Dedication of the Tucson Arizona Temple
Being Arizona’s monsoon season, the day before the Tucson Arizona Temple’s dedication was filled with heavy rainfall, which prompted a flash flood warning in the area. The day of the dedication, however, was filled with clear skies and hot weather.
One Latter-day Saint said that attending the temple is like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, dedicated the Tucson temple on Aug. 13, 2017. He spoke at the ceremony of the different type of beauty that the desert of Tucson has. “Yes, it is beautiful,” he said, “it is wonderful and it is a diversity which we should cherish because it’s the Lord’s work. And that is how life is, how individuals are. We’re so different.”
By appreciating the gospel of Jesus Christ represented in the temple, people are better able to accept one another for their diversities, said President Uchtdorf.
Tucson has a long history of faithful Latter-day Saints. The Apostle talked about the Mormon Battalion soldiers who faithfully came to the Tucson area. Tucson was one of their most important stops. “When they came down here in 1846, they didn’t expect that in ... 171 years, there would be a house of the Lord here,” President Uchtdorf said. “But it is, and what a wonderful time to recognize how things move on.”
A local member, Duane Bingham, has ancestors who arrived in Tucson in 1893. “It’s the realization of a dream,” Bingham said, “the realization of many prayers and hopes that someday we would have a temple in Tucson.”
“Every time a temple is dedicated to the Lord, it is a special occasion,” said President Uchtdorf. “Not only for the neighborhood or the state or the country, but also for the people who come here to build a legacy in their lives which is eternal.”
Attending the dedication with President Uchtdorf was Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Presidency of the Seventy; Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric; and three General Authority Seventies — Elder Benjamín De Hoyos, Elder Kevin R. Duncan and Elder Larry Y. Wilson.
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “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 dedication of the Tucson Arizona Temple. We rejoice in this day of celebration, and our hearts are filled with praise to Thee. ... We thank Thee 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.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Tucson Arizona Temple here.
Timeline of the Tucson Arizona Temple
The Tucson Arizona Temple was announced Oct. 6, 2012, by President Thomas S. Monson. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 17, 2015, and just under two years later, an open house began June 3, 2017.
A cultural celebration was held a day before the dedication, on Aug. 12, 2017. On Aug. 13, 2017, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf dedicated the Tucson temple.
Architecture and Design of the Tucson Arizona Temple
Located in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains — the most prominent mountain range in Tucson — the Tucson Arizona Temple stands on 7.4 acres of the Sonoran Desert. The structure is a total of 38,216 square feet and features a unique, elongated dome, with tile imported from Germany, designed to reflect both the local county courthouse built in 1928 as well as the nearby San Xavier del Bac, a historic Spanish Catholic mission built in 1797.
The interior of the house of the Lord features stylized patterns of the native ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, red cactus flowers and orange hues representing the desert sun. The design work is meant to reflect the American Southwest desert landscape of Tucson.
A local Latter-day Saint described the design of the temple: “The structure itself is totally Southwestern and just is the feel of Tucson,” she said. “It’s the old pueblo.”
Interior Photos of the Tucson Arizona Temple
