New Mormon temple in Calgary opens for public tours
Open house runs from Saturday to Oct. 20
CBC News
Posted: Sep 26, 2012 7:56 PM MT
Last Updated: Sep 26, 2012 10:01 PM MT
Calgarians get a chance to check out the new Mormon temple in the community of Rocky Ridge.
The Calgary temple is one of three in Alberta — and there are only 140 in the world.
The temple will serve 25,000 Latter Day Saints in the area.
Only those who are in good standing in the church are allowed to attend temple on a regular basis, but it is opening its doors to the general public for a few weeks so everyone can have a look.
The building is 33,000 square feet and is outfitted with marble from Spain, maple and oak woods and chandeliers made from Swarovski crystals.
William Walker, a Mormon elder, won’t say how much it cost.
“A lot — this is a multimillion-dollar building,” Walker said. “It was built to high standards and detail, but the church has decided to not discuss the cost of this or other buildings that we build.”
The only thing Walker would say is the temple was paid for by the tithes — members who pay the church 10 per cent of their annual income.
Members believe it's a small price to pay to be able to practice their faith.
The Lee family visited the temple on Wednesday.
They previously attended temple in Cardston, Alta., but now they’re only a 15-minute walk away from the new one in Rocky Ridge.
“It's a nice reminder to have it so close to us that this is where we want to be," Kari Lee said.
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