Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dedicated 1 September 2019
by David A. Bednar

O God, our Eternal Father, on this historic day as we humbly pray unto Thee in the name of Thy Beloved Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. We cannot express the smallest part of what we feel of the love we have for Thee and for Thy Son and of our appreciation for the many blessings that are being bestowed upon Thy covenant people in the nation of Haiti, the land of high mountains, and throughout this temple district.

We thank Thee, our Holy Father, for Thy plan of salvation and happiness which makes possible immortality and eternal life for Thy sons and daughters. We love and worship Thee as our Eternal Father.

We are grateful for the divine birth, the perfect life, the infinite atoning sacrifice, and the Resurrection of Thine Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We acknowledge Him as our Lord, our Redeemer, and our Savior.

We thank Thee for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. We reverence and honor the Prophet Joseph Smith and express our deepest gratitude for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as another testament of Thy Son and of Thy plan. Our hearts swell with gratitude that heavenly messengers conferred upon Joseph and his associates priesthood authority and keys. And we thank Thee that the restored priesthood enables the power of godliness to be made manifest in our lives as we worthily receive and consistently honor the ordinances and covenants of Thy Son’s gospel.

We thank Thee that holy temples are being built around the world. And on this special day, we thank Thee that this particular house of the Lord has been constructed in Haiti. We are so grateful that faithful Saints can now receive and participate in temple ordinances more frequently and consistently. We know the sacred work that is accomplished in Thy Son’s house will change for good individuals and families, communities, and even nations. Please bless these people as they demonstrate their appreciation for Thy generosity through their consistent service in the house of the Lord and through their deepening devotion to Thee, to Thy Beloved Son, and to Thy purposes.

We thank Thee for this beautiful edifice and for all who have labored to build it. We especially are grateful for the faithfulness of Thy Saints from this temple district and from all around the world—and for their tithes and offerings that have made this temple possible. Please bless them, Father, and open the windows of heaven and shower down upon them every needful gift.

Father, in the name of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and acting in the authority of the holy priesthood and under the direction of President Russell M. Nelson, who holds and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys on the earth at this time, we dedicate and consecrate unto Thee and unto Thy Son the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We humbly pray Thou wilt accept and visit this edifice as Thy Holy House. We ask thee to permit Thy Holy Spirit to be here in rich abundance always.

We dedicate every space and feature of the structure from the footings to the top of the steeple. We dedicate the baptismal font and the initiatory, endowment, sealing, and celestial rooms for the blessing of individuals and families on both sides of the veil. And we dedicate the ancillary buildings and facilities and the surrounding landscape.

We ask Thee to shield this holy temple from disruptive events, destructive forces of nature, and desecration by evil influences. We pray Thy eternal work may be accomplished in this temple without interruption or disturbance.

We pray that all who enter this temple will do so worthily and thereby preserve the holiness and the spirit of sublime reverence that should prevail in the house of the Lord. May Thy Spirit shine forth in the countenances and lives of every Latter-day Saint who shall worship and honorably hold a name and standing in this Thy house, to all generations and for eternity.

Please inspire all who enter into this temple with a sense of spiritual potential and possibilities. Bless them with ears to hear the still small voice of the Holy Ghost, with eyes to see their eternal worth and destiny, and with hearts to understand and feel Thy everlasting love for them.

Heavenly Father, we pray that this holy temple will be a beacon of light and truth to the nation of Haiti. Please bless the people of this land with peace, with an appreciation for their legacy of liberty, with stability, and with a curiosity about and an interest in the restored gospel of Thy Beloved Son. May the lives of these good men, women, and children always be under Thine infinite protection.

We ask Thee to bestow upon all of the faithful Saints in this temple district the spiritual gift of hope that originates only in a knowledge of Thy plan of salvation and of Thy Son’s atoning sacrifice. From that hope and according to their desire and diligence, may the blessings of enduring joy, personal discipline, perseverance, persistence, and patience be showered down upon every covenant-keeping man, woman, and child. By the power of Thy holy priesthood and the influence of Thy Spirit, may order arise out of chaos and opportunity emerge from calamity. Please grant unto these Saints resolve, strength, and capacity to press forward. We pray that all who worthily enter this sacred and set apart place will be both sanctified and fortified. We ask Thee to bless all who serve in this temple as patrons, ordinance workers, presidents, matrons, or in any other capacity. May thy sacred ordinances and the fire of the covenant be planted deep in their minds and hearts.

Holy Father, we love Thee. We thank Thee for Thy love and for Thy Beloved Son. Please hear our prayer on this day of dedication and accept our pleadings unto Thee we sincerely ask, in the sacred name of Thy Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.