SALT
LAKE CITY — Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints are reminding all who plan to attend the open house and
dedication of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple to be patient, courteous and
respectful as they are welcomed by the citizens of Nauvoo over the next
two months.
"Many will come," acknowledged President Gordon B. Hinckley in a recent
interview. The world leader of the Church
was quick to add, "We hope that courtesy will prevail in everything that
goes on, that there will be respect and
appreciation one for another, [and] patience. All of these qualities will
be required and we hope that they will shine
forth."
More than 350,000 people will visit the newly reconstructed temple during
the months of May and June. Public tours
are scheduled to begin Monday, 6 May, and continue until Saturday, 22 June,
excluding Sundays. With a
population of approximately 1,100, Nauvoo is poised for its largest ever
influx of visitors.
"Inevitably when you bring that many people together, you have some inconvenience,"
President Hinckley said. "I
hope that we all rise above it, that we will be neighborly and good and
treat one another with the greatest deference
as we gather together in this historic city on the Mississippi River."
At the October 1999 groundbreaking ceremony to initiate the reconstruction
of the temple, President Hinckley
assured Nauvoo Mayor Tom Wilson that the Church and its members would cooperate
with city officials and citizens
to resolve concerns.
Elder Donald L. Staheli, president of the Church’s North America Central
Area, praised Mayor Wilson and Nauvoo
city officials for their cooperation and support during construction over
the past two and a half years.
"They have worked with us to successfully resolve issues as they arose.
There has been an excellent working
relationship between the city and the Church," Elder Staheli noted.
Nauvoo city councilman Jim Sheetz agrees. "I think with all the planning
and everything that we’ve done, and
certainly what the Church has done, that [the open house] will be successful,"
he said.
For Latter-day Saints whose pioneering forebears were driven by religious
persecution from Nauvoo in 1846, the
rebuilt temple symbolizes a healing of old wounds. President Hinckley has
said the new building will stand as a
memorial to those who built the first such structure there.
"There is a great interest in Nauvoo," President Hinckley said. "There
always has been; there always will be on the
part of our people. The thousands who lived in Nauvoo have become tens
of thousands in their descendants. They
look back on their people with affection and remembrance and with a great
desire to honor them and respect them."
Elder Staheli noted the positive experience of many Church members who
volunteered during the Salt Lake Olympic
Winter Games as an example for how visitors should conduct themselves during
the open house.
"Our desire is to have the citizens of Nauvoo feel as positive about us
as their guests as the world felt about the
volunteers who served so well as hosts for the Salt Lake Olympics," he
said. "During the Nauvoo Temple open
house there will be 8,000 to 10,000 visitors daily. Courtesy on the highways
and walkways and with the merchants
in the community will provide lasting impressions of us as a people. The
temple is a beautiful and impressive
addition to the city of Nauvoo. As Church members and visitors we can show
our appreciation to the good people of
Nauvoo as we heed President Hinckley’s call to be sensitive and respectful."
Specifically, Church officials are asking visitors to respect private property
and observe parking regulations
throughout the town and its environs. Open house visitors are reminded
that free tickets must be obtained in
advance and will not be available at the temple. For information on whether
tickets are still available, please call
800-537-8097 or visit www.lds.org/nauvoo.
At the conclusion of the seven-week public open house, the temple will be dedicated in 13 dedicatory sessions over