Photograph courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
WHEN DRIVING BY SPRING MILL ROAD and West 116th Street at night, it’s impossible to miss: a towering structure, shining like an ethereal beacon. The inside of the Indianapolis LDS Temple is just as inspiring, but most will never see it. The chapels of the LDS Church (formerly known as Mormon), of which there are 13 in the Indianapolis area, are where ordinary weekly worship happens. The temple is for the extraordinary. Its rooms have distinct purposes: one where devotees endeavor to grow in their knowledge of the faith; one where marriages are sealed “for time and eternity”; one where those concerned with the fate of deceased relatives can undergo proxy baptisms on their behalf; and more. The Celestial Room, though, is not for doing but simply for being. The name suggests it is meant to give a taste of the peace of heaven. Rebecca Connolly, director of communication for the Indiana region of the LDS Church, shares that tables bear Scriptures to aid in introspection and boxes of tissues for when self-realization leads to tears. The stained glass windows display tulip poplars, the Indiana state tree, and circles with the letter X representing the Crossroads of America. Only Latter-day Saints in good standing can enter the temple. (Anyone is welcome to enjoy the grounds, with trees, benches, and a fountain.) Perhaps the rest of us can cultivate such a space in our minds, where we retreat to be still when the tumult of life overwhelms.
