (902) 434-6920; no clothing rental.
Site: 1 acre.
Exterior finish: White Bethel Granite.
Temple design: Classic modern.
Architects: L.A. Beaubien and Associates, and Church A&E Services.
Project manager: William Treu.
Contractor: Dineen Construction.
Rooms: Two ordinance rooms, two sealing rooms; celestial room, baptistry.
Total floor area: 10,700 square feet.
Dimensions: 149 feet by 77 feet.
District: Two stakes, one district in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: Oct. 12, 1998, by Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy.
Dedication: Nov. 14, 1999, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 3 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Thanks be to Thy name, O Lord God of Israel, who keepest covenant and showest mercy unto Thy servants who walk uprightly before thee," (D&C 109:1). With this revealed salutation we bow reverently in prayer on this day of dedication.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude. Our testimonies of Thy great work resonate with Thy divinely revealed doctrines. O God, our Eternal Father, accept of our thanks for Thy manifold blessings upon us.
Acting in the authority of Thine eternal priesthood, which Thou has bestowed upon us, and in the sacred name of Thy Divine Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate unto Thee and unto Him this the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We dedicate the ground which surrounds this temple and upon which it stands. In the season of summer it will be beautiful with Thy wondrous creations. We dedicate the structure, from the footings to the top of the tower, including the figure of Moroni. We dedicate the walls and roof that they may stand strong against the storms of nature. We dedicate the interior structure with all of its facilities and all the features associated with it - the baptistry, the endowment rooms, the beautiful celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, the offices and other facilities associated with this beautiful structure.
We pray that Thou wilt accept it. It represents the gift of our hands and our hearts unto Thee whom we love.
We pray that Thou wilt bless this sacred edifice with the presence of Thy Holy Spirit at all times. Wilt Thou sanctify it and hallow it as Thy holy house.
We pray that those who view it from the outside may recognize it as a place of holiness, dedicated unto Thee. We pray that all who enter its portals may be clean from the sins of the world, and may recognize that in this holy house they are dealing with the things of eternity. We thank Thee for the ordinances to be performed herein. Thou hast revealed these in this the dispensation of the fulness of times for the blessing of Thy sons and daughters of all generations. All of these ordinances bespeak our testimony of the eternity of life and of Thy grand and sacred plan for Thy children that they might move forward on the way of immortality and eternal life made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Thy Beloved Son.
Dear Father, bless those who serve herein. Bless the temple presidency and the matron and her assistants. Give them strength and vitality to carry forward this sacred work. Bless all who serve with them in administering the ordinances of Thy house. May none weary in good work. Bless all who come as patrons that they may be touched in their hearts and have confirmed in their minds the knowledge that in laboring in behalf of others, even their own forebears, they are laboring in Thy service.
We pray for those who may not be qualified at this time to come into this house, that they may resolve to make themselves worthy of the ordinances here to be had as a part of Thy restored gospel.
Pour out Thy blessings upon Thy faithful people of this area. Bless them with fruitful employment, with happiness and security in their lives, with faith and joy in their knowledge of Thee. May their generations who come after them walk in faithfulness.
Let Thine inspiration and Thy protection rest upon all who serve as messengers of eternal truth. Touch the hearts of the people with a desire to learn of Thee and of Thy work. Pour out Thy blessings upon all of Thy faithful Saints throughout the world whose consecrated tithes have made possible this sacred structure.
Father, how great is our love for Thee. We love Thee and Thy Beloved Son, and Thy Church and kingdom and the sacred gospel to be found therein.
Wondrous are Thy ways. Thou art the great Elohim, the Father of the peoples of the earth, the Creator and Governor of the universe, our Almighty God, our Father and our Friend. We thus lift our hearts unto Thee in prayer in the sacred and divine name of Him who is our Redeemer and our Lord, even Thine Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
Thousands attend temple open houses in Canada
By Shaun Stahle
Church News staff writer
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — The four days of the Halifax Nova Scotia Temple open house, Nov. 3-6, were times of heightened emotion and increased interest in the Church for many of the approximately 8,000 who attended.
"The VIP tours the first day exceeded our expectations," said Janet MacLennan, multi-stake public affairs director and newly called matron of the temple. "There were between 15-35 people in each session, including the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, J. James Kinley and his wife, Grace, and his aide, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer Bill Kazmel, who were most impressed."
Although the media tour was not well attended, said Sister MacLennan, the largest newspaper of the Nova Scotia province published a large picture of the Angel Moroni figure atop the temple on the front page on the morning of the first day of public tours.
"The article with the picture listed the days of the open house," Sister MacLennan said, "but not the times. A secretary in the mission office said the phones were 'ringing off the hook' with people requesting more details."
Among those attending the open house was a retired physics professor from one of the local universities and his wife, a recently retired public school teacher who has been active in civic affairs. "They knew nothing about the Church prior to the tour," Sister MacLennan said.
But following an invitation from a member to attend the open house, they spent considerable time researching the Church. By the time they attended, they "asked some excellent questions," said Sister MacLennan. "They were impressed and asked to learn more.
"They were thrilled when Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Seventy and second counselor in the North America Northeast Area presidency asked to sit with them at their table during the reception held in the stake center cultural hall following the VIP tours."
At the same table, continued Sister MacLennan, sat an elder from another church and his wife. He was versed in the derogatory literature about the Church. "He knew much about the Church beforehand," Sister MacLennan said. "You could see his demeanor soften as the time passed. He left smiling. Both couples seated at the table requested copies of the Proclamation on the Family."
An elementary school secretary living in the area watched with curiosity as the temple was built and eagerly awaited an opportunity to tour the building. Following her tour, the parents of a Primary-age child who attends her elementary school spoke with her. The secretary said, "It was such a privilege to go through your temple. I didn't want to speak with anyone; I wanted to just sit and experience the special feeling."
"The only sad thing about the open house," noted Sister MacLennan, "was that people misunderstood the information published in the media and thought they could tour the temple until the dedication Nov. 13. I wish we could have had three more days. I'm sure another 8,000 would have attended."
Two medical doctors who are members of the Church accompanied on the tour a Chinese couple that practices Chinese medicine in the area. The couple described themselves as being sensitive to sacred things, and said they felt a "great presence" in the temple and requested more information about the Church.
On another occasion, an elderly man tapped the shoulder of a member after completing a tour. "I'm so emotional I can hardly speak," he said. "God bless you and your people. Please tell your leaders that."
Still another man approached this member and told how he had been a practicing member of his church but had never felt the feelings he felt in the temple. "What is that feeling?" he then asked.
`What a happy day' as 700 attend Halifax temple ceremony
Approximately 700 members in Maritime Canada spent their Thanksgiving Day Oct. 12 participating in the groundbreaking ceremony for a temple here that will serve Church members in a temple district roughly equivalent to the size of the western United States.
The site of the new Halifax Nova Scotia Temple is adjacent to the Dartmouth stake center. Heavy rains forced the groundbreaking ceremony indoors, before Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Seventy and president of the North America Northeast Area led a small group of local leaders outdoors where they turned the water-sogged soil."Thanksgiving Day in Canada, and what a happy day it is," said Elder Jensen. "Whoever thought that during your mortal life we would really be here doing this? If everything goes well, we could be back here in about a year."
As he admonished members in Michigan two days earlier at the groundbreaking for the Detroit temple, Elder Jensen suggested four ways to prepare individually and as families for the temple: Be prayerful about the temple . . . that the work will go forward. Obtain the picture of your temple and display it in your home. Teach your children in family home evening to fill out family group sheets, and obtain and keep a current temple recommend.
Attending the temple for members in Atlantic Canada has been a major effort, said Pres. Stephen Maxwell of the Dartmouth Nova Scotia Stake. "From my home to either the Washington D.C. Temple or the Toronto temple requires a 24-hour drive," he said, "which is about the same as someone in Salt Lake City driving to St. Paul, Minn., to attend the temple.
"In preparing for this day I have thought about those who have built up the Church in our area, but have passed on before seeing this wonderful day," he continued. "Can you sense their joy at the marvelous work which will now be possible here in Atlantic Canada?"
Many who attended the groundbreaking drove at least six to seven hours, he said, including Pres. Brent F. Williams of the New Brunswick stake who traveled eight hours.
The Nova Scotia area was among the fastest growing areas of the Church in Canada in the 1970s. Starting with 250 members in 1972, membership increased 800 percent in 10 years, reaching 2,331. The Dartmouth/Halifax area in Nova Scotia continues to serve as the center of the Church activity of about 7,000 members in the Maritimes.
"How did we arrive at this day?" asked Pres. Williams. "It is through the faith and prayers of those here today, and of multitudes who have gone before."
"How many times have we prayed for a temple in the Maritimes?" asked Pres. Byron R. Christensen of the Canada Halifax Mission. "History is being made."
"I think it is wonderful," said Anna Davison, Relief Society president in the Bridgewater Ward, Dartmouth Nova Scotia Stake. "We won't have to travel 20 hours by car and 1,200 miles to attend the temple."
"I have seen a lot of growth in the Church in the Maritimes," said Reg Hilchie, counselor in the New Brunswick stake presidency. "I remember meeting in hotels and school buildings. Now we have beautiful chapels everywhere and soon will have a beautiful temple."
"I never thought it would happen in my day," said James Bailey, branch president in the New Glasgow District, a two-hour drive from the temple site. "I have driven this road many times, but today was a different feeling."
"Don't think of it as a small temple," admonished Elder Jensen, quoting President Gordon B. Hinckley. "Make it big in your hearts."
