Calgary Temple History

The roots of the Calgary Buddhist Temple can be traced back to August 17, 1951 with the formation of the Calgary Hoyu Kai (Friends of the Dharma) and the Obon service held that day. The service was led by the visiting minister Sensei Y. Kawamura.

The group continued to meet for services in members' homes, then later at a community centre, but without a resident minister. This situation continued for about 20 years when, in 1970, a committee conducted a survey. They found that there were a significant number of Buddhist families who were willing to support a Jodo Shinshu minister. A fund-raising campaign was organized.

Finally, in 1972, Sensei S. K. Ikuta and his family moved to Calgary to lead the newly-formed Calgary Buddhist Temple.

In 1981, the temple building was purchased from the former Croatian Catholic Church and the inaugural service was held on October 18 of that year.

The dedication service for the Amida statue was held on October 21, 1984. The statue was carved by the famous Japanese sculptor Koei Eri. It was displayed in Japan and Europe before it was installed in the temple.

Aug 17, 1951	Calgary Hoyu Kai (Friends of the Dharma) established
1958	First Dharma School
1965	Tenth Anniversary Service of the Calgary Hoyu Kai
1970	Calgary Hoyu Kai joins the Alberta Kyouku (parish)
1971	Incorporation of the Calgary Buddhist Church
1972	Sensei S.K. Ikuta joins the Temple
1980-1982	Sensei Y. Miyakawa serves as resident minister
1981	Temple buys the Croatian Catholic Church
1984	Amida statue installed. Gomonshu and Lady Ohtani visit Calgary.
1998-2002	Sensei Ikuta serves as Socho of the Buddhist Churches of Canada.
June 2005	The temple adopted a revised set of bylaws (pdf).
2005	Gomonshu and Lady Ohtani visits Calgary as part of the BCC Centennial Celebrations
May 13-14, 2006	The temple celebrated its 50th Anniversary.