“Recent Temple Dedications,” Liahona, June. 2022, United States and Canada Section.
News of the Church
Recent Temple Dedications
As construction and renovation of temples moves forward, Church leaders continue to dedicate or rededicate these sacred buildings throughout the world. The following are some highlights from three of those dedications.
Winnipeg Manitoba Temple
Dedication: Oct. 31, 2021, by Elder Gerrit W. Gong
Unique fact: It was the first temple dedicated after the COVID-19 outbreak.
From Elder Gong: “The Lord’s temples are a place of healing, holiness, and love. The promises we make to God within the walls of His holy house endow us with strength and power as we follow Jesus Christ and walk the path toward our Heavenly Father.”1
From a member who attended the dedication: “I feel wonderful. It’s great to have a temple in this area. We’ve waited a long time for a temple. Traveling to other temples was difficult for a lot of people, especially some of the seniors. This temple is a positive thing for us all.”2 —Lu-Ann Dopwell
Pocatello Idaho Temple
Dedication: Nov. 7, 2021, by President M. Russell Ballard
Unique fact: Local youth cleared 11 acres of land to prepare for the building of the temple. They planted 25,000 flowers on the grounds before the open house.
From President Ballard: “We’re building temples at a faster rate than ever before in the history of the Church, allowing for so many of our Heavenly Father’s children to make sacred and important covenants, binding themselves and their families to Him and one another for eternity. I am inspired by this new place of peace that will be an incredible blessing to the people of Pocatello. It is the house of the Lord, where we can participate in sacred ordinances and always feel His love for us.”3
From a member who attended the dedication: “How I felt was peaceful. I felt the Spirit, and I felt the Holy Ghost testifying that what [President Ballard] was saying was true and that we were in the right place.”4 —Amy Bowie
Mesa Arizona Temple
President Oaks (center) presided at the dedication, accompanied by his wife and other leaders.
Rededication: Dec. 12, 2021, by President Dallin H. Oaks
Unique fact: It was the first temple to conduct sessions in a language other than English, beginning with Spanish in 1945.
From President Oaks: “The temple speaks to us in contrast to the individualism of the age. It speaks to us by its ceremonies and its covenants in terms of the responsibilities that we owe to one another and how we fit into Heavenly Father’s plan as part of His family and His culture. … He has created us to associate with one another, to serve one another, and to be brought up in families, not on an individual basis.”5
From a member who attended the dedication: “I felt it a special privilege to attend the dedication. I attended without my wife, who has passed on, making the purpose and promises of the temple even more meaningful.”6 —Oakley Ray, age 101, who attended the temple’s original dedication in 1927 and was sealed to his wife, Janet, there in 1944.