Dedication of the Payson Utah Temple
The Payson Utah Temple was announced by President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Jan. 25, 2010. Five and a half years later, the temple was dedicated by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, on June 7, 2015.
Many Latter-day Saints and nonmembers alike celebrated this house of the Lord throughout the construction process — 5,000 Church members attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 8, 2011; more than 400,000 visitors toured the temple during its open house, ending May 23, 2015; and 60,000 people attended a cultural celebration the night before the dedication.
President Eyring presided over all three sessions of the dedication and offered prayers during the first two, then Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered the prayer for the last session. Elder Russell M. Nelson, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as several other general authorities and general officers, were also in attendance.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Our hearts are filled with gratitude for this beautiful edifice which has been erected in our midst. It stands magnificent where it may be seen by all in this community and those who pass by. May it be a constant reminder to those who see it of the obligations of Thy covenant people to walk in righteousness before Thee.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Payson Utah Temple here.
Timeline of the Payson Utah Temple
January
25
2010
Announced
A temple for Payson, Utah, was announced by President Thomas S. Monson, 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Jan. 25, 2010. In a news release with the announcement, President Monson said, “Temples answer those soul-searching questions of the purpose of life, of why we are here and where we are going.”
October
08
2011
Groundbreaking
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over the Payson Utah Temple groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 8, 2011. Around 5,000 Church members attended the groundbreaking ceremony, which included talks from Church general authorities, a choir performance and a dedicatory prayer on the site.
April
24
2015
Open house
The temple was open to the public for tours during an open house from April 24 through May 23, 2015. More than 400,000 visitors toured this house of the Lord and viewed other informational displays outside the temple, including a time-lapse of its construction and informational panels about temple and family history work.
June
06
2015
Cultural celebration
Nearly 13,000 youth participated in a cultural celebration — which included singing, dancing and trampoline acrobatics — to commemorate the temple on June 6, 2015, the night before the temple dedication. President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, was among the approximately 60,000 people in attendance.
June
07
2015
Dedication
President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, presided over the Payson Utah Temple dedication on June 7, 2015. The three dedicatory sessions were broadcast to Church members in the temple district; President Eyring offered the dedicatory prayer at the first two sessions, while Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered the prayer in the final session.
SEE ALL Timeline of the Payson Utah Temple
The Payson Utah Temple was announced by Church President Thomas S. Monson on Jan. 25, 2010. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Oct. 8, 2011, and was presided over by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Once the house of the Lord was built, the public toured the building during an open house from April 24 through May 23, 2015. Finally, the temple was dedicated on June 7, 2015. The dedication took place over three sessions and was presided over by President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency.
Architecture and Design of the Payson Utah Temple
The Payson Utah Temple was built with an area of 96,630 square feet on a 10.63-acre site. It features one baptistry, three ordinance rooms, seven sealing rooms and the celestial room.
Art in the temple is focused on the Savior and motifs unique to Payson, including the art-glass windows produced by local artist Tom Holdman that depict apple blossoms — for which Payson is well known — throughout their various stages of development. Nineteen of the art pieces in the temple are originals, and some are copied from other temples, such as a mural in the baptistry that depicts deer in a meadow, based on a work in the Calgary Alberta Temple.
Interior Photos of the Payson Utah Temple
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