France’s First Mormon Temple Will Open Next Year
- By Derek Welch --
- 10 Nov 2016 --
LDS announces dedication services for France’s first Mormon Temple.
France’s first Mormon temple will be opened next year in Paris. Although France has had close to 40,000 Mormons, no church has existed so far to cater to their spiritual needs. French members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints were forced to go to LDS churches in bordering countries like Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. This temple will be situated in the western suburban area of Paris, in Le Chesnay.
France’s First Mormon Temple Will Open Next Year[/tweetthis]
The temple will be opened to the public from April 22 – May 13. The structure will undergo a dedication ceremony on May 21. Mormon churches are closed to non-Mormon members after the dedication. Non-Mormons are allowed only for a short period of time before the dedication so that they can learn about the Mormon beliefs and way of life. Post-dedication, Mormons believe that the structure is too sacred for people without feelings and emotions of utmost devotion to enter. In fact, temple entry is restricted even for the Mormons. Mormons who wish to visit the temple after it has been dedicated have to live a life strictly in adherence to the Mormon rules, and undergo examinations and interviews with competent Mormon leaders. Permission to enter a Mormon temple is considered as one of the highest privileges for a Mormon. Currently there are 154 temples around the world. Regular Mormon worship is conducted in Mormon chapels.
Plans for building a temple in France were announced in 2011 by the president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson. Until now only chapels and meetinghouses have been available for Mormons in France. Two Mormon missionaries have been active so far in the nation, which is divided into two mission stations. The Utah-born church is now one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. With the opening of the first Mormon temple in France, the church is sending a message that it has firmly established itself in the country. Whether the LDS church will see a huge growth in France too, as it has everywhere, is something time can alone tell.
A Mormon temple poised to open near Paris? Oui, oui https://t.co/J2R9k0owhJ
— Greg Fabiano (@gfabiano3000) November 7, 2016
The temple dedication ceremony will be conducted in three sessions on the scheduled Sunday- 9.00 a.m., noon and at 3.00 p.m. The dedications will be broadcast to all the chapels and meetinghouses of France and French-speaking areas in other parts of Europe for the convenience of those who will not be able to attend the ceremony.
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