October
10, 2016
Anticipation
rises for Chile Temple inauguration
The world-wide Baha'i community
envisions a time when every community will have its own Baha'i temple,
which is open to everyone regardless of race or religion to gather and
offer prayer and devotions. These temples will serve to strengthen our
individual spiritual connections with the Creator while fostering
collective bonds through service to their community. This long term
vision started with the goal of having Baha'i temples in every
continent. During the 20th century, continental temples were built in
the USA (Chicago), Germany (Frankfurt), Uganda (Kampala), Australia
(Sydney), India (New Delhi), Panama and Samoa (Apia). In 2010,
excavation work began to signal construction work on the last of the
continental temples in Santiago, Chile. View Photo Callery
The construction of this last continental Baha'i temple has reached its
historic conclusion and the Chile Temple will be officially opened
through a dedication ceremony in mid-October. Further details can be
found in the following article from the Baha'i International Community
- including a notice that live video coverage of the public opening
ceremony will be provided on the Baha'i World News Service website on
13 October, 14:00 GMT, for approximately 90 minutes. People around the
world will be able to watch this historic event, marking the dedication
of the final continental Baha'i Temple.
Baha'is in Ottawa will be gathering in families and small groups to
watch this historic occasion online and some local Baha'is will be
traveling to Chile to be part of the ceremonies marking the opening of
the Temple - stay tuned for their stories when they return.
BAHÁ'Í WORLD NEWS SERVICE
 SANTIAGO — A surge of excitement and anticipation is palpable among the
Baha'i community in Santiago and abroad as the inauguration of the last
of the continental Baha'i Houses of Worship approaches.
The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, is expected to attend the
opening ceremony with other dignitaries.
Growing media coverage has brought attention to the significance of
this landmark, and recent articles (see here and here for examples)
have highlighted the uniqueness of this sacred structure. Like all
Baha'i Temples, its nine-sided design stands as a unifying symbol of
the oneness of humankind. The firm behind the Temple's design, Hariri
Pontarini Architects, has described it as "a Temple of light,
expressing a faith of inclusion".
 A feature report, produced by
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,
offers a compelling exploration of the conception and design of the
Temple.
Meanwhile, the Baha'i community of Chile is preparing to welcome
thousands of people for the inauguration, which will take place from
13-16 October. Representatives of indigenous populations and national
Baha'i communities throughout Latin America, along with individuals and
groups from nearly every other continent, will join the celebrations
for the three days following the public opening.
Live video coverage of the public opening ceremony will be provided on
the Baha'i World News Service website on 13 October, 14:00 GMT, for
approximately 90 minutes. People around the world will be able to watch
this historic event, marking the dedication of the final continental
Baha'i Temple.
A video capturing the majesty of the superstructure is available here. |
