“The temple lies at the center of strengthening faith and spiritual fortitude because everything taught in the temple increases understanding of Jesus Christ.”
— President Russell M. Nelson
“The temple lies at the center of strengthening faith and spiritual fortitude because everything taught in the temple increases understanding of Jesus Christ.”
— President Russell M. Nelson
10915 Staples Mill Road
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Email: richm-off@churchofjesuschrist.org
Phone: 804-807-7790
Richmond Virginia Temple Official Web Page (Includes prayer roll.)
Schedule An Appointment for Proxy Ordinances
Schedule An Appointment for Living Ordinances, call 804-807-7790
Services:
No clothing rental available
No cafeteria available
No patron housing available
Distribution center next door In stake center, 10913 Staples Mill Road
Temple 2025 Closures:
Saturday, 5 April 2025
Monday, 14 April 2025 - Monday, 28 April 2025
Friday, 4 July 2025
Saturday, 4 October 2025
Sunday, 12 October 2025 - Sunday, 26 October 2025
Wednesday, 26 November 2025 - Thursday, 27 November 2025
Wednesday, 24 December 2025 - Thursday, 25 December 2025
Wednesday, 31 December 2025 - Thursday, 1 January 2026
Larry John Willis and Sandra Mae Bohjanen Willis, Gayton Ward, Richmond Virginia Stake, called as president and matron of the Richmond Virginia Temple. President Willis is a patriarch and a former bishop, high councilor and temple ordinance worker.
Sister Willis is a former ward Relief Society president and a former stake Relief Society and Primary president, ward Young Women and Primary president, and temple ordinance worker.
Richmond Virginia Temple Schedule
Effective January 1, 2025
TUESDAY
Endowment: 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
Initiatory: Sessions every half-hour from 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Baptistry: 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
WEDNESDAY
Endowment: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 pm; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
Initiatory: Sessions every half-hour from 8:00 to 11:30 am; 12:30 to 4:30 pm; 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Baptistry: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 pm; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
THURSDAY
Endowment: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
Initiatory: Sessions every half-hour from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm; 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Baptistry: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
FRIDAY
Endowment: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 pm; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
Initiatory: Sessions every half-hour from 8:00 to 11:30 am; 12:30 to 4:30 pm; 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Baptistry: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 am; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 pm; 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 pm
SATURDAY
Endowment: 7:30, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 am; 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:30, 3:00 pm
Initiatory: Sessions every half-hour from 7:30 to 11:30 am; 12:30 to 4:00 pm
Baptistry: 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 am; 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 pm
The Distribution Center Is located In the new stake center by the temple, 10913 Staples Mill Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060-2413 . You enter from the back entrance, furtherest from the temple, and It Is the first room on the left.
Distribution Center Phone: 804-807-7788
Tues. 2:00-6:00pm; Wed.-Fri. 9:00am-6:00pm; Sat. 9:00am-3:00pm
Phone orders: 1-800-537-5971
Online orders: store.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Our FamilySearch Center is now in our Stake Center. Operating hours are: Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm. If the doors are locked, someone will put a note on the door with their phone number to call so they can come and let you in. The entrance Is on the Staples Mill Road side of the building.
Staples Mill Stake Center - 10913 Staples Mill Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060
Sisters and Brothers,
The Stake Presidency would like to request your stories related to the coming forth of the Richmond Temple, especially the open house and dedication this year.
We have been truly blessed to have the house of the Lord in our community.
Some stories about the temple may be too tender or sacred to share publicly, but many stories can be shared. We would like to collect faith promoting stories to include in our 2023 annual stake history.
If you would like to contribute to the history, please email a brief version of your story or your experience to the stake clerk, Scott Haines. We would like to receive your contribution by the end of this month, but welcome your stories at any time.
-Scott Haines
on behalf of the Stake Presidency
Latter-day Saints who would like to attend the temple to perform proxy ordinances will have the option to either reserve an appointment or attend without an appointment, where space is available. As priority will be given to patrons with appointments, those who attend the temple without a reservation may be asked to wait for an opportunity to participate. As it has always been, appointments will still be necessary for all members who come to receive their own ordinances (endowment and sealing).
*Please note that Family Search accounts are free for everyone; however, some features of Family Search are only available to members who register using their Church accounts.
Step-by-step directions on how to register for a Church account can be found by clicking the link below.
https://tech.churchofjesuschrist.org/wiki/LDS_Account
Video direction on how to register for a Church account can be found by clicking this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QBVKpRFFRo.
Video direction on how to recover a forgotten username or password for a church account can be found by clicking this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Imv-SiEJQ
Video directions on registering for an account on Family Search https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFOMBZ6NLY.
Video direction on how to recover a forgotten username or password for a FamilySearch account can be found by clicking this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWIydaUjLz8
For assistance with establishing a Church account, Family Search account, or any family history questions, please contact a Family History Consultant. (See list above on this page.)
If you would like to be considered to become a temple ordinance worker In the Richmond Virginia Temple, please let a member of our Bishopric know.
Additional pictures on the Facebook and Instagram pages.
Announcement: 1 April 2018
Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 11 April 2020 by Randall K. Bennett - Click Here to view or download the story of the groundbreaking.
Public Open House: 25 March–15 April 2023
Dedication: 7 May 2023 by Dallin H. Oaks
Dedicatory Prayer:
Our Father in Heaven: As Thy grateful children we approach Thee in prayer on this great occasion when, by the power of Thy Holy Priesthood, we will dedicate this Richmond Virginia Temple unto Thee and Thy beloved Son, for Thy work and Thy glory.
We thank Thee for the plan Thou hast established for the eternal life of Thy children. We thank Thee for Thine Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for His Atonement for our sins, His resurrection for our immortality, and His experiencing our pains and infirmities that He may strengthen us in our infirmities. We thank Thee for the Holy Ghost, Thy Holy Spirit, who testifies of Thee and Thy Son and who leads us into truth.
We thank Thee for the restoration of the gospel, beginning with Thy appearance with Thine only Begotten Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith whom Thou hast called to bring forth the Book of Mormon as another witness of Thy Son and of Thy plan of happiness for Thy children. We thank Thee for the restoration of the authority and keys of the Holy Priesthood by which we proclaim Thy word and perform Thy prescribed ordinances of salvation.
We thank Thee for Thy blessings to this nation and pray that Thou wilt inspire and strengthen those who seek to preserve our constitutional form of government. We pray especially for its leaders and for all that reside here that we may qualify for Thy promises that if we will serve Thee and keep Thy commandments we will prosper in the land.
We pray for the youth of Zion — the rising generation — that they may manifest the truths of thy gospel in wise choices and activities. We pray for Thy blessings on our missionaries, young and older.
We thank Thee for the members of Thy Church whose faithful payment of tithes has made possible the construction of this beautiful temple.
We pray for the millions of Thy children who contend for freedom and those who have been displaced from their homes by the ravages of war to become refugees in other nations and places. Please bless them and all who seek to relieve their suffering and give them hope.
We pray for the fulfillment of Thy prophecies for the gathering of Israel, that the way may be opened for Thy servants and Thy work to be established and blessed in all the world.
Please bless the presidents of Thy temples who hold the keys for the sacred work in these houses of the Lord. And please bless the counselors and matrons and assistant matrons and all who work under their direction as they exercise the authority of Thy Holy Priesthood in these sacred ordinances and covenants. Please bless all who worthily serve in Thy holy temples that they may participate with joy and understanding that thy work will go forward in power to fulfill Thy purposes for all Thy children.
We pray that Thy Spirit will always be present in these holy spaces to enlighten and guide and bless all who are here and all that is said and done here.
We pray that Thou wilt protect this temple and all of its surrounding facilities from every destructive influence of any kind.
Now, Beloved Father in Heaven, by the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, we dedicate and consecrate unto Thee this Richmond Virginia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate unto Thee every part of this sacred structure and its surroundings for its holy purposes, including the grounds and ancillary facilities and the landscaping and decorations. We dedicate all of this temple’s structural parts from its foundations to its crowning steeple. We dedicate the baptistry, the ordinance rooms, the sealing rooms, the celestial room, and all the other locations in this Holy House to perform their sacred functions.
And now we renew our expressions of love and thanks to Thee as we dedicate this temple unto Thee and Thy sacred work and pray for these blessings in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Click Here to view or download the story of the temple dedication.
Site: 11.17 acres | 4.5 hectares
Architectural Features: Single attached end spire with an angel Moroni statue
Ordinance Rooms: Four instruction rooms, three sealing rooms, and one baptistry
Total Floor Area: 40,531 square feet | 3,765 square meters
Groundbreaking Ceremony
A very small but sacred service was held on Saturday, April 11, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. to dedicate the Richmond Virginia Temple site and to formally break ground on the project. Elder Randall K. Bennett, president of the North America Northeast Area, offered the site dedicatory prayer. He was accompanied by his wife, Shelley; newly called Area Seventy, Elder J. Matthew Scott; and Elder Scott's wife, Allyson. To comply with guidelines issued in response to COVID-19, the service was scaled down to a handful of leaders and was not broadcast to stake centers in the temple district as originally intended.
Construction Status
On November 20, 2019, the Henrico County Planning Commission approved the plan of development and the lighting plan for the Richmond Virginia Temple. Church representatives are currently obtaining building permits.
On August 28, 2019, an open house was held for Church members, neighbors, and journalists where eight interior and exterior renderings of the Richmond Virginia Temple were on displayed. A site plan shows the orientation of the temple, an adjoining meetinghouse, and a maintenance building.
The temple open house Is tentatively scheduled to occur sometime between March and May 2023.
Temple Rendering
On August 28, 2019, the official rendering of the Richmond Virginia Temple and renderings of the interior were released to the public in conjunction with an open house held for Church members, neighbors, and journalists.
Temple Design
Preliminary plans for the Richmond Virginia Temple, submitted to Henrico County on March 22, 2019, proposed a two-story, 36,200-square-foot temple with a large steeple capped with an angel Moroni statue, an adjoining 16,200-square-foot meetinghouse, a maintenance building, extensive landscaping, and a total of 240 parking spaces. An existing two-story home at 4151 Mountain Road will remain as a residence for the temple president and matron.1
Temple Site
The Richmond Virginia Temple will be constructed on an 11-acre wooded site at 10915 Staples Mill Road in Henrico County near Glen Allen.
Temple Announcement
The first temple to be constructed in the state of Virginia was announced by President Russell M. Nelson at the 188th Annual General Conference. "It is a dream come true," said Ruby Barley of the announcement. The 89-year-old and her family were among the first baptized in Spotsylvania County near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Jenni McCall, a Relief Society president in Stafford County was "ecstatic" about the announcement. "This will make such a difference to all of us," she said. Church members currently travel to the Washington D.C. Temple to participate in temple services, often enduring heavy stop-and-go traffic.2
Missionaries for the Church first arrived in Virginia in the early 1840s. By 1841, approximately 80 people had joined the Church in Virginia. There are now nearly 100,000 members across the state, which had previously been the state with the most members without a temple. Richmond is the capital of Virginia, and its central location will serve the members in Virginia well.3
Temple Facts
The Richmond Virginia Temple will be the first temple built in Virginia.
J. Elias O'Neal, "Plans filed for 52,000-square-foot Mormon temple complex in Henrico," Richmond BizSense 27 Mar. 2019, 27 Mar. 2019 <https://richmondbizsense.com/2019/03/27/plans-filed-52000-square-foot-mormon-temple-complex-henrico/>.
Emily Jennings, "Local Latter-day Saints look forward to a new Mormon temple in Richmond," The Free Lance–Star 18 May 2018, 5 Oct. 2018 <https://www.fredericksburg.com/features/religion/local-latter-day-saints-look-forward-to-a-new-mormon/article_75e06594-19d2-5244-8f30-99fb0a01fb1e.html>.
"Seven Temples Announced as April 2018 General Conference Closes," The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, 1 Apr. 2018.
Below you can learn about Temple and Family History Resources on the web, Family History Activities to enjoy, learn why we build temples, what happens In temples, how to prepare for a temple visit, the true power of temple work, and the Washington D.C. Temple rededication and history. There are also virtual tours and pictures of the renovated temple.
“Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.”
Richmond Virginia Temple Welcome Center Missionaries' Presentation (Press play once there)
Index a batch.
Load the Family Tree App on your mobile device.
Add a memory to someone in your tree in family search, written, photo, or audio.
Call a family member and ask about family memories, stories, traditions, etc.
Share a family story or tradition with friends or family.
Write part of your personal history.
Complete 4 generation chart. Enter it in Family Tree or Family Search.
Submit a name to the temple for ordinance work.
"Memories is a tool in FamilySearch that allows you to preserve and share your family’s most important moments by adding family photos, documents, audio clips and stories. You can then organize and tag them, attaching them to individuals on your family tree. This turns these treasured moments into heirlooms that can be passed down in your family and easily accessed by even distant family members."
Ready to learn how? Get step by step instructions by reading the rest of the article: "Add Multiple Pictures in FamilySearch Memories—Share Your Family Stories!"
We invite you to watch this introductory video before you visit the temple which explains why we build temples and how our worship there brings comfort and peace to our lives. We hope that preparing to enter will elevate your temple experience.
"Each temple is a beacon of light and hope. The temple, the House of the Lord, stands as a symbol of our faith in life after death and as a stepping stone to eternal life for us and our families. The temple is a sacred and essential part of God’s plan for our happiness, now and forever."
Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Additional Washington D.C. Temple Picture Galleries can be seen Here.
Announced: Nov. 15, 1968.
Location: Wooded site in Kensington, Md., near Exit 33 of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495);
9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington, MD (301) 588-0650.
Site: Selected in 1962; 52 acres.
Exterior finish: Alabama white marble.
Temple design: Design portrays the Church as “a light to the world,” with three towers to the east representing the Melchizedek Priesthood leadership, and those to the west, the Aaronic Priesthood leadership.
Architects: Fred L. Markham, Henry P. Fetzer, Harold K. Beecher, Keith W. Wilcox, under general direction of Church architect Emil B. Fetzer.
Contractor: Jacobsen, Okland, and Sidney Foulger construction companies.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, six ordinance rooms, 14 sealing rooms, seven floors.
Total floor area: 160,000 square feet.
Dimensions of building: 240 feet long, 136 feet wide, not including annex or bridge to temple proper.
District: 36 stakes and districts in Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: Dec. 7, 1968, by President Hugh B. Brown.
Dedication: Nov. 19-22, 1974, by President Spencer W. Kimball; 10 sessions.
Done by President Spencer W. Kimball
Our Holy Father in heaven, thou who hast created our spirits and the heavens and the earth and all things therein, thou most glorious one, perfect in mercy and love and truth, in the name of thy greatly Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, we come to thee this day in this beautiful edifice, to dedicate it unto thee, our living God.
We praise thy Holy Name, our Beloved Father. We are grateful that thou didst cause this land to be rediscovered and settled by people who founded a great nation with an inspired constitution guaranteeing freedom in which there could come the glorious restoration of the gospel and the Church of thy Beloved Son.
And now we present to thee this beautiful temple, provided by the sacrifice of thy people who love thee devotedly.
We are thankful that thou didst send thine Only Begotten Son to this earth to be its Savior, and thou didst send a Prophet, Joseph Smith, called and named long before his birth to bring about the restoration, and that thou and thy Beloved Son didst deign to appear to the Prophet in person, to foil the evil one, and to open the heavens and to restore to the world the knowledge of thee and thy Son and thy holy purposes, through revelations.
We are grateful that this, thy son, Joseph Smith, till the day of his martyrdom, and his successors to this day, are recipients of thy revelations through which the priesthood, the apostleship, the temple work, and all facets of the true and complete gospel have been restored, and holy men have delivered the keys of the kingdom and all vital work for the living and the dead, to bring them to eternal life.
We are grateful for the preservation of the gold plates so that the Book of Mormon, the most correct book, might be restored with all its glorious truths, to show to the house of Israel “… that they may know the covenants of the Lord … and also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God . …” (Title page, Book of Mormon.)
Our Father, we bless thy Holy Name and magnify thee day by day as thou sittest enthroned in glory, might, and dominion, and with an infinitude of power and glory; increase our faith, as we remember the glorious deliverances of the past, that we may not falter, but may accomplish all thy holy purposes.
Our Father, bless us that we may live thy commandments and follow thy program. Please forgive us our trespasses as we totally repent, and let us earn and enjoy the rich blessings thou hast promised to the faithful.
Father, we know that the wicked have been punished in the past with famine and pestilence and want and sorrow and war. We pray that thy people may repent and follow thy commandments and be able to avert such calamities as others have suffered before us.
We are greatly concerned, our Father, with the widespread wickedness in this world, the blasphemy, the corruption, the pollution, and the immorality, and we are reminded of days long past when the cities of the plains were destroyed, when cities were sacked and buildings razed and people taken prisoner, to become slaves of enemy nations. We remember the devastation of a flood which was to cleanse the earth from pollution of men, and now we see all the sins of the past being portrayed before our eyes again, when people worship the permissiveness of so-called freedoms, walking blindly into the traps which must terminate in destructive calamities. Bless them, Father, that they may return to thee in total righteousness.
Father, we are concerned with the political world of today and that nations seem to need only the lighting of a match to bring war and desolation and destruction. Bless, we pray thee, the leaders of nations, that they may rule wisely and righteously and give thy people freedom to worship thee in truth and righteousness. Stay the powers, our Father, that would bring us to the brink of annihilation.
Bless all people, our Father, that they may prosper, but not more than their faith can stand.
Our Father, bless the leaders of thy kingdom here upon the earth; reveal thy mind and will to them. Let them be true to righteousness today, tomorrow, and until the scene is folded up.
Our Father, in blessing thy people with prosperity, we pray that they may not be surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth which would bring them to worship these false gods.
Insomuch as the nations repent and follow thee, be gracious, our Father, and let thy destroying angel be pacified and let thy people be forgiven. Be merciful, O Lord, with thy repentant ones when they have suffered and transformed their lives.
Our gracious Father, we remember vividly the commands of thy Son to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15.)
Our Father, our efforts to fulfill this command seem small and infantile, not wholly rewarding. Give us, we pray, hearts of determination that we, thy people, may make such sacrifices as are necessary; that our sons may live righteously through their growing years and strive for spiritual excellence to be worthy to take the gospel to the nations of the world.
Our gracious Father, there are national gates which seemingly need to be unlocked and doors that need to be opened, and hearts of kings, presidents, emperors, and ministers which need to be softened, that they may permit the gospel to be taken to their people.
Our Father, bless the countless millions in the world, that they may receive thy truth, and bless the missionaries on whom the sun never sets, that nothing will prevail against them in their faithful presentation of thy gospel to the world, and bless especially, our Father, the children of thy people in overseas countries that they may devote their sons to this holy work. Wherein we have failed, help us to see our duties; wherein we have been prevented, open the doors, we pray, and swing the gates wide open and let thy servants cover the earth with their testimonies.
Our Almighty Father, increase our faith as we remember the glorious deliverances of the past. We remember that thy powerful hand did reveal thyself in the unconsumed “burning bush” in the desert. Thou didst reveal thy power in delivering the children of Israel from captivity in Egypt; thou didst deliver Noah and his posterity from the raging sea; thou didst lead the Lehite family across impossible deserts and uncrossable seas; thou didst protect Daniel in the lions’ den; thou didst open prison doors and thou didst lead the modern Saints across the plains to the mountain valleys.
With these and numerous other events, we know that thou canst unlock gates and open doors, that we may present to the people of this world thy exalting program as thy Beloved Son has decreed. So we pray, lead our missionaries to all nations with their testimonies of the truth and successfully bridge all barriers.
Our Father in heaven, our hearts go out to the Lamanites. Give them listening ears and understanding hearts. Let them believe; cause that they may commune with thee and rid themselves of all “other gods” and superstitions and fears; let them grow mighty in thy cause. Bless them that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved.
Our gracious Heavenly Father, bless, we pray thee, thy leaders. We are grateful for all the presidents from Joseph Smith, Jr., to President Harold B. Lee, and thank thee for the rich contribution that each has made to thy cause. Bless, we pray thee, the incumbent president, and reveal thy mind and will to him and his counselors, that together they may give inspired leadership to thy program on the earth. Give to them wisdom, judgment, peace, protection, inspiration, and thy revelations continually. Likewise, we pray for the Twelve Apostles, that they may properly take the gospel to every soul of the earth. Give them thy holy revelations also. Bless the Patriarch to the Church, the Assistants to the Twelve, the First Council of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric, the Regional Representatives of the Twelve, the stake and mission leaders, the wards and branches, the educational institutions, the auxiliaries, and all thy people in every area who give concerted action to bring growth and development to thy Church.
Bless, we pray thee, the presidency of this temple and the matron and all the officiators herein. Endow them with wisdom; help them create a holy atmosphere in this place so that all ordinances may be done with a sweet, spiritual tone that will cause the people to greatly desire to be here. Bless also the watchmen, the guards, and the officials who look after every part and portion of this edifice.
We are so grateful, our Father, that thy Son has thrown wide open the doors of the prisons for the multitudes who are waiting in the spirit world.
Wilt thou deign to make this temple thy house and let holy angels visit it to deliver thy messages, as the rushing of mighty winds with power and glory.
Holy Father, we are grateful that thou didst permit the appearance on the earth of Peter, James, and John to bring the Melchizedek Priesthood and the apostleship to thy servants, Joseph Smith and associates, and through them to us.
Our Holy Father, we have watched with great concern our brethren of Judah. We have seen their persecutions and torture and sufferings, and we pray that the hour may speedily come when they will believe the gospel, accept thy Son as their Savior, and be redeemed.
Bless the people who come into this building for their sealings, marriages, anointings, and other ordinances. Bless this place that it may be a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of glory, a house of eternal marriage, a house of sealings, and the house of God, even thy house, wherein the holy saving work may be done by the living for the countless dead.
Bless those who come here, that their hands may be holy as they lift them high, and that no unclean thing shall ever be permitted to come into this, thy house, to pollute it.
We ask thee, Holy Father, to confound and confuse and shame all who lie and spread false reports against thy servants, that all their destructive works may be brought to naught.
Our Holy Father. we pray that thou wilt bless this great nation, organized here on the choicest of all choice lands. Bless the President of this nation, the Congress, the Justice Department, the Cabinet, the lawmakers and the law enforcers in states, counties, and cities, that liberty may continue to be the foundation stone.
Our Holy Father, hear our pleadings; accept our penance; forgive our sins; and help us in our endeavors. Let thy blessings flow from thy heaven where thou sittest enthroned in glory, honor, power, majesty and might, dominion, truth and justice, judgment, mercy, and an infinity of fullness from everlasting to everlasting.
And now, our great and kind Father, accept this house, we pray. We dedicate it unto thee for thy holy and righteous purposes and put upon it thy name. Let us sing hosannahs to thee and the Lamb, and let these, thine anointed ones, be clothed in salvation, that thy Saints shall shout for joy.
And now, our Father, we ask thee to accept this house, the workmanship of the hands of thy servants, this house in which thou canst dwell forever.
We pray thee, Father, to accept this building in all its parts, from the foundation to the capstone and to all in between, and sanctify it and consecrate it.
From the lowest stone to the highest spire, on which the statue of Moroni stands, we ask thee to accept and protect.
Please bless these walls, that they decay not, and the partitions and floors and roof, the bridges, the elevators, and the stairways. Bless the lighting, the heating equipment, the boilers, the dynamos, the connecting pipes and wires, the lamps, the furniture, and articles of all kinds.
Bless also the veils, the altars, the curtains, the rugs, the baptismal font, and the oxen, the safes, the vaults, the record books, and the documents; bless all the furnishings, the seats, the cushions, the hangings, the locks, and all the appliances and appurtenances, including ornamentation, all work in wood and metal, the embroidery and needlework, the pictures and statuary, the silk, the wool, and the cotton;
The glass, the china, and all else herein, we humbly present for thine acceptance, thy sanctifying blessings, and thy protection.
Our Father, we present the altars before which thy servants and handmaidens will receive their blessings and sealings, and we pray that such may be kept holy.
With the buildings, we present the land on which they are built, the walks and fences and ornamental beds and trees and plants and flowers and shrubbery. May they blossom beautifully and be pleasant to all, that these hillsides may be a haven of peace and rest and holy meditation.
Father, we beg of thee to protect this building and appurtenances from injury and destruction by fire or flood or the rage of the elements, shafts of lightning and blasts of hurricanes, the upheaval of earthquakes, and all disturbing factors; O Lord, we beg of thee, protect it.
Now gracious Father, permit thy loyal, loving people to praise thy Holy Name forever in all nations with all kindreds and tongues and people, and let them cry with a loud voice before thy throne and before the Lamb of God, saying, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb,” and let us in unison “praise thee, saying, Blessing and honor and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, power and might be unto our God and His Son forever and ever.”
And now, by the power of the holy priesthood thou hast given us, we dedicate this building and all that is connected therewith and all its furnishings and contents to thee, our Holy Father, and ask thy blessings upon it. In the worthy name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen and Amen and Amen.
Rededication Prayer August 14, 2022 given by President Russell M. Nelson:
O God, our Eternal Father, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, we humbly bow before Thee to rededicate this, the Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This magnificent house of the Lord was first dedicated 48 years ago by Thy noble servant President Spencer W. Kimball. It was then the 18th temple to be built in this dispensation. To preserve it for future generations, it has now been beautifully renovated and remodeled. We are grateful for all who participated in the arduous task of preserving and renewing this temple. Please bless them for their caring craftmanship and faith.
As we offer this prayer of rededication, we pray that the spirit of President Kimball’s historic dedicatory prayer may be included in this prayer.
On that sacred occasion, President Kimball gratefully recalled: “Thou didst cause this land to be … settled by people who founded a great nation with an inspired constitution guaranteeing freedom in which there could come the glorious restoration of the gospel and the Church of thy Beloved Son.”
Now, our Holy Father, we express thanks for that freedom and for this land. We express thanks also for sacred ordinances performed and covenants made in this temple since its dedication in 1974. Thy Spirit has blessed these hallowed halls for Thy purposes, which, as President Kimball prayed, have opened “the doors ... for the multitudes who are waiting in the spirit world.”
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. His Atonement has enabled Thy great plan for the blessings of immortality and eternal life for Thy children.
We are thankful that Thou didst appear with Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to the Prophet Joseph Smith to open the heavens and restore the fulness of Thy gospel for the blessing of Thy children. We express our deep gratitude for the restoration of priesthood keys and authority, additional scriptures, and all blessings now available to us.
Today, we are ever grateful for the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the inspired Constitution of the United States of America. We are grateful for that Constitution and for the leaders of this great nation, past, present, and future. Please bless them with a desire to do what is right.
We are mindful of the many ambassadors and diplomats who come to this great city from many nations of the world. We pray that Thou wilt bless them and all Thy children with a desire to seek Thee and keep Thy commandments. Please bless Thy children of the covenant to be beacons of spiritual light and righteousness to the entire world.
Our Father, we express gratitude for the many friends, members, and missionaries who have labored so diligently to establish the Church of Thy Beloved Son throughout the world.
We are grateful for faithful tithe payers who have consecrated their means to the building of Thy kingdom on the earth. Bless them and their posterity with a deep desire to stay on the covenant path that leads them and their families back to Thy holy presence.
We pray that all who enter these sacred precincts may have a deep desire to worship here. Please bless them with the spirit of Elijah, that they may continue to turn their hearts to their ancestors, that essential ordinances may be performed for them. Bless them also with revelation, with guidance for their families and personal lives, with a sense of peace, and with ever-increasing faith.
Now, Holy Father, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and with the authority of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood, we rededicate and consecrate unto Thee and Thy Son this, the Washington D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We ask Thee to accept this house as our offering to Thee and Thy Son as a place worthy of Thy holy habitation. And we ask Thee to bless all who enter herein to feel of Thy presence and to know of Thy love.
We rededicate the grounds upon which this temple stands. We rededicate its foundation, footings, and spires. We rededicate its altars and interior rooms, including the baptistry, endowment rooms, sealing rooms, assembly room, celestial room, and administrative areas and support systems. We rededicate the beautiful grounds, trees, shrubs, and all systems required to maintain the beauty of this sacred place.
Please thwart any unwelcome force that might harm this holy house. Please preserve it from any natural disaster or evil intent. Make it a refuge for all who enter its precincts. Please bless all who step onto these grounds, for whatever purpose, to feel Thy presence and to leave with a renewed sense of hope and an increased desire to draw close to Thee and Thy Son.
We ask Thee to bless the temple presidency, the matron, her assistants, and all who offer their consecrated service within this holy house. Bless all who serve in this temple that they may act with love and kindness. Bless all who enter here to gain a greater sense of the glorious future that awaits those who keep the commandments of God. May the sanctifying influence of Thy Holy Spirit be ever present in all sacred ordinances that will be performed herein.
Father in Heaven, on this day of rededication, we also rededicate our lives to Thee and Thy work as we serve Thee and our kin on both sides of the veil. May we be found worthy of the great blessings that Thou hast promised us, including those Thou hast already poured out upon Thy Church and upon Thy covenant children. We so offer this prayer of rededication and praise Thy holy name forever, in the sacred name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
Click Here to read a story of the first open house In 1974. (Excerpted from "The Washington D.C. Temple: Divine by Design" by Dale Van Atta May 04, 2022 09:56 AM MDT)
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