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

Dedicated 19–21 August 1989
by Gordon B. Hinckley

O God our Eternal Father, we come unto thee as thy thankful sons and daughters in a prayer of dedication.

We approach thee in the name of thy Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, the great Messiah.

Wilt thou forgive our sins that we may stand before thee with clean hands and pure hearts, and wilt thou hear our prayer.

We thank thee for the great eternal purposes for which this house has been erected. We thank thee for thy holy priesthood which will be exercised herein. We thank thee for thy work and for thy glory in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of thy sons and daughters of all generations. We thank thee for thy Beloved Son, the Redeemer of mankind, whose atoning sacrifice robbed death of its sting and the grave of its victory.

As we reflect on the wonder of this work we are grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith, upon whom thou didst bestow the keys of the everlasting priesthood, and that these keys have come down to thy servant whom we sustain today as prophet, seer and revelator.

We are grateful for all who have given of themselves and of their substance to the planning and erection of this beautiful edifice. It stands in quiet splendor among the trees of the forest. It is a place of peace and holiness, a refuge from the storms of life, a sanctuary in which to worship thee "in spirit and in truth."

And now, in the authority of the holy priesthood, which has come from thee, we dedicate and consecrate this the Portland Oregon Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unto thee, our Father and our God, and to thy Beloved Son, our Redeemer and our Lord.

We dedicate the grounds, beautiful with their design and vegetation. We dedicate these walls of resplendent marble that glow in the sunlight as thy truth shall shine over the earth. We dedicate the entire structure from the footings to the tallest tower, with the figure of Moroni who came as an angel flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting gospel.

We dedicate the beautiful font for the baptism by living proxies of those beyond the veil of death. We dedicate the facilities for the washing and anointing ordinances that thy people may stand in holiness before thee. We dedicate the endowment rooms with their altars where sacred covenants will be made with thee; the veil through which we pass to enter into thy celestial sphere; the sealing rooms with their hallowed altars where will be solemnized divine and eternal promises which become the foundation of the eternity of the family under thy glorious plan. We dedicate all of the equipment and facilities that each may function for the purposes for which it has been designed, that thy work may be carried forward with order.

Please accept this house as the gift of thy thankful people. We consecrate it as thine abode. We set it apart for the great work for which it has been created, the administration of revealed ordinances to bless thy children, both the living and the dead.

Sanctify this house, we humbly ask thee, that it may be "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 109:8).

Protect it by thy power from the storms of nature and the defilement of those of evil intent.

May a spirit of solemnity rest upon all who enter herein. Open to their vision a glimpse of thy great and everlasting designs.

Bless all who shall preside and serve in this house, now and in the years to come. Give them strength according to their need. Give them faith to accomplish thy work. Give them that love which is the essence of the gospel of Christ.

Bless thy work in all the earth. Look down upon thy people everywhere, and open the windows of heaven and shower blessings upon the faithful.

We remember before thee the needy and distressed. May we reach out to help and sustain them wherever they may be.

We invoke thy favor upon thy prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, that he may have strength and inspiration in his most holy calling. Bless all who serve with him in the councils of thy church, and smile with love upon thy saints across the world.

Now, dear Father, as we thus dedicate this thy house, we consecrate ourselves anew to thy work of salvation. Thou hast given us thy glorious gospel. Thou hast favored us with membership in thy Church and kingdom. Thou hast touched our minds by the power of the Holy Ghost to bring light and understanding, and opened our mouths to speak words of faith and truth.

We praise thy holy name. We give unto thee glory and honor. We praise and thank our Redeemer through whose atonement there has come to each of us the gift of resurrection and the opportunity for eternal life. Bless us to walk in obedience to thy law that we may be worthy of thy love, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.