Vision and purpose
Building a legacy for generations
ISKCON Naperville's Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundara Temple began with a simple conviction held by a handful of families: that the western suburbs of Chicago deserved a place where Krishna is worshipped with full traditional care, and where anyone at all — lifelong devotee, curious neighbour, or someone walking in for the first time with no idea what to expect — would find an oasis of spiritual cultivation: the association of spiritually minded people, and a place to take the next step on their own path of bhakti.
That conviction has become a building. The land was bought in 2010. The temple building that houses the altar opened in 2023, and Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar were installed on 21 April that year. Phase 3 is the part we are raising for now, and it is the part that turns a temple into a community.
A temple is not really measured in square feet. It is measured in what happens inside it. A three-year-old learning her first kirtan in the preschool room. A teenager arguing happily about the Gita in a classroom on a Sunday morning. Four hundred people eating together in a hall that finally fits them. Someone arriving early on a winter morning to chant in a quiet room full of Tulsi.
That is what Phase 3 builds. Not just an extension — but a deepening of the services already offered here and an expansion of the sacred space itself, so that everything this community has begun has room to mature.
At a glance
Phase 3 in numbers
The scope is fixed, the drawings are done and the costs are known. We are now waiting on permits from the City of Naperville.
What Phase 3 builds
Five thousand square feet, two floors
Phase 3 replaces the old church building and connects directly into the temple. Move between the drawings below, and click any of them to open it full size.
Click to enlargeHow Phase 3 sits on the property
- The extension replaces the old church building
- It connects directly into the existing temple
- Outdoor event lawn
- Garuda Stambha on the lawn
- Outdoor yajna kund
- Parking and utilities already completed in Phase 1
Click to enlargeLevel 1
- Toddler and preschool room
- Classroom 1
- Classroom 2
- Two storage rooms
- Foyer and corridor
The first floor is given almost entirely to children’s education — Sunday School, reading and kirtan groups, and the preschool.
Click to enlargeLevel 2
- The Great Hall — the arrival lobby for the temple room on this floor
- Govinda’s Cafe extension and sit-out
- Gift shop
- Tulsi and chanting room
- Shoe and coat storage
- Foyer and indoor stairs
The Great Hall is not a seating area. It is the lobby for the main temple room on this floor — the space people arrive into, leave their shoes and coats in, wait in, and spill out into when the temple room is full.
The Tulsi and chanting room is designed around Tulsi Devi first, with natural light from the east and south.
Click to enlargeThe finished building
- Two storeys, matching the existing temple elevation
- Continuous roofline across temple and extension
- Main approach from the existing car park
Architectural model of Phase 3 as it will stand when complete.
Community journey
How we got here
Every phase so far was finished before the next was begun. That is the record Phase 3 is being built on.
Newest first. Scroll the timeline sideways to follow the project back to 2010.
Where the money stands
The Phase 3 designs are done — and getting it built needs your support
The current campaign · Phase 3
$1,040,000
raised of a $2,000,000 goal
2026 · Main fundraiser
Tulabharam
Sunday 27 September 2026 · 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Ashton Place, 341 75th Street, Willowbrook
Our grand annual fundraising evening, held in the mood of Janmashtami — kirtan, inspiring talks and dinner prasadam. It is the main fundraising event of the year, and every dollar it raises goes to Phase 3 construction.
Phase 3 begins
The Grand Yajna, June 2026
Phase 3 began with the Grand Yajna and Bhumi Pooja on 6 June 2026, with families from the community serving as Yajamans. The fire sacrifice is an offering made at the beginning of an undertaking — seeking blessings and prayers for the successful completion of what is now being built.
Track record
What the last round of giving built
Phase 2 built the part of the temple that houses the main altar and Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar. It is what allowed Their daily worship to begin in full, and what gave the community a home for its Sunday Love Feast programmes. Thanks to the many souls who stepped forward, we raised $2,400,000 from the congregation — and we now have about $2,400,000 of bank mortgage pending, which we hope to pay off fully over the next two to three years.
Phase 2 · the temple building
Complete, 2023
opened in 2023, with the Deities installed on 21 April
The temple you walk into today was paid for partly by the community’s giving and partly by borrowing. If you would prefer your gift to go towards reducing the mortgage rather than towards construction, tell us and we will record it that way.
Every phase, end to end
Phase 1
$900,000
Fully funded. The campaign closed at one hundred per cent of its goal.
Complete
Phase 2
$4,800,000
$2,400,000 paid by the community; $2,400,000 financed through a bank loan.
Complete · mortgage being retired
Phase 3
$2,000,000
$1,040,000 raised so far, leaving $960,000 still to raise.
Underway
What we still owe
Of everything raised for the project so far, $900,000 came as an interest-free loan — devotees who put their own money behind the building and asked for nothing back but the building itself. It still has to be repaid. Retiring both of these sits outside the $2,000,000 Phase 3 goal above, and we are working to clear them over the next two to three years.
Phase 1 · civil engineering, then the ground-breaking
Phase 1 was the civil engineering work: the underground utilities, the porous pavers and the expanded parking lot, and the flood-proofing of the site. With the ground prepared, the Bhumi Puja and Silanyasa — the ground-breaking for the temple building itself — were held on 21 May 2017.
Phase 2 · 2021–2023
Phase 2 built the main building — the part of the temple that houses the altar. These are the site updates as they were shared with the congregation at the time, from the first concrete pads through to the unveiling of the temple signage.
Move in and Deity installation · 21 April 2023
With the building finished, the community moved in. Sri Sri Radha Shyamasundar were installed in the new altar on 21 April 2023, over several days of ceremony, and Srila Prabhupada was carried in procession from the old church building to the new temple. Daily worship and the Sunday Love Feast have been held here ever since.
Why it matters
Leaving something behind for the generations after us
The purpose of a temple is to allow for the opportunity to understand God, to serve Him, and to associate with spiritually inclined people.
It is the place where a child first hears a verse of the Bhagavad-gita, where a teenager finds friends who hold the same values, and where an adult who came in out of curiosity slowly finds a practice that steadies the rest of their life.
Help us build itWays to support
Take your place in it
Three ways to be part of Phase 3, whatever the size of the gift.
$251 per square foot
Sponsor a Square Foot
Five thousand squares make up the new building. Sponsor one, or several, in your family’s name — the simplest way to have a recorded share in the construction.
Sunday 27 September 2026 · 5–9 PM
Tulabharam Fundraiser
Our grand annual fundraising evening, and this year it exists for one reason: to fund Phase 3. Buy tickets, or sponsor a table for your family and friends.
Named features
Larger gifts
Rooms, the Great Hall, the Tulsi and chanting room and the outdoor features can each be sponsored and recorded. If you are considering a major gift, we would like to walk you through the drawings in person.
Ways to give
Sending a gift to the construction fund
Anything sent through the routes below is restricted to the new temple and cannot be spent on running costs.
Zelle
No processing fee, so the whole of what you send reaches the fund.
PayPal or card
This PayPal button is dedicated to new temple construction, so gifts through it are automatically recorded against the building fund.
By cheque
Payable to ISKCON Naperville, with “Phase 3” on the memo line.
ISKCON Naperville, 1505 McDowell Road, Naperville, IL 60563
In person
Any Sunday, or during temple hours. Speak to someone at the front desk and they will make sure the gift is recorded against Phase 3.
Is my gift restricted to Phase 3?
Yes. The construction fund is a restricted fund. Money given to it can only be spent on the new temple building, never on day-to-day operations. If you would rather your gift went towards the Phase 2 mortgage instead, say so when you give and we will record it that way.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
ISKCON Naperville is a registered non-profit religious organisation and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. A receipt is issued for every gift.
When will Phase 3 be finished?
The construction schedule is being finalised with the City of Naperville. We will state the target completion date here as soon as it is confirmed, and this page will be updated as each milestone is reached.
Why are you raising for Phase 3 while a Phase 2 mortgage is still outstanding?
Because the two serve different purposes and are funded differently. The mortgage on the completed temple is being serviced from regular income and dedicated giving. Phase 3 is new construction, and building it now — while the drawings, approvals and contractor are all in hand — costs considerably less than building it later. We keep the two separate in our books and on this page.
Can I sponsor in memory of someone?
Yes. Square-foot sponsorships and named features can both be recorded in memory of, or in honour of, a family member. Tell us the name and wording when you give.