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

Dedicated 13 June 2004
by Gordon B. Hinckley

Lord God Omnipotent, Thou great Elohim, we bow before Thee this day with grateful hearts. We are met to dedicate this Thy sacred house. We exclaim with thanksgiving, "Holiness to the Lord."

Our thoughts reach back to that glorious day when Thou didst reveal Thyself and Thy Son to the boy Joseph. This marked the ushering in of the last and final dispensation of Thy work, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, gathering together in one magnificent whole all of the powers, authority, and keys of previous dispensations. We thank Thee that we have come forth in this season of history and that we are partakers of the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

We thank Thee for His atoning sacrifice. We thank Thee for the understanding Thou hast given us of the breadth and depth of the redemption wrought by Him in behalf of Thy sons and daughters of all generations. These temples, which now dot the earth, are necessary to the total fulfillment of the Savior''s Atonement. Here, under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, will be administered those ordinances which lead not only to salvation, but also to eternal exaltation. Those who come worthily to this Thy holy house may receive these blessings for themselves, and may assist in extending the same to those who have passed beyond the veil of death. Here will be exercised the only authority under the heavens which reaches beyond to the realms of the dead. Therefore, those who serve within this house as proxies for the deceased will do so in the spirit of the incomparable vicarious service of Thy Son who gave His life for all mankind. And so, dear Father, our hearts overflow with gratitude on this glorious day.

Acting in the sacred name of Jesus Christ and under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, we dedicate and consecrate unto Thee and Thy Son this, the Manhattan New York Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate the structure within the walls of which it is built. We dedicate all of the rooms, hallways, offices, the baptistry, the facilities for the initiatory ordinances, the endowment rooms, the beautiful celestial room, the sealing rooms, and all other appurtenances and facilities which constitute this House of the Lord.

We offer them to Thee with faith and thanksgiving. Wilt Thou accept of them and cause Thy Holy Spirit to dwell here. We pray that within these hallowed walls there may be found peace and an environment of communion with Thee. May this temple be a place of quiet refuge in the midst of this great and noisy metropolis. May all who enter its portals feel they have stepped from the world into a place of Thy divine presence.

Preserve it, we ask Thee, by Thy power from any act of evil hands, and from any harmful manifestation of the forces of nature.

May none ever come here unworthily. May all come in a spirit of consecration and worship.

We pray for those who will serve here, the temple presidency, the matron and her assistants, and those who will assist them. May they do so in a spirit of love and kindness, reaching out to all who come as patrons.

We pray that as the youth enter the waters of baptism in behalf of those who have gone beyond, that they may experience within their own hearts an exhilarating feeling of sacred service. We pray that such service will build within them the strength to resist the evils of the world and to follow the pattern which Thou hast outlined for Thy children.

May all who participate in the endowment service, whether in their own behalf or in behalf of others, have impressed upon their minds the sanctity and the binding nature of those covenants which they will make with Thee. We pray that those who join hands in the sealing rooms, and who kneel at sacred altars, will sense with a great immediacy the binding nature of that which they do in Thy holy presence.

O God the Eternal Father, bless this Thy holy house. May Thy Spirit touch the hearts of all who come within these walls. May this place be hallowed unto each one. When they leave to return to their homes, may they carry with them something of the sweet and edifying experience which they have had here.

Father look down in mercy upon Thy people everywhere. Bless them as they walk in faith before Thee. Open the windows of heaven and shower Thy mercies upon them. May they grow in stature before their associates. May they be magnified in their various undertakings. May none lack the necessities of life, but may all be granted sustenance according to their needs.

We remember before Thee those who preside in other temples, those who preside in stakes and wards, in districts and branches, in missions, in the quorums of the priesthood, in the Relief Society and other organizations of Thy Church and kingdom. May all work with an eye single to Thy glory that light and truth and knowledge of things divine may crown their lives. We invoke Thy blessings upon those who preside in Thy Church. Watch over them and shelter and protect them, and lead them with revelation that will bless Thy people everywhere, that Thy work will be seen as a bright and shining star in a world oppressed with darkness.

Father, there is so much of evil in the world, of strife, of man''s inhumanity to man. We pray that peace may come where there is war, that conciliation may come where there is conflict, that neighborliness and love may replace hatred and enmity.

Now, dear Father, accept of our petitions unto Thee. Hear our pleadings. Smile with love upon us as we reach out in love to Thee and Thy divine Son. As the Prophet Joseph prayed in Kirtland:

"Help us by the power of thy Spirit, that we may mingle our voices with those bright, shining seraphs around thy throne, with acclamations of praise, singing Hosanna to God and the Lamb!

"And let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed with salvation, and thy saints shout aloud for joy. Amen, and Amen" (D&C 109:79-80).

We ask it all in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.