The site for the future Lethbridge Alberta Temple. (Photo: Richard and Gayle Low)

By David Opinko

Preliminary work underway for new LDS temple in Lethbridge

Oct 15, 2024 | 9:12 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Shovels are hitting the ground this week on a major new project for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

The Church has announced that crews will begin clearing the nine-acre property at the corner of Whoop-Up Drive West and Mauretania Road.

This will involve preliminary utility and grading work, installing water and sewer lines, running electricity to the site, and removing excess soil.

“We are excited for this first step in the process of building a house of the Lord in Lethbridge,” said Elder David C. Stewart, the Area Seventy over the Church’s Calgary and Lethbridge coordinating councils. “This sacred place will be a blessing for the many Latter-day Saints in the area. We are grateful to the city of Lethbridge for their ongoing support and collaboration.”

The Lethbridge Alberta Temple will be the LDS’s 10th house of the Lord in Canada. There are three existing ones in Alberta, which are located in Cardston, Calgary and Edmonton.

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According to the LDS, temples are different than the standard church meetinghouses. Meetinghouses are where Sunday worship services, youth gatherings, service projects and other community events take place. Temples are specially set apart for sacred services and ceremonies such as marriages.

Lethbridge residents Richard and Gayle Low said in a statement to LNN, “Having a temple in our city will make the participation in temple ordinances more accessible to members in the vicinity of Lethbridge. This will help build their faith in Jesus Christ and strengthen their determination to live more like Him.”

The temple was first announced in April 2023.

Design work is still ongoing and no timelines for when the temple is expected to open have been announced.

READ MORE: Canada’s 10th LDS temple to be built in Lethbridge

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