Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dedicated 4–5 September 1999
by Gordon B. Hinckley

O God our Eternal Father, Thou great Elohim, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, our divine Redeemer, we approach Thee in solemn prayer.

We are assembled to dedicate this Thy house. It is now 163 years since a temple was dedicated in the State of Ohio. We are reminded today of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple and of the prayer given on that occasion which Thy prophet declared was revealed unto him.

We, too, as Saints of this day, seek Thine inspiration in the words which we direct in prayer to Thee, our Father and our God.

Thou hast bestowed upon us Thy Holy Priesthood, and in this authority and in the name of Jesus Christ, we dedicate and consecrate to Thee and to Thy Son this, the Columbus Ohio Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It is our offering, freely given. Wilt Thou accept of it and cause Thy Holy Spirit to dwell here and influence all who enter as they seek to carry forward Thy glorious work.

We consecrate this sacred structure from the footings to the figure of Moroni. We dedicate the grounds which are adorned with the beauties of nature. We dedicate all of the internal facilities—the offices, the baptistry, the fittings for the initiatory ordinances, the endowment rooms, the beautiful Celestial Room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, together with all other parts of this Holy House.

May it be looked upon as the House of the Lord, with holiness to the Lord from all who shall see it and all who shall enter its portals. May it shed forth a beneficent influence upon this community and state.

May all who come within be worthy to enter Thy house as Thine invited guests. May they leave behind the cares of the world and here feast upon the things of eternity. May the living be sanctified in their service, and may the dead rejoice as a great vicarious work is carried forward in their behalf.

To quote from the Kirtland Temple Dedication Prayer:

"Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go out [from this house] and proclaim thy word they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of thy Saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their transgressions, that thy people may not faint in the day of trouble.

"Therefore, O Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the wicked; enable thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the testimony, that they may be prepared against the day of burning....

"Remember all thy church, O Lord,...

"That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;

"And be adorned as a bride for that day when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy presence, and the valleys to be exalted, the rough places made smooth; that thy glory may fill the earth" (D&C 109:38, 46, 72-74).

Wilt Thou watch over this Thy House, that no unhallowed hand may injure it in any way. Stay the hand of any of evil intent who would deface it or vandalize it. May all who look upon it do so with respect.

We pray for those who will preside here and those who will serve here - the presidency of the temple, the matron and her assistants, and all those called to carry forward the work of this Thy house. May they not weary, but grow in faith and testimony concerning it and the ordinances herein administered.

We pray for Thy cause in all the earth. Bless the faithful tithe payers throughout the Church whose consecrated offerings have made this structure possible. Shower blessings upon them and increase their faith as they give of their means to the building of Thy kingdom. Dear Father, we thank Thee for every blessing Thou hast showered upon us.

To quote again from the Kirtland Temple prayer:

"O Lord God Almighty, hear us in these our petitions, and answer us from heaven, thy holy habitation, where thou sittest enthroned, with glory, honor, power, majesty, might, dominion, truth, justice, judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fulness, from everlasting to everlasting" (D&C 109:77).

We thus lift our voices in supplication and prayer unto Thee in the name of Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Rededicated 4 June 2023
by M. Russell Ballard

Our Heavenly Father, with deep love and reverence for Thee and Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we Thy children join together to rededicate this beautiful Columbus Ohio Temple. We remember the dedicatory prayer pronounced by President Gordon B. Hinckley on Sept. 4, 1999. We ask that all the blessings previously pronounced by President Hinckley will continue upon the temple and the members.

We are assembled to rededicate this Thy house. It has been 187 years since the first temple in this dispensation was dedicated in Kirtland, Ohio, by the Prophet Joseph Smith. We remember that the heavens were opened, and Thy Son visited and accepted that temple, and Moses, Elias and Elijah committed the keys of this dispensation to thy living Prophet.

Today we rededicate this temple at the direction of President Russell M. Nelson, who holds all the restored keys of the priesthood in our day. After extensive renovation and renewal, we will now rededicate the temple from the depth of its foundation to the height of its steeple. In the Prophet Joseph Smith’s Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer, he prayed:

"That this house may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory and of God, even thy house; …

"And when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy house.

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;

"And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets" (Doctrine and Covenants 109:16, 21–23).

And now, by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I rededicate this Columbus Ohio Temple to Thee, Heavenly Father, and to Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless in every way, Father, this the Columbus Ohio Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We dedicate the beautiful baptistry, the ordinance areas and rooms, the magnificent celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars; the halls; the offices; the walls and the windows; the mechanical and electrical equipment; the surrounding grounds, including the parking areas; the grass and the shrubs; the trees and the flowers; and every other facility and feature of this Thy Columbus Ohio Temple.

We ask Thee, Heavenly Father, for protection over Thy temple, that Thy sacred work for the living and for our ancestors may continue. May Thy children come here often to make sacred covenants and receive eternal ordinances. Please bless all the children, youth and young adults in this temple district to keep Thy commandments, preparing them for all Thy promised blessings to those who love Thee and seek to serve thee.

Bless those who prepare for and administer the ordinances for Thy children who enter this temple. May they keep their covenants made in this beautiful temple and serve one another with love and with reverence for Thee and Thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We pray for those in this area who do not have the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they may revere and respect the temple and that all the community might be lifted and edified by its presence. May Thy influence emanate from these sacred temple grounds and bring added goodness and prosperity within the temple’s far-reaching shadow.

Heavenly Father, we know that many of Thy children in the world suffer greatly for one reason or another. Please give them comfort and peace, and bless all of us to do what we can to lift their burdens. Help us, Father, to share the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ with those we come in contact within our daily lives.

Accept of our love. Please smile with favor upon us. Grant us that peace which passeth all understanding. Prosper us in our labors in righteousness. May our hearts be filled with love as we pray for one another. We rejoice today to once again have this, Thy holy house, the Columbus Ohio Temple, available for our blessing and the blessing of all Thy children who love thee.

We acknowledge Thy hand in all things and pronounce this dedicatory blessing in the name of Thy Beloved Son, whose atoning sacrifice enables all the blessings of the temple to be efficacious in this world, as well as beyond the veil, into thy holy presence.

In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.