Dallas Temple Is Underway

“There is something transcendently wonderful about a temple, reflected President Gordon B. Hinckley, Second Counselor in the First Presidency. The occasion for his statement was the January 22 ceremony during which ground was broken for the Dallas Texas Temple. “I feel today,” he added, “in this great state, and all this vast territory, there is no building of such tremendous significance as will be the building we begin this day.”

It was the Church’s thirteenth temple groundbreaking since 1980, and construction was to begin immediately following the service. About ninety Church leaders, including Regional Representatives, stake presidents, and others, attended the private ceremony with their wives. Completion of the temple is anticipated by mid-1984.

President Hinckley, who presided at the gathering, emphasized that “this is the Lord’s work; it cannot be stopped, it will not be stopped, it will roll forth. We’ll build this temple here, we will build all the others presently scheduled, and there are others yet to come which have been tentatively designated.”

Elder Jacob de Jager of the First Quorum of the Seventy, who serves as Executive Administrator of the Southern Plains Area, said, “I testify as a convert to the Church that I have found great happiness in the kingdom [doing temple work] both through baptisms and other sacred ordinances, that I feel peace in my heart and in my mind.”

Elder Ivan L. Hobson, Regional Representative and chairman of the temple executive committee, described the groundbreaking as “a great day for the Southern Plains of the United States.” He praised leaders for raising 140 percent of their assessment by the time of the groundbreaking.

The 17,800-square-foot temple will be situated on a six-acre site on Willow Lane in the northern part of Dallas. The property, bounded by two large vacant lots, is flat and occupied by a few trees. Most of the area is residential, although several churches and a medical research center are nearby.