I was in Salt Lake for the "cane salute" on South Temple as President Hinckley's hearse and entourage passed by.
Showing posts with label Hinckley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hinckley. Show all posts
08 February 2008
President Hinckley's entourage and cane salute
I was in Salt Lake for the "cane salute" on South Temple as President Hinckley's hearse and entourage passed by.
03 February 2008
Cathedral's bells in honor of President Hinckley
I went up to Utah this past weekend. President Hinckley's viewing lasted through Friday evening, and his funeral was held on Saturday morning.
Here in this photo, you see the end of the entourage accompanying President Hinckley's casket from the Conference Center (funeral venue) to the Salt Lake City Cemetery... along South Temple street downtown. I took this photo as I was with family near the Cathedral of the Madeleine, participating in the "cane salute". Anyway, as the hearse and its entourage passed by the Cathedral, its bells played as a tribute to President Hinckley and the deep friendship he fostered between the LDS and Catholic communities in Utah, and abroad. This was a moving example of interfaith goodwill and respect.
02 February 2008
City Hall pays tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley
The City & County Building at Washington Square in Salt Lake City played its bells 97 times in honor of President Hinckley, who died at age 97 last week. They began to play the bells immediately as the funeral services ended. I took this photograph while the bells were ringing.Thanks to the City of Salt Lake! By the way, it took 16 minutes for the bells to ring 97 times (you do the math to figure out the frequency).
28 January 2008
President Hinckley's Public Legacy remembered:
I'd like to post about President Hinckley's public legacy and his contributions to the LDS Church's major global expansion. He traveled the world much more extensively than any previous Church president, and personally dedicated more temples than anyone else. The last time I saw him in person was at General Conference in October 2007. Another memorable meeting with him was when I attended his 2004 meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, which was attended by about 65,000 people in a large football stadium.
I borrow the following text from today's Deseret Morning News of Salt Lake City:
President Hinckley presided over the biggest construction undertaking in church history. In the early 1990s, the church was building a chapel a day; 10 years later it was averaging almost two a day. There were also 18 missionary training centers, 434 seminary buildings and 313 Institutes of Religion.
One crowning achievement was the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple, for which reconstruction was announced in 1999 and was dedicated in June 2002.
(Other) Notable policy changes included:
• The replacement of regional representatives with area authorities in August 1995. Then in the April 1997 general conference, he announced that the area authorities would become Area Authority Seventies divided into the Third Quorum (Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific), Fourth Quorum (Mexico, Central America, South America) and the Fifth Quorum (United States and Canada.) Creation of the Sixth Quorum as a division of the Fifth Quorum was announced in April 2004.
• Creation of Latter-day Saint Charities to distribute surplus goods worldwide to people in need.
• Construction of the Conference Center on the block north of Temple Square for general conferences, other church gatherings and community events. As a result, the Deseret Gym, a longtime Salt Lake landmark, was demolished. This construction also came during the renovation of I-15 in the Salt Lake Valley and the completion of the Salt Lake-Sandy TRAX light-rail line in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Conference Center was dedicated at the October 2000 general conference.
• The announcements in the October 1997 general conference of the plan to build smaller temples, the need to fellowship new converts and that women were not obligated to serve full-time missions. The announcement of 30 more small temples in various parts of the world came in the next conference.
• The transition of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, from a two-year college to a four-year institution on Aug. 10, 2001, renaming it BYU-Idaho and eliminating the school's intercollegiate athletic program.
• The introduction in fall 1998 of a new two-volume Church Handbook of Instructions, the first volume for unit administration and the second for priesthood and auxiliary leaders.
• Distribution of packets of LDS materials to libraries in the United States and Canada.
• Newly designed temple recommends and inclusion of a field for humanitarian donations on donation slips.
• Change of Relief Society homemaking night to a night for home, family and personal enrichment.
• Continued reconstruction and, in some cases, replacement of meetinghouses. Also, at his request, free-standing steeples alongside many meetinghouses were replaced by steeples atop meetinghouses.
• Beginning with the April 2002 general conference, the audiovisual version of conference proceedings becoming available on DVDs.
• The announcement in the April 2004 general conference that the Sunday School and Young Men general presidencies would be general church officers. Members of the Seventies had filled those positions since the October 1979 conference.
Also in late December 2000, the number of languages in which the Book of Mormon or parts of the Book of Mormon was published reached 100. The total ultimately grew to 105.
He also had roles in the celebration of Utah's statehood centennial in 1996 and the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers the next year.
Nine months after he was sustained, construction began on a new nine-story Deseret Morning News building. This building, on the southwest corner of Regent and 100 South, was dedicated about 1 1/2 years later in May 1997.
Another advancement came in the Deseret Morning News Crossroads service, through which computer users were able to receive texts of general conference talks as soon as they were put online. A church Web site was also established in December 1996.
Major curriculum changes for priesthood, Relief Society, young men, young women and Primary were implemented for 1998.
During his stewardship, President Hinckley called Elder Henry B. Eyring to fill the vacancy in the Twelve created by President Hunter's death. He also called Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder David A. Bednar and Quentin L. Cook as apostles.
President Hinckley also called two presidents of Brigham Young University — Elder Merrill J. Bateman in 1995 replacing Rex Lee, and Elder Bateman's successor, Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, in 2003. Elder Bateman was presiding bishop when he was called and Elder Samuelson a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. It marked the first time currently serving general authorities presided over the Provo school.
He also installed Kim B. Clark, former dean of the Harvard Business School and church member, as the 15th president of BYU-Idaho in 2005.
President Hinckley was sustained as an Assistant to the Twelve April 6, 1958, and a member of the Twelve in general conference on Oct. 1, 1961. He filled the vacancy in the Twelve created when Elder Hugh B. Brown was sustained as a counselor to President David O. McKay.
President Hinckley presided over the biggest construction undertaking in church history. In the early 1990s, the church was building a chapel a day; 10 years later it was averaging almost two a day. There were also 18 missionary training centers, 434 seminary buildings and 313 Institutes of Religion.
One crowning achievement was the rebuilding of the Nauvoo Temple, for which reconstruction was announced in 1999 and was dedicated in June 2002.
(Other) Notable policy changes included:
• The replacement of regional representatives with area authorities in August 1995. Then in the April 1997 general conference, he announced that the area authorities would become Area Authority Seventies divided into the Third Quorum (Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific), Fourth Quorum (Mexico, Central America, South America) and the Fifth Quorum (United States and Canada.) Creation of the Sixth Quorum as a division of the Fifth Quorum was announced in April 2004.
• Creation of Latter-day Saint Charities to distribute surplus goods worldwide to people in need.
• Construction of the Conference Center on the block north of Temple Square for general conferences, other church gatherings and community events. As a result, the Deseret Gym, a longtime Salt Lake landmark, was demolished. This construction also came during the renovation of I-15 in the Salt Lake Valley and the completion of the Salt Lake-Sandy TRAX light-rail line in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Conference Center was dedicated at the October 2000 general conference.
• The announcements in the October 1997 general conference of the plan to build smaller temples, the need to fellowship new converts and that women were not obligated to serve full-time missions. The announcement of 30 more small temples in various parts of the world came in the next conference.
• The transition of Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, from a two-year college to a four-year institution on Aug. 10, 2001, renaming it BYU-Idaho and eliminating the school's intercollegiate athletic program.
• The introduction in fall 1998 of a new two-volume Church Handbook of Instructions, the first volume for unit administration and the second for priesthood and auxiliary leaders.
• Distribution of packets of LDS materials to libraries in the United States and Canada.
• Newly designed temple recommends and inclusion of a field for humanitarian donations on donation slips.
• Change of Relief Society homemaking night to a night for home, family and personal enrichment.
• Continued reconstruction and, in some cases, replacement of meetinghouses. Also, at his request, free-standing steeples alongside many meetinghouses were replaced by steeples atop meetinghouses.
• Beginning with the April 2002 general conference, the audiovisual version of conference proceedings becoming available on DVDs.
• The announcement in the April 2004 general conference that the Sunday School and Young Men general presidencies would be general church officers. Members of the Seventies had filled those positions since the October 1979 conference.
Also in late December 2000, the number of languages in which the Book of Mormon or parts of the Book of Mormon was published reached 100. The total ultimately grew to 105.
He also had roles in the celebration of Utah's statehood centennial in 1996 and the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers the next year.
Nine months after he was sustained, construction began on a new nine-story Deseret Morning News building. This building, on the southwest corner of Regent and 100 South, was dedicated about 1 1/2 years later in May 1997.
Another advancement came in the Deseret Morning News Crossroads service, through which computer users were able to receive texts of general conference talks as soon as they were put online. A church Web site was also established in December 1996.
Major curriculum changes for priesthood, Relief Society, young men, young women and Primary were implemented for 1998.
During his stewardship, President Hinckley called Elder Henry B. Eyring to fill the vacancy in the Twelve created by President Hunter's death. He also called Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Elder David A. Bednar and Quentin L. Cook as apostles.
President Hinckley also called two presidents of Brigham Young University — Elder Merrill J. Bateman in 1995 replacing Rex Lee, and Elder Bateman's successor, Elder Cecil O. Samuelson, in 2003. Elder Bateman was presiding bishop when he was called and Elder Samuelson a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. It marked the first time currently serving general authorities presided over the Provo school.
He also installed Kim B. Clark, former dean of the Harvard Business School and church member, as the 15th president of BYU-Idaho in 2005.
President Hinckley was sustained as an Assistant to the Twelve April 6, 1958, and a member of the Twelve in general conference on Oct. 1, 1961. He filled the vacancy in the Twelve created when Elder Hugh B. Brown was sustained as a counselor to President David O. McKay.
(Thanks to the Deseret News for their extensive coverage!)
27 January 2008
Gordon Bitner Hinckley, 1910 – 2008
Gordon B. Hinckley has served for decades as a General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His service as President of the Church lasted from 1995 until his death in 2008. He passed away on Sunday evening, January 28, 2007 around 7:00pm at his apartment in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
The Los Angeles Times extolled President Hinckley as "the elderly but indefatigable Mormon leader who guided The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into the 21st century by building more temples, traveling more miles and moving Mormonism closer to the religious mainstream than any of his predecessors."
Please watch this great video below: (If this does not work, please go here to watch it.)
Condolences from many government figures, community leaders, and other religious organization have flowed in. Here are some examples:
"Hearing of President Hinckley's death this evening I find it difficult to imagine the world and its faith communities without him. Leading the LDS Church for decades, he has been its heart and soul to many millions — members and nonmembers alike.*Jeanetta Williams, president of the NAACP of Utah, Nevada and Idaho:
"Like so many others, I have been deeply touched by his generous wisdom, kindly voice and delicate humor. In my youth and when I returned to Utah to lead another church, he has always been the quintessential 'good neighbor.'
"I pray for his family and close friends who must feel this immediate loss so keenly. His journey here was long and his faith so strong, that his very presence made us all want to embrace life as fully and well as he did."
"I want to convey my deepest, heartfelt sympathy to President Hinckley's family and to church members. I was very fond of President Hinckley. I personally knew him, and I will truly miss his voice and his concern for the community....
"He was always concerned about other people and always concerned about how people were treating me. He was just a very, very good person, and I will miss him so much."
*Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. of the State of Utah:
*President George W. Bush:"The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has served as a transformational religious leader and tremendous ambassador for Utah with his unprecedented outreach to all corners of the world."
"He demonstrated the heart of a servant and the wisdom of a leader . . . He was a tireless worker and a talented communicator who was respected in his community and beloved by his congregation.
"Laura and I will miss Gordon's friendship and wisdom. Our thoughts and prayers are with his five children and the rest of the Hinckley family."*Senator Harry Reid (D-NV, U.S. Senate Majority Leader):
"[He] was a phenomenal builder . . . There is so much more that can be said about this good man, who was kind and gentle and epitomized everything that's good in mankind,
"On a personal basis I will miss him greatly."
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