Boston Massachusetts Temple | Church News Almanac
Dedication of the Boston Massachusetts Temple
In April 1998 general conference, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced a Church program to build 47 temples by the end of the 20th century, which, added to the 51 temples in operation at the time, would put the global temple count just short of 100. “I think we had better add 2 more to make it an even 100 by the end of this century,” President Hinckley said in his address.
Dedicated on Oct. 1, 2000, the Boston Massachusetts Temple became the 100th operating house of the Lord for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the two and a half years between President Hinckley’s announcement in 1998 and the dedication of the Boston Massachusetts Temple, the number of temples throughout the world nearly doubled.
Over the years, available land around a meetinghouse in Boston was forgotten about until President Hinckley shared his desire to build a temple in New England. At one point, feeling frustrated at the inability to find a suitable site, President Hinckley asked a group of priesthood leaders for their suggestions. His biography, “Go Forward With Faith,” explains that President Kenneth G. Hutchins of the Boston Massachusetts Stake told of property on a hill overlooking Boston that had never been developed.
President Hinckley excused himself from the meeting, the biography explained, and inspected the site. “As I stood there I had an electric feeling that this is the place,” President Hinckley recorded later that night. “The Lord inspired its acquisition and its retention. Very few seemed to know anything about it. I think I know why I have had such a very difficult time determining the [site]. I have prayed about it. I have come here three or four times. I have studied maps and tables of membership. With all of this I have not had a strong confirmation. I felt a confirmation as I stood in Belmont on this property this afternoon. This is the place for a house of the Lord in the New England area.”
The house of the Lord had intense opposition to its construction, including a lawsuit attempting to restrict the height of the steeple. The lawsuit eventually came before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, where it was ruled unanimously that the Church was allowed to build the steeple. Due to the timing of the ruling, the temple was dedicated without the steeple, and it was built soon after.
President Hinckley dedicated the Boston Massachusetts Temple, and over 16,000 Latter-day Saints attended the four dedication ceremonies for this house of the Lord.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray that all who enter may do so with reverence and respect. We pray that they may here serve with love for Thee and with appreciation for Thy great plan for the eternal happiness of Thy children.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Boston Massachusetts Temple here.
Timeline of the Boston Massachusetts Temple
September
30
1995
June
13
1997
Groundbreaking
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Boston Massachusetts Temple was held on June 13, 1997, and was presided over by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
August
29
2000
Open house
The public was invited to tour the Boston temple during its open house from Aug. 29 to Sept. 23, 2000. Approximately 72,000 people attended the event and learned about the house of the Lord as they toured various rooms.
October
01
2000
Dedication
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Boston Massachusetts Temple on Oct. 1, 2000. The structure was dedicated throughout four sessions, and more than 16,000 people attended a session of the ceremony.
SEE ALL Timeline of the Boston Massachusetts Temple
Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced plans to build a temple in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 30, 1995. Ground was broken for the temple site on June 13, 1997.
After construction was finished, an open house was held for the temple from Aug. 29 to Sept. 23, 2000. After some 72,000 visitors toured the house of the Lord, it was dedicated by President Hinckley on Oct. 1, 2000.
Architecture and Design of the Boston Massachusetts Temple
The Boston Massachusetts Temple has an area of around 69,000 square feet and was built on 8 acres of land. The temple spire was added the year after its dedication due to a lawsuit over the building’s height.
The temple features a baptistry, a celestial room, four ordinance rooms and four sealing rooms. The interior design is influenced by classic New England styles and colors, including light-colored maple woodwork.
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