Announced: April 1, 1981.
Location: 20 miles north of Chicago; 4151 West Lake Ave., Glenview, IL 60025-1240; phone: (847) 299-6500.
Site: 13 acres.
Exterior finish: Gray buff marble, gray slate roof.
Temple design: Modern adaptation of earlier six-spire design.
Architects: Church architectural staff; local architect, Wight & Co.
Construction adviser: Virgil Roberts.
Contractor: Pora Construction Co., Des Plaines, Ill., with Utah Construction and Development Co.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, five ordinance rooms, three sealing rooms.
Total floor area: Originally 17,850 square feet; 37,062 square feet following addition.
Dimensions: 236 feet by 78 feet; seven-foot-tall Angel Moroni statue is 112 feet high.
District: 20 stakes in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: Aug. 13, 1983, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Dedication: Aug. 9-13, 1985, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; 19 sessions. Addition dedicated by Pres. Hinckley Oct. 8, 1989.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley
Almighty God of our fathers, our own beloved Father in heaven, Thou great Elohim, we come unto Thee in prayer in the name of Thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ.
We are met in Thy holy house, erected on the soil of Illinois, to dedicate unto Thee Thy temple. One hundred and thirty-nine years ago our forebears fled this area, leaving behind the temple which they had just constructed. As they moved west across the Iowa prairie their last lingering look was at the tower of that holy edifice which had come with tremendous cost and out of unwavering faith and devotion.
On this day, in this new and beautiful Chicago temple, we of this generation remember Nauvoo. We think of the sacred edifice which stood high on its hill. We remember with appreciation and gratitude those who built it. We recall their sacrifice when they were driven from it. Knowing they soon would be banished, and with many of their number already gone, they yet chose to complete it and dedicate it unto Thee.
O God, we thank Thee for the inheritance of faith that has come down from that generation. We thank Thee for a new and better day when our people have returned to this area, and large numbers have been added to Thy Church in this part of the nation.
We are reminded also that Thy first house built in this dispensation was constructed at Kirtland, Ohio. When that sacred edifice was dedicated Thy prophet, Joseph Smith, received through revelation from Thee the dedicatory prayer which included this plea:
"Remember all Thy church, O Lord, with all their families…that the kingdom, which Thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth;
"That Thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;
"And be adorned as a bride for that day when Thou shalt unveil the heavens...that Thy glory may fill the earth."
Heavenly Father, we see the dawning of that glorious day. The morning breaks, and the sunlight of truth is spreading over the earth. Thy people, once few in number, have become a great multitude, living in many lands and speaking many tongues. Their numbers are constantly increasing. The virtue of their lives is widely acclaimed. We are profoundly grateful for Thy blessings upon Thy work and upon Thy faithful saints across the earth.
We thank Thee now for this glorious day and for all who have labored to make it possible. We thank Thee for the generation of the faithful who have preceded us. We thank Thee for Thy devoted saints wherever they may be who have contributed of their tithes and offerings, which, together with the generous contributions of those in this temple district, have brought to fruition this glorious undertaking.
We praise Thy holy name, our Father and our God. We praise the name of Thy Beloved Son, our Savior and our Redeemer. In the authority of the holy priesthood which Thou hast restored to the earth, and which thou hast conferred upon us, we dedicate unto Thee and unto Him this, the Chicago Illinois Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate it as Thy holy house with a prayer that Thou wilt accept it as the offering of Thy thankful children. We dedicate it for the transcendent purposes which Thou hast revealed in this dispensation for the blessing of Thy sons and daughters of all generations.
We dedicate the ground on which it stands, with the flowers, the trees, and the shrubs which adorn it. We dedicate the structure from the footings to the top of the tallest steeple. We dedicate all of the rooms, the sacred altars, the fixtures, the furniture, the fittings, and all which have been assembled together to make of this a beautiful structure, holy and sacred to us as the house of the Lord.
Almighty God, wilt Thou hallow it and sanctify it. May Thy presence be felt here, and may Thy Holy Spirit abide constantly within its walls. May all who enter feel of that Spirit and know that they are in holy precincts. May it be a place of refuge from the cares of the world, a house of peace and love. May its rooms and halls be hallowed to those who shall walk here. May faith increase in the hearts of all who come, and may knowledge of Thine eternal plan grow in the minds of those who here serve, be they workers, or patrons. May gratitude well up in the hearts of Thy faithful saints throughout the earth, and may the dead beyond the veil rejoice over what will here be accomplished to their eternal blessing.
We unite in prayer in behalf of Thy prophet Spencer W. Kimball who suffers from the infirmities of age. Extend his life in comfort and dignity. Bless those associated with him in the First Presidency of Thy Church. Bless the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the Seventy, and the Bishopric. We pray for all throughout the world who have responsibility for the advancement of Thy work. We pray for Thy people everywhere. May Thy peace dwell in their hearts and homes. May they be blessed in their basket and in their store as they walk honestly with Thee. May their children grow in righteousness and faith that their lives may be enriched and that Thy kingdom may become ever stronger.
Beloved Father, may Thy watchcare be over this holy house. Protect it by Thy power from the destructive forces of nature and the vile impulses of men. May it stand without molestation and may those who mock its sacred ordinances feel the weight of Thy censuring hand upon them.
We are mindful that Thy prophet Joseph, and his brother Hyrum, were martyred in Carthage and were buried in Nauvoo, Illinois, at a time of terrible conflict and persecution. May there now be peace and goodwill in the land. Bless the officers of this state and nation that they shall stand firmly for those principles of freedom and equity which were written into the Constitution of the United States under Thine inspiration.
May this holy house, built in peace and dedicated in faith, stand as a testimony that the oppression of the past has faded and that Thy people today enjoy the precious blessings of worshipping Thee according to Thy revelations without fear or molestation. May Thy work move forward to the encompassing glory Thou hast set for it, we humbly pray, as in faith we rededicate ourselves to Thy service, with songs of thanksgiving and praise, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, the Prince of Life, our gracious and generous Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Parents and their quadruplets lay foundation of eternal family
Now that they've made a trip to the Chicago Illinois Temple with their parents, the four children of Allan and Jude Sadler share their sealing date as well as their birthday.
Exactly one year after joining the Church, Brother and Sister Sadler and their quadruplets were sealed as a family on Dec. 16, 1995. Ashley Lauren, Jonathan Edwin, Zachary James and Jacob Allan are 4 years old, and they and their parents are members of the Joliet Ward, Joliet Illinois Stake.Patrons and workers alike were thrilled to see the Sadlers in the temple, according to Willard B. Barton, president of the temple. The children had such a happy time in the sealing room, they didn't want to leave, Pres. Barton reported.
The children played an indirect role in the conversion of their parents.
The birth of her quadruplets led Sister Sadler to join the local Mothers of Multiples Club. In April 1994, she was asked to run for the office of first vice president of the club. Upon election, she served with club president Nicole J. Walker, a member of the Church.
"Although we were merely acquaintances before that, the positions that we served in required us to work quite closely together and we became good friends," Sister Walker recalled.
As their friendship grew, they began to discuss gospel principles. Then Sister Walker invited the Sadlers to attend Church. "Jude wanted to know if the kids would be welcome at our Church," she said. Sister Sadler told her that in their previous church, the children had been welcomed when they were cute babies - as long as they were sleeping. But when the four children got older and busier, other members of the congregation began expressing disapproval over their attendance and often cleared out of the pews around where the Sadlers were sitting.
Sister Walker told Sister Sadler she was in for a treat if she would attend an LDS service. "Families sit together," Sister Walker told her friend. "Children are a very obvious part of the congregation."
The Sadlers enjoyed the meeting they attended and accepted an invitation to meet with the sister missionaries. They were baptized a month later.
Sister Walker called her friend "a golden contact," and added, "She was always asking questions about the Church and absorbing the answers like a sponge."
"It was as if I had heard it before," Sister Sadler said. Her husband said, "It just felt right."
Sister Sadler said their children love to go to Primary, and have quickly learned a lot about the Church.
Temple moments: Wonderful feeling
By Helen Gardner
After sending all seven sons on missions, Guy and Gertrude Bowler of Gunlock, Utah, wanted to serve a mission themselves. She retired as a postal worker in November 1995. By Christmas, their missionary papers had been turned in. Ordinance workers in the St. George Temple for four years, they were called to serve in the Chicago Illinois Temple.
"We decided it was payback time to the Lord for all our blessings," said Sister Bowler. "Of course, we will never pay it back; we are in too far."They enjoy working in the Chicago temple. "The experience is just great. We couldn't ask for anything better," she said. "We are needed, and we have been accepted and welcomed; the people are wonderful."
When they decided to go on a mission, they also made another decision - to postpone for a year the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary, which would occur while they were on their mission.
But on their anniversary, the temple presidency, including Pres. Willard B. Barton, held a quiet party with a cake for the Bowlers. They were then asked to conduct a temple session and were expecting a routine day ahead. Shortly before the session started, however, Pres. Barton told the couple that a package had arrived for them. He led the curious couple to the baptistry. There, waiting for them, dressed in white, were their seven sons and their three daughters and eight of the spouses.
"It came as a total surprise," said Sister Bowler. "I was so surprised I don't know what I did. I hugged my husband and we were both crying, then we all hugged."
After the greeting, their family members were prepared to go through the session the Bowlers were about to conduct. So the session became a family session, observed on the 50th wedding anniversary of Brother and Sister Bowler, and a reminder of the eternal nature of families.
"I don't even know how to express the feeling it was to have all our children worthy and in the temple together," said Sister Bowler.
"It was a wonderful feeling."
