Dedicatory Prayer for the Provo City Center Temple

Introduction

In the dedicatory prayer of the Provo Utah Temple, President Joseph Fielding Smith pled for God to bless not only the temple but “that great temple of learning, the Brigham Young University, and all that is associated with it” (page 189). He also prayed for “all other Church schools, institutes, and seminaries” (page 189), as well as for “those who teach and study in all academic fields” (page 190).

With the completion of the Provo Utah Temple in 1972, Brigham Young University, the Missionary Training Center, and the temple formed one contiguous campus on which were located three similar but different kinds of houses of faith and learning. Commenting on this unique conjunction, then BYU president Dallin H. Oaks observed: “From the beginning of this dispensation the Lord has associated the temple, the school, and the ministry, a trio now brought together in this spot.” Looking out his office window, he would tell visitors that “these three institutions—university, mission, and temple are the most powerful combination of institutions on the face of the earth” (“A House of Faith,” BYU annual university conference address, 31 August 1977).

Almost forty years after making these remarks as BYU president, Elder Dallin H. Oaks was invited to dedicate a second temple in Provo. In his dedicatory prayer for the Provo City Center Temple, Elder Oaks again linked temple, mission, and university, including both BYU and Utah Valley University. Brigham Young University has thus been twice blessed by prophets in conjunction with the dedication of two temples.

The following excerpts are from the dedicatory prayers for these two Provo temples. The full prayers can be found at churchofjesuschrist.org/temples.

Dedicatory Prayer Excerpt

We thank thee for all of the righteous activities and occupations Thou hast caused to be established in this blessed valley, including the educational efforts of Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University, and Thy missionary training center. We pray that Thou wilt bless all of these in their efforts to enlighten and motivate Thy children in Thy service.

This is an excerpt from the dedicatory prayer given by Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the Provo City Center Temple on March 20, 2016.

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