Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Manitoba are celebrating an important milestone in the construction of the long-awaited Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
On July 28, 2020, construction workers placed a gold statue of the angel Moroni on the steeple of the temple. Due to COVID–19 restrictions, only a small group of government and interfaith leaders, neighbours and members of the Church was on hand to watch this exciting event; however, many people enthusiastically followed the progress online and on social media. A few members of the media also attended and reported on the event.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
The installation of the 2.5-metre, 135-kilogram statue is a sign that the construction of the temple is nearing the end. The building is scheduled to be finished this fall. Construction began in 2018, but Latter-day Saints in Manitoba have been eagerly awaiting this sacred house of worship since it was announced in April 2011. Currently, the closest temples are in Regina, Saskatchewan, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, requiring those who want to worship in a temple to travel many hours, often through bitter cold, blizzards and thunderstorms.
The Winnipeg Manitoba Temple and adjacent meetinghouse are in a prominent location at the entrance to Winnipeg’s Bridgwater community.
“I just want to say, welcome to the neighbourhood,” said Jon Reyes, a member of the Manitoba Legislature who has volunteered with Church service projects in the past. “It’s great to be here. It’s an important milestone for this community.”
“We are very happy and excited to have the temple nearing completion in the Bridgwater area,” resident Wayne Fisher said. “Watching it progress daily over the last year or two has been so interesting as we know how much the temple means to its congregations, and that is very evident from the care, love and attention to detail in its construction. It will truly be a great addition to the area, and its location at the entry point [of the neighbourhood] is simply a bonus. Congratulations to all who have been involved with its development.”
The placing of the angel Moroni statue on temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is done not to worship Moroni but rather to show respect for his role in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moroni was a prophet in the Book of Mormon who revealed the location of an ancient record to a young Joseph Smith in 1823, from which this sacred book of scripture was translated.
As with so many temples all over the world, the angel Moroni now looks on from above, trumpet in hand, declaring to all that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth — a gleaming herald against a big prairie sky.