Dedication of the Brigham City Utah Temple
Although the Brigham City Utah Temple is 30 minutes away from two other temples — Logan to the north and Ogden to the south — over 400,000 members of the Church attended the Brigham City Utah Temple open house. This number was 10 times the number of Latter-day Saints in the temple district, proving that this house of the Lord was instantly well loved and would help to unite the community, as observed by Jimmy Petersen, a Brigham City local.
President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over both the groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies for the temple. At the groundbreaking, he promised to be back for the dedication, and he kept that promise when he dedicated the temple on Sept. 23, 2012.
President Packer was joined at the dedication ceremony by his wife, Sister Donna Packer, as well as a number of other general authorities of the Church and their wives, including Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson; and Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Barbara Perry. The temple was dedicated during three sessions.
A choir made up of 23 wards from eight stakes in the temple district sang at the cornerstone ceremony before the dedication. Among the many Latter-day Saints who traveled to the dedication were Barbara and Carl Ashby, a couple who celebrated their 57th anniversary at the dedication. “I will always remember the day the Brigham City temple was dedicated,” Barbara said.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We seek Thy favor, Father, in pouring out Thy blessings upon all those who reside in the Brigham City Utah Temple District and in the surrounding communities. Prosper them as they honor this Thy house. Strengthen their resolve to stand firm in their knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Shower down Thy blessings upon those who are faithful. Forbid the adversary from having power and influence over them. Rebuke the devourer and he who seeks to disrupt and destroy.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Brigham City Utah Temple here.
Timeline of the Brigham City Utah Temple
Church President Thomas S. Monson announced the Brigham City Utah Temple during October 2009 general conference. President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided at the groundbreaking ceremony for the house of the Lord nearly a year later on July 31, 2010.
The Church held an open house for the temple from Aug. 18 through Sept. 15, 2012, which brought in around 404,350 attendees. On Sept. 23, 2012, President Packer — who was born in Brigham City 88 years earlier — presided over the temple's dedication and offered the dedicatory prayer.
Architecture and Design of the Brigham City Utah Temple
The Brigham City Utah Temple was built on a 3.1-acre property and is approximately 36,000 square feet. The temple is located across from the Brigham City Tabernacle and is a two-story building featuring second-floor windows with art glass depicting peach blossoms. There are 26 fruit trees on the temple grounds.
The interior features are made up from stone flooring, hand carved rock, maple wood trim, several pieces of original artwork and 12 unique cast bronze oxen in the baptistry. Paintings of Brigham Young and Lorenzo Snow, two former Church Presidents who lived in Brigham City, hang on a wall in the temple's waiting area.
Interior Photos of the Brigham City Utah Temple
