Dedication of the Phoenix Arizona Temple
Having been dedicated only 11 days prior to Thanksgiving, the Phoenix Arizona Temple was considered a type of “living water” to the desert of Arizona.
“May we be grateful for the opportunity to come here and partake of God’s goodness,” Church President Thomas S. Monson said at the dedication ceremony on Nov. 16, 2014.
Also at the dedication was Elder Kent F. Richards, executive director of the Church’s Temple Department. “Water is central to the desert and the people that live here,” he said. “It has always been carefully preserved to allow the desert to flourish.”
He spoke of how the temple allows spiritual water to flow to the people of Phoenix. “In the gospel we think of the Savior as living water,” said Elder Richards.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, also attended the dedication of the house of the Lord. He said that the dedication of the Phoenix Arizona Temple was a supernal event — “the opening of a door to a place that bridges heaven and earth.”
“The Phoenix Arizona Temple stands as a witness to the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and as a beacon to those searching for light and truth,” President Uchtdorf continued.
Several other Church leaders attended the dedication, including Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Richard J. Maynes and Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy; and the new Phoenix Arizona Temple presidency.
John R. Peterson, a bishop in Phoenix in the early 1960s, said at the dedication, “The spring of living water from the temple is going to gush over this side of the valley.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We are grateful for the completion of this holy house and ask that Thou wilt bless all those whose labors made possible its construction. Wilt Thou bless those faithful members here and throughout the world whose tithes contributed to this magnificent edifice for Thy name’s honor and glory and for the blessing of all who enter herein. ... May Thy watchcare be over this beautiful temple, that it will be holy to all who shall enter it. May those who enter to serve here leave the world behind and reflect on the things of eternity. May no one who is unworthy cross the threshold of this, Thy house. May its sanctity never be violated by those with unclean hands or evil designs. We pray that none shall interfere in any way with the sacred work for which this structure has been erected.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Phoenix Arizona Temple here.
Timeline of the Phoenix Arizona Temple
The Phoenix Arizona Temple was announced May 24, 2008, by President Thomas S. Monson. Nearly three years later, on June 4, 2011, a groundbreaking ceremony was presided over by Elder Ronald A. Rasband.
After an open house from Oct. 10 to Nov. 1, 2014, the temple was dedicated on Nov. 16, 2014, by President Monson.
Architecture and Design of the Phoenix Arizona Temple
The Phoenix Arizona Temple stands on 5.19 acres and has a base of 27,423 square feet. The exterior is precast integral colored concrete panels, giving the building a cream-colored surface. Featured on the grounds are various desert trees and shrubs, along with three fountains. The fountains form a river, symbolic of water nourishing the parched Arizona desert.
The temple’s interior is decorated with an aloe stalk motif, designs of desert tree leaves, terracotta and turquoise designs, and other earth tones that reflect the desert landscape of the area. Stone used throughout the house of the Lord include Sahara gold marble, rojo alicante marble, oro del mar marble and granite. The wood used in the structure is sapele from Africa. The structure includes a full basement.
Interior Photos of the Phoenix Arizona Temple
