Winnipeg Manitoba Temple

Groundbreaking Ceremony Scheduled

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are welcoming the announcement of the groundbreaking date for the first LDS temple in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Church leaders announced on 17 November 2016 that the event will be held on Saturday, 3 December 2016 at 12:00 pm. The temple site is located at 2 Center Street in Winnipeg.

The ceremony will be under the direction of Elder Ulisses Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Larry Y. Wilson, of the Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Temple Department. Community, government, and interfaith leaders will also be in attendance. Due to limited space, attendance at the event is by invitation, with the general public invited to view the proceedings live from local Church meetinghouses.

In Manitoba, there are 4,500 Latter-day Saints organized in 12 local congregations. These Church members currently travel to Regina or Minneapolis to participate in temple worship. Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord,” where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ceremonies that unite families for eternity. Inside, members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to serve Jesus Christ and others.

There are currently eight temples in Canada to serve the 194,000 Latter-day Saints. The other temples are located in Calgary, Cardston, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Regina, Toronto and Vancouver. The Church currently has 154 operating temples worldwide.