Dedicatory Prayer

Hamilton New Zealand Temple, 16 October 2022

O God, our Eternal Father, our humble hearts are filled with gratitude and love for Thee on this sacred and blessed day of dedication. We ask for Thy Holy Spirit to attend us during the re-dedication of the Hamilton New Zealand Temple. We rejoice in this day of celebration, and our hearts are filled with praise to Thee.

We are grateful for Thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whom Thou hast revealed eternal gospel principles and practices, including the ordinances of Thy holy house. We thank Thee for our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, under whose direction and with the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood we act today.

We acknowledge and give thanks for the generations of faithful saints who have gone before in this sacred work; for their sacrifices, courage, and faith and for all who are building Thy work and kingdom today. And we invoke a blessing for the many who made this joyful day possible.

We ask Thee to touch the lives of the people who live within the reach of this holy edifice that their hearts will be drawn unto Thee. Bless them with a desire to seek out the message of the restored gospel and church of Jesus Christ.

O God, Thou hast sent Thy prophet Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. This holy temple opens the gates to eternity that these purposes may be fulfilled.

We ask Thee to strengthen families and individual lives. Comfort and bless them in their unique circumstances; make them equal to the challenges of this generation. Bless them with courage, humility, and charity. Bless them with the desire to make their homes and places of congregation havens of peace, spirituality, love, and unity.

Dearest Father, forgive us our many shortcomings. Strengthen our faith and fortify us against weakness. Give us power to resist the deceits of the adversary. May love for Thee and Thy Son grow in our hearts, and may it be expressed in our love for Thee, our love to one another, and striving to always keep Thy commandments.

And now, acting in the authority of the everlasting priesthood, and as Thy humble servants, we dedicate to Thee and Thy Beloved Son the Hamilton New Zealand Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At this historic moment, we include in this dedicatory prayer all the blessings, and promises invoked during the original dedication by President David O. McKay in 1958.

We dedicate the grounds with all its beautiful vegetation. We dedicate all the buildings and facilities on this property and the temple from the footings to the top of its steeple. We dedicate the structure of the temple that it may stand firm against the storms of nature and be looked upon with reverence and respect. The interior, the baptistry, the endowment rooms, the celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, and all other parts of this beautiful complex.

Wilt Thou accept this holy house as the gift of our hearts and hands. Wilt Thou honor it with Thy presence. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell here always and be felt by all who come to worship Thee. May a mantle of holiness come upon this sacred edifice. May it stand as a beacon of everlasting truth and light and as an invitation to come unto Thee. Wilt Thou protect this temple from any harm or defilement.

May all who enter do so worthily. Wilt Thou seal upon them an endowment of righteousness that will become a guardian throughout their lives.

Bless the youth of Thy church that they will receive an understanding of the eternity and divinity of Thy work. May they come often to this temple and be true and faithful to their covenants through word and deed.

Bless all who attend this temple, that they may know that they are Thy covenant people and the service given to others is service unto Thee and Thy purposes.

We pray for the temple president and the matron and all who will serve here in any way. Bless them with joy in their hearts as they assist in Thy sacred work.

We thank Thee for faithful tithe payers whose consecrated offerings have made possible this and other temples. Open the windows of heaven and shower blessings upon them.

May the members of Thy church feel Thy love and Thine encircling arms of mercy. Magnify them. Prosper them. Bless them with things only Though knowest that they are in need of. Bless the neighboring communities with the peaceful presence of Thy spirit.

Our Father in Heaven, we love Thee and Thy Beloved Son. We thank Thee for His atoning sacrifice. How glorious and complete is Thy plan for the salvation and exaltation of Thy children.

O God and our Heavenly Father, our hearts are filled with love and gratitude as we now rededicate and present this precious temple unto Thee, in the name of our Redeemer, the Savior of the world, Thine own beloved Son, our Lord and Master, even Jesus Christ, amen.