Following is the text of the prayer offered by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate the Wichita Kansas Temple on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
Dear Father in Heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, we come to Thee in thanksgiving and prayer for this long-anticipated moment. We are grateful for the faith and devotion of all of those present as we prepare to dedicate this, the Wichita Kansas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We are thankful that we are able to freely gather, worship and rejoice in this sacred moment.
We give thanks for all of those who have contributed in any way to make this day possible and for their decades of service, ministry, love and dedication. We give thanks for those who have responded to the commandment and promise extended by the Lord: “Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high; For this is the promise of the Father unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8-9).
We rejoice in Thy love and the love of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, as we gather to express our love and gratitude to Thee.
We thank Thee for Thy great plan of happiness and pray that we might see our place in it more clearly. We give thanks for Thy Son’s Atonement and for His Resurrection. We thank Thee for the Holy Ghost, who testifies of Thee and Thy Son and guides us towards light and truth.
By the authority of the holy Melchizedek Priesthood and invoking the keys of the holy apostleship, I now dedicate to Thee and Thy Beloved Son the Wichita Kansas Temple for each of its sacred purposes. We dedicate it from its foundations to the spire and roof. We dedicate the baptistery, the altars and all the sacred spaces for ordinances where covenants are made and blessings promised.
We dedicate the structure of the temple, everything which will help it run in a manner pleasing to Thee, including all of the supporting systems and services which manage the water, electrical, climate, communication and data equipment.
We also dedicate and bless the temple grounds and ancillary buildings that serve the temple.
We ask Thee to protect and watch over this sacred building from harmful forces of nature or other impediments.
We express our gratitude for the temple presidency and ask Thee to bless them, the matron and her assistants, and all of those who will serve in Thy holy house in every capacity. We pray that they will grow in love for Thee and for Thy Son as they come to understand more deeply Thy great loving kindness for Thy children and the blessings of the ordinances performed in Thy holy house.
We pray that patrons and workers will be lifted as they come to a greater appreciation of Thy compassionate will for them. We pray that they will feel comforted, consoled and calmed as they draw closer to Thee and Thy Son here.
Please grant those who come, including those here today, a deeper understanding of Thy plan of happiness and the sanctifying role of ordinances and covenants.
We trust in this continuing assurance from the Savior: “I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house. Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:7-8).
Please bless the grieving, the lonely and those who feel rejected. Please help them to more fully receive Thy love and the love of others as they come to experience the atoning blessings of Thy Son, Jesus Christ.
We pray for our young people and yearn for them to rejoice in coming here, serving and being blessed with light, peace, happiness and spiritual strength.
We ask that our hearts might be awakened anew and turned to our fathers and mothers, that we might have a powerful deepening desire to seek out our ancestors and receive saving ordinances for them. We are grateful for those who have gone before us, and we know many of them love their Savior and yearn to be sealed together in the great family of God.
We thank Thee for the Restoration and for the Prophet Joseph. We give thanks for the prophets who have succeeded him.
We rejoice in thanksgiving for Thy Son and His Atonement and that through Him we have the potential to live with Thee and our loved ones eternally.
This, Thy house, will be a sacred symbol of Thy love for Thy children and of their love for Thee. May it be a house of joy and a beacon of light in Wichita and to all who will see it.
We express our love and gratitude to Thee and to Thy Son, and offer this prayer of dedication in the sacred name of Thy Son Jesus Christ, amen.
