PHOENIX — President Thomas S. Monson dedicated a new temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the “Valley of the Sun” on Sunday morning.
The Phoenix Arizona Temple is the church’s 144th worldwide and fifth in Arizona.
The 27,423-square-foot building sits on 5.19 acres and will serve 60,000 Latter-day Saints from 16 stakes.
Before dedicating the temple, President Monson greeted church members and placed mortar in the temple’s cornerstone. Also participating in the cornerstone ceremony were President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency; Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; other general authorities and the new temple presidency.
Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy and executive director of the church’s temple department said the cornerstone ceremony is more symbolic than substantial. The cornerstone contains a history of the temple’s construction and other significant items, he said. It “brings to mind the Savior being the chief cornerstone,” he explained.
The temple, which highlights a motif of aloe stalk and desert tree leaves, is decorated in earth tones enhanced with terracotta and turquoise designs.
Elder Richards said the temple is a one-hour drive from the Mesa Arizona Temple, located on the other side of the valley. In addition to the Mesa and Phoenix temples, the church has temples in Snowflake, Gila Valley and Gilbert. A sixth Arizona temple, in Tucson, has been announced. “That will adequately supply the need for temples in Arizona,” Elder Richards said.
One day earlier, thousands of Latter-day Saint youths, ages 12 to 18, celebrated Arizona's rich cultural history through music and dance as part of the Phoenix Arizona Youth Cultural Celebration.
The celebration was held in conjunction with the dedication of the new temple. President Monson presided at the cultural event, titled "Be a Light." President Uchtdorf briefly addressed the youths.
"You are indeed choice," he told them. "You are children of the light."
The celebration featured the local culture of the area, where a city was first built by the Hohokam Indians in A.D. 1. Because the Hohokams constructed irrigation canals from the Salt and Gila Rivers, the youths paid tribute to "the ancient inhabitants that brought life-giving water to the dry desert."
They also celebrated, through music and dance, the pioneer Honeymoon Trail; Arizona's five C's — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate; and air conditioning. In addition, the teens paid tribute to those who have served in the military and to the "culture of service" shared by modern-day Latter-day Saints. The celebration ended as missionaries from the Phoenix Arizona Mission marched around the football field carrying the flags of many nations.
Orville Carnahan, 18, was the narrator of the production. He said the youths went away wanting "to be our best, to always show the true light of Christ in ourselves."