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SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is preparing to break ground for its new Hartford Connecticut Temple this weekend.
The Courant reports that demolition was underway July 30 to clear the 11-acre property of five houses and an office building prior to the groundbreaking Aug. 17. Check out the paper's photo gallery of the demolition here.
The event takes place at 11 a.m. local time and will be broadcast to LDS meetinghouses in the area. Attendance at the groundbreaking is by invitation only.
"This is a very exciting time for the members of the Church in Connecticut," said Hartford Stake President Wayne Taylor in a news release. "The groundbreaking draws us one step closer to the rich blessings that the temple will bring."
The temple, to be built in the suburb of Farmington, will be the church's first in the state of Connecticut. Church President Thomas S. Monson first announced plans for this temple in October 2010 and it should be completed in fall of 2015.
Fort Collins, Colorado
One week after the Connecticut groundbreaking, the church plans similar action in Fort Collins, Colo.
Groundbreaking for the 30,389-square-foot Fort Collins Colorado Temple will take place Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. local time. Attendance at and broadcast plans for that event are similar to those in Connecticut.
The Coloradoan reports plans for the temple were approved in February after a lengthy process.
Construction is expected to start in late fall and be completed in mid-2015, the Colorodoan said.
Meridian, Idaho
The Ada County Planning and Zoning Commission last week approved the church's plans for its temple to be built in Meridian, Idaho.
A date for a groundbreaking there has not yet been announced. This will be the church's fifth temple in Idaho. Plans for it were announced in April 2011.
According to a church news release, "Temples differ from the Church's chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered 'houses of the Lord' and are used by faithful members of the Church for marriages, baptisms and ordinances intended to provide eternal family relationships."
