Edmonton Alberta Temple

Dedication of the Edmonton Alberta Temple

Before the 1998 announcement of a temple to be built in Edmonton, Alberta, members of the Church in Edmonton looking to attend a house of the Lord would drive five hours south to the closest temple, in Cardston, Alberta. Many of these Latter-day Saints would move to Cardston after their retirement in search of warmer weather and to be closer to the temple.

Donald D. Salmon, who moved to Edmonton in 1951, had such retirement plans, but the announcement of the Edmonton temple urged him to stay there. “We are staying, and many others are staying, too,” said Salmon, who was called as the first temple president of the Edmonton Alberta Temple.

The Edmonton Alberta Temple was dedicated throughout seven sessions from Dec. 11 to Dec. 12, 1999, by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley. Although attendees at the dedication huddled in vinyl tents for warmth amid the cold temperatures — around 32 degrees Fahrenheit — thousands of members attended the dedication, with around 6,900 Saints attending one of the seven sessions.

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Following this dedication, may only those who are worthy in Thy sight cross the portals of this, Thy house. When they enter herein, may they do so knowing that they come as Thy guests, here to feel the presence of Thy Holy Spirit. Enlighten their minds with an understanding of the sacred ordinances in which they will participate.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the Edmonton Alberta Temple here.

On Aug. 11, 1998, the First Presidency of the Church announced the Edmonton Alberta Temple after President Gordon B. Hinckley returned from a nine-day ministry across Canada, including Alberta. Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi, second counselor in the North America Central Area presidency, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple on Feb. 27, 1999.

After construction was finished, the public toured this house of the Lord from Dec. 3-7, 1999. President Hinckley dedicated the Edmonton Alberta Temple throughout seven sessions on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, 1999.

Architecture and Design of the Edmonton Alberta Temple

The total floor area of the temple is 10,700 feet, and it sits on 1 acre of land. The stone for the exterior of the edifice was quarried from Quebec, Canada.

A common motif throughout the temple — seen in the stained-glass windows, railings, doorknobs and furniture — depicts wheat, honoring the importance of agriculture in Alberta. Rooms inside the temple include a baptistry, a celestial room, two ordinance rooms and two sealing rooms.