MONTREAL, Quebec — A newly renovated temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quebec represents the vast diversity of Montreal, Canada’s most bilingual city.
The major design motifs for both the exterior and interior of the Montreal Quebec Temple, rededicated by President Henry B. Eyring on Sunday, come from the city’s flag — with four floral emblems representing the four main European ethnic groups that settled in the area in the 19th century. A fleur-de-lis honors the French, a rose the English, a thistle the Scots and a shamrock the Irish.
“As you enter the temple you see the emblems of the founding communities in this area,” said Elder Alain Allard, an Area Seventy who is chairman of the local temple committee.
Montreal is a French-speaking city with many English-speaking-residents, he said. “It is sometimes difficult. When it works it is heaven; the two communities together are heaven.”
The renovated temple, he continued, will unite the two linguistic communities — and the many others in the area.
Located at 1450 Boulevard Marie-Victorin in Longueuil, the Montreal Quebec Temple was originally dedicated in June 2000 by then-President Gordon B. Hinckley. It closed on June 2, 2014, for a complete renovation due to extensive water damage.
The new 11,550-square-foot temple will serve nearly 11,000 LDS Church members in Quebec and Ottawa.
Located near the St. Lawrence River, a massive waterway that brought early settlers and trade to the area, the interior of the temple also features a hand-painted mural depicting the wildlife and landscape of the Montreal area, including the river.
President Eyring said the temple honors the generation of faithful Latter-day Saints who have lived and served in Quebec.
“This is our opportunity to honor the great people who have been pioneers in the church as it has blossomed in this magnificent nation,” he said.
In addition to rededicating the new temple, President Eyring addressed some 425 youths Saturday evening, moments before they performed in the temple youth cultural celebration.
The program, held in the Monument-National Theatre, was titled “Je Me Souviens” or “I remember.”
The title is drawn from the official motto of the province of Quebec.
President Eyring said President Thomas S. Monson — who presided over the Canadian Mission from 1959 to 1962 and sent the first French-speaking missionaries to Quebec — wanted to be in Canada for the historic occasion. “The last time he and I spoke, I felt of his great love for the Canadian people, and I pray that you will feel that again tonight,” President Eyring said.
Like the temple, the cultural celebration paid tribute, through music and dance, to the cultural diversity of Montreal. Narrators for the show each spoke in their native tongue. The performance included musical numbers highlighting the First Nations, the French, the English, Latinos and Afro-Creoles. Each scene led to a climax in the finale where all the youths — wearing white — were unified by the rededicated temple.
LDS Church Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, who offered his remarks in French, told the youths the title of the celebration was wonderful.
“Hopefully during this show you will remember who you are,” he said. “You represent a great variety of cultures and different origins. … I hope you are proud of your origins, no matter what they are. And I hope that you will be even more proud of your divine origin.”
Esther Caron, celebration choreographer, said LDS Church members in Montreal are united in their faith.
“Because we are members of the church, because we have a temple, we are all coming together in our belief,” she said.
David Dietze-Hermosa, 18, said the gospel and the temple are for everyone. “We all have a place no matter what background we came from,” he said. “That is reflected in what we are doing here.”
Jean-Michel Carter worked as a member of the temple committee compiling the local history of the LDS Church in the area. In spite of the cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences of Latter-day Saints in Montreal, “one thing is clear to me,” he said. “The people here love the temple.”
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