Why not just place a shortcut to the Template file on your Desktop? I'm not familiar with 'Mac Terms' But opening a template file from Windows Explorer is the same as going to File | New in word.

Thank you for your reply. I did encounter this suggestion while googling for a solution. However, even if it were to work, I would still need to go to the desktop and open the shortcut. This would not be substantially different from what I have to do now. What I am looking for is a way to open the customized template without interrupting my workflow (when I am working in Word).