Temple dedication is sign of renewal

DRAPER, Utah — Spring has come again to the Salt Lake Valley. In Corner Canyon, site of the new Draper Utah Temple, the scrub oak will soon be leafing out and the grass emerging from winter dormancy. On Friday, March 20, the day of the vernal equinox, President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the temple, a symbol of renewal, recommittal, hope and divine light for some 60,000 church members in 25 stakes in the southeast section of the valley.

President Monson presided over 12 dedicatory sessions — four each day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and gave the dedicatory prayer at each session for the new temple, the church's 129th worldwide, the 12th in Utah and the third of what soon will be four in the Salt Lake Valley.

The weather was clear and sunny on the first two days, uncharacteristically calm on Friday for the normally windswept canyon. On Sunday, skies grew increasingly overcast, culminating in light showers and a brief period of snow as the final session was ending.


This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by The Deseret News.