A friend of mine shared some thoughts that have gotten me thinking.

She talked about how much she loves nature. She and her husband love to take walks outside (when they were younger, they hiked a lot). As for so many of us, she finds being in nature soothing to her soul.

For those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, He is found in nature. He is the Creator of the earth. He is the Creator and source of light in sun, moon, and stars. The peace we can find among His creations is His peace.

My friend built on this idea and made a spiritual connection to the notion of the tree of life. She explored the idea of staying at the tree — like the one mentioned in the Book of Mormon in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

The tree there represents Jesus Christ. To stay at the tree — to be a tree-hugger spiritually — is to stay by Jesus. That vision given to Lehi has many elements to it, and staying at the tree is one of the key protections against things like mocking voices and the shame that can come from listening to them. (I think about how easy it is to listen to shame from hamster-wheel thoughts in my own mind; I don’t need external mocking voices to feel toxic shame. Keeping Jesus close in my thoughts can help, especially when I remember that His voice is one of love and care and gentleness.)

Reflecting on my friend’s thoughts made me think of John 15 (see also Isaiah 27) about Jesus being the true vine. To truly stay by the tree is to be connected to Him as the Source of life (both now and forever). He is the Source of breath for our bodies. He is the One who makes resurrection possible for us all. His life as the True Vine showed us the Way, and His death (on a tree, as it is sometimes said) and resurrection made the Way for us to be forgiven and someday to return back to our Heavenly Parents.

My friend also talked about her love of family history. More trees to hug! I, too, love doing family history and discovering more about my family tree, and helping use the wonders of technology to build family trees in tools like FamilySearch and Ancestry. When I do family history, I feel like I sometimes can get a glimpse of how personally each of us is known to God. Even in a few records, I can learn more about a person — what they looked like, what their profession might have been, perhaps where they lived and how they died. When I find someone in the records who hasn’t yet been represented on a family tree, sometimes I stop and just say their name out loud. “I see you.” I sometimes wish I could give them a hug! But helping their stories be told feels like a way to show love for them. These people are not dead to God, and building family trees in records helps me remember that. Like in the Disney movie Coco (about el Día de los Muertos — a movie about family history!), they need not be dead to us. We benefit when we remember them and tell their stories (and let records help us do that).

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, building family trees in records also connects us to the temple. My friend talked about this, too — about the peace she finds in the rootedness of the temple. In the temple, sacred ordinances are performed to bind families together. The crowning ordinance performed therein is called the sealing ordinance — where husband and wife can be married for time and eternity — not just “until death do us part.” The authority to bind families together in this way was committed to Joseph Smith shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland temple when Elijah the prophet — the one who spoke anciently of hearts of fathers turning to children and children to fathers — came (just as other ancient leaders had done earlier to restore the power to baptize (John the Baptist) and to confirm the Holy Ghost (Peter, James, and John).

Once people receive temple ordinances for themselves (some of them symbolic of ordinances received in ancient times), then we can act as “proxies” for those who have passed on. In a favorite film of mine, called “The Mountain of the Lord,” President Wilford Woodruff is portrayed speaking to a newspaper reporter, who scoffed a bit at this idea of doing proxy work for the dead. I like how President Woodruff’s response to the reporter was represented.

“Many people believe in some form of vicarious work for the dead. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was a vicarious work. Whoever accepts Jesus as the Savior also accepts the principle of vicarious proxy.”

Since these ordinances require a physical body, we who have physical bodies act as proxy for those who do not have bodies anymore, as death separates body and spirit until the time of resurrection. And then those who have had ordinances performed on their behalf have the opportunity to choose to accept or reject them.

You can learn more about Jesus’ visit to the spirit world after His death (as referred to in 1 Peter 3:18-19), in Doctrine and Covenants 138.)

I love patterns and symbols, and appreciated my friend’s invitation to think about trees today, and all the many ways I can be a tree hugger.

The post Be a tree hugger! On earth and for heaven’s sake appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Wendy Watson Nelson, the wife of the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a big fan of family history. She talks about doing family history as one way to open the heavens.

I was impressed as I listened to some of her experiences that she has recorded specific family history miracles.

So I wanted to record a recent experience.

Elmer C. Mathews and his wife, Addie Ostrander Mathews, distant relatives of mine, had a child listed in FamilySearch, but the program flagged this child as being born before the mother was able to have children (birth years were only 8 years apart). Also, the last name of the child was different (Rae). So I dug deeper.

I love looking for the original records (not indexes, if possible). There was a census record available. I looked at it and at first, couldn’t make sense of it. I asked questions in my mind about what could have been possible. Could this be a child from another marriage? Could the dates have been recorded incorrectly? Then I noticed that James Rae’s name was not indented in the census as children usually are. His name was recorded as though he was a head of a new household.

That led me to look at the address section of the census record. It said “See page 8A4.” I was on page 13 of the census. So I went back a few pages…and sure enough, on page 8A, line 4, there were James M. Rae and Harriet P. Rae.

I was so excited to be able to update the records in FamilySearch (each record represents real people!).

I worked then on merging the records that already existed for this family (and finding more original records to verify that James Rae is indeed James N (not James F as originally indexed…hard-to-read handwriting sometimes means errors in indexing).

With more of this work, I discovered that James’ middle name is Nathaniel (as per a typed directory that shows him living with his father, James M…at the very same address that was listed on page 8A, line 4: 367 Pennsylvania Avenue in Elmira, NY)!

After a couple of hours working on cleaning up the records, I was also able to create a new record for a different James and Harriett. I also found James Nathaniel’s baby brother who died at age 1. The census that was so strange had indicated that James and Harriett had had 4 children, 3 living. Now Charles D. Rae can be sealed to his parents, once temples are once again opened for what is called proxy ordinance work.

Family history is a true love of mine, both because it’s just such a fun challenge (a kind of data science) and because of my deep belief in the eternal nature of life, and God’s desire for families to be connected through priesthood authority beyond death’s door.

I love bringing families together through family history. Bringing their records together. Using records to tell more of their stories. Mourning with them as I learn more of their stories, as many of them had very hard lives. Rejoicing with them, too. I feel the power of family woven throughout their stories…seeing widowed parents living with their children, or siblings taking in single siblings, for example.

The power of family is as old as time (and older). I feel like these people know that I’m here trying to help them, and sometimes I feel their desire to help me do that. It usually takes a while for me to find a groove each time I open up FamilySearch, but almost every time I do family history work, something like this happens. There’s a ZING of energy as pieces of a family’s puzzle come together. I feel a little like we’re having a little bit of a family reunion through the veil.

The post Family History Miracles appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The theme this year for the youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Doctrine and Covenants 87:8:

“Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”

Shawna Edwards, songwriter and young women leader in her stake, wrote a song called “Stand” to celebrate this theme, to invite young women to reflect on what it can mean to stand in holy places, and to testify that God’s grace is real.

She writes:

I’ve been thinking about holy places for a long time — where they are, and what they are. To begin with, members of the Mormon Church revere their TEMPLES as the holiest places on earth – literally God’s house, where we come out of the world to learn of Him and make covenants with Him. Our homes can also be holy places, and our churches, of course. But the concept of a holy place isn’t merely geographical. It can be an event, an action, or even a feeling. James E. Faust has said, “Holiness is the strength of the soul.”

Of course, JESUS CHRIST was and is our ultimate example of holiness, but there are many other examples in the scriptures of people doing simple, yet holy things that had profound consequences.

What are some of your holy places? What simple things help bring you closer to God? How have you seen others stand in holy places? How have you seen or felt the reality of God’s grace and power? 

Share your thoughts at Shawna’s website and she’ll send you a free MP3 of the song.

The post Stand — Song for Young Women by Shawna Edwards appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

A key doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that families can be together forever through priesthood covenants and ordinances. When we invite people to come to Christ through baptism, we are also inviting them to begin the work of connecting their family through family history and temple work.

In the second video below, President Henry B. Eyring talks about how the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ included the fulfillment of the prophecy recorded in Malachi about the hearts of the children turning to their fathers and the fathers to the children.

Expanded resources at Family Search are available to help people do family history work, including the new Family Tree program. You can also now share photos and stories as part of creating your Family Tree. This service is available to anyone — you don’t have to be a Mormon to take advantage of the millions of free records and the resources that can help you create your own family history.

The post Mormon Doctrine of the Eternal Family appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

President Monson shares a message via the internet in this LDS Church News article — sharing thoughts about service, about missionary work, about temple work, and about the Lord’s work in general.

“Our Savior, Jesus Christ, whom we follow, whom we worship, and whom we serve, is ever at the helm.”

The post Message from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We’ve had a hard time keeping up with all the temple dedications and re-dedications that have happened, so today we’re going to try to make up for it a bit and share several links, as the 139th temple of The C’hurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Brigham City temple (in Utah, USA), will be dedicated. We hope these links can give an appreciation for what the temple means to Mormons. For more information, you can also read more about why Mormons build temples and what happens inside the temple. And learn more about how temples differ from the thousands of meetinghouses we have all over the world.

Open House: Inside a Mormon temple

Before a temple is dedicated, the public is allowed to tour the temple, to see what the inside of Mormon temples look like, and to learn a little more about the significance of temples in our doctrine and religious practice. You can see a slideshow of photos from inside the Brigham City temple here at the Mormon Newsroom. To learn more about the different rooms and their purposes, see this article.

Hear from an artist who helped create the mural in the endowment room in the Brigham City temple. Very often, the decor and art in the temple reflect the local heritage so that, as this artist explains, the temple will feel like home to the local people who worship there.

Mormon temple worship has ancient roots

Among the many thousands of people who visited during the Brigham City temple open house, American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegates toured the temple with Church leaders, including Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. There are elements of our doctrine of temple worship that bring a sort of kinship for us with our Jewish friends. Our beliefs about temples have ancient roots connected to Old Testament teachings. “[T]he Lord told the Israelites to build a portable tabernacle that would be their temple while they traveled in the wilderness (see Exodus 26-27; 40:35). Additional Old Testament references to temples are found in 2 Chronicles 5:1-14; 7:1-2 [and] Ezra 3:1-13; 6:3.” We also share a love for the prophet Elijah. (You can read more about his role in our beliefs here and here.)

Ancient records that are part of our canon of scripture talk about other ancient temples, such as the one built by Nephi, an ancient prophet. One of the most sacred events recorded in ancient scripture was the visit of Jesus Christ to people who had gathered — at the temple — in a land called Bountiful, as recorded in 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon.

The temple was also important to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and for us, the temple is a place where we can learn more about Him and His role as Creator, Savior and Redeemer of the world.  

This video explains more of the ancient roots of temples in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Mormon Youth Celebrate the Temple

Last night, nearly 5,000 youth living in the area of the Brigham City temple participated in a cultural celebration — which has been a tradition for years in the Church. Youth ages 12 and up are able to enter a dedicated temple to participate in baptisms on behalf of those who have passed on (called baptisms for the dead, or proxy baptisms). These cultural celebrations allow the youth to recognize the history and heritage of their area and of Church members who have gone before them, making the blessing of a temple possible in their area. They also help the youth feel a connection to the temple.

The cultural celebrations always include a lot of music and dancing, with bright, colorful costumes, as well as historical narrative about the area. A temple dedication is a joyful time for Mormons!

Part of the cultural celebration included the creation of a mosiac mural of the Brigham City temple, which can be seen here. Testimonies of the artists of the different squares of the mosiac can be found in this document.

Here is a video clip about the Kiev Ukraine cultural celebration that captures some of what youth in that temple area did for their celebration. You can also hear some of their expressions of faith and gratitude as they had a temple built in their midst.

Read more about the Brigham City youth cultural celebration here, here and here (video is also available on that last link). You can see how the youth used social media to prepare for the celebration on the celebration blog.

Dedication of the Temple

Throughout the state of Utah today, there will be no regular church meetings today. (This will be a rare Sunday when LDS meetinghouses in Utah will not be open to the public.) Instead, Church members will attend one of three dedicatory sessions for the Brigham City temple. As explained in yesterday’s post, the temple dedication will include the singing and performing of sacred music, speakers addressing the dedication attendees (the dedication will be broadcast by closed-circuit satellite broadcast), a special dedicatory prayer offered by President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the singing of the hymn The Spirit of God, and the Hosanna Shout (read more about the history of temple dedications here).

Hosanna is a word from Hebrew that means “please save us.” As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participate in this temple dedication, this becomes our plea to our Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. Again, the Hosanna Shout has ancient roots.

As explained in the LDS Bible Dictionary:

[Hosanna] is used in praise and supplication.

At the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrated the Lord’s deliverance of Israel into the promised land, people chanted the words of Psalm 118 and waved palm branches. At the Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the multitudes cried “Hosanna” and spread palm branches for Jesus to ride upon, thus demonstrating their understanding that Jesus was the same Lord who had delivered Israel anciently (Ps. 118:25–26; Matt. 21:9, 15; Mark 11:9–10; John 12:13). These people recognized Christ as the long-awaited Messiah. The word Hosanna has become a celebration of the Messiah in all ages (1 Ne. 11:6; 3 Ne. 11:14–17). The hosanna shout was included in the dedication of the Kirtland Temple (D&C 109:79) and is now a part of the dedication of modern temples.

The post Celebrating another Temple Dedication appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Photo from Mormon Newsroom

Editor’s note: This is a question that we addressed a few years ago, but with recent temple dedications (or re-dedications, such as in Buenos Aires, Argentina), we thought some readers might be curious about what happens at a Mormon temple dedication. We’re reposting the information from this archived post. For more information about the significance of temples to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, see the website Mormon Temples, or see links to other articles on our site at the bottom of this post.  

After the construction on a temple is completed, the Church holds an open house so that anyone interested can walk through and see the inside of the temple, and learn a little more about what happens in temples and why temple worship is so important to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Once the open house is completed, a dedicatory service is held. The service includes the singing and performing of sacred music, discourses from Church leaders, and a special dedicatory prayer. Members of the Church ages 8 and above are given the opportunity to participate in the services. In a sense, we are presenting the temple — which for Mormons signifies one of the most sacred places on earth — to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ. We ask Heavenly Father to accept the temple and bless those who serve therein.

We bring white handkerchiefs to participate in what is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the service — the Hosanna Shout. This is a sacred moment for us, when we join our voices in unison, praising God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is reminiscent of the praises voiced at the triumphal entry of the Savior (Matthew 21; Mark 11; John 12). There are also times in the Old Testament that are similar in this spirit of praise, where rejoicing was part of the sacred rituals of the tabernacle. We also see such sacred use of a cry of “Hosanna” when the Savior visited the American continent after His resurrection and ascension in Jerusalem, as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Temple dedications have always been important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the first latter-day temple dedication in Kirtland, Ohio,

“[h]undreds of Saints came to Kirtland for the dedicatory services; some traveled long distances to attend. There were nearly a thousand seats inside the temple, but many more people wanted to attend the dedication. The Prophet told the people who could not get seats in the temple to hold a separate meeting in the schoolhouse nearby, and the next Thursday the dedication service was repeated so these people could hear it…. [This illustrates the reason that multiple dedicatory sessions will be held, thus allowing many people the opportunity to participate in the sacred event.]

While the Kirtland temple dedication was more extensive than dedicatory services held today (it lasted over seven hours!), reading about it can give an idea of what happens each time a temple is dedicated:

The Prophet Joseph Smith read the dedicatory prayer, which had been given to him in a revelation. This prayer is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 109. In the prayer the Prophet thanked Heavenly Father for the blessings he had given the members of the Church. Joseph prayed that the temple would be a place of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order (see D&C 109:8, 16) and that those who came to the temple would grow in faith and wisdom (see D&C 109:14–15). He asked the Lord to accept the temple and make it a holy place (see D&C 109:4, 12–13). After the prayer the choir sang “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), which had been written by William W. Phelps for the dedication of the temple. The congregation then…ended the service by giving the sacred Hosanna Shout: they raised their hands above their heads and shouted three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen.”

Temples are dedicated today following the pattern of the Kirtland Temple dedication. The prophet (or someone he chooses) gives the dedicatory prayer, “The Spirit of God” is sung, and the entire congregation gives the Hosanna Shout.

(All quotes above were taken from this lesson.)

For more information on our site about the topic of temples, see the following articles:

What can you tell me about Mormon temples?

What the Temple Means to Mormons

Why Mormons Build Temples

The post What happens at a Mormon temple dedication? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Este video viene de un dia de prensa antes de la rededicación del templo de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias en Buenos Aires, Argentina (Ezeiza).

Lideres de la Iglesia del area Sudamérica Sur hablan acerca de la Iglesia, nuestras creencias como Mormones, y el significado de los templos.

Por mas informacion acerca de la Iglesia, se puede buscar http://mormon.org/spa o http://www.countrywebsites.lds.org/ar/ o

The post Templos en La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias (Mormones) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Death and Dying  – by Rachael C. McKinnon

Editor’s note: We’re grateful to Rachael Carver McKinnon for today’s guest post. Rachael holds a BA in Humanities and an MBA from Brigham Young University. She currently lives in Draper, Utah with her husband, Greg. When she isn’t keeping up with one of her four children, she loves road biking and lap swimming. 

You can read more from Rachael at other sites here (post on motherhood) and here (post on temples).

At some point in our lives, we will all pass through the ripple effects of physical death. Whether this death is our own or watching a loved one pass away, the weight of the loss is universal. How does one overcome the grief and separation that comes about through death? How does one find strength to keep going when the burden sometimes feels so heavy?

Most often when death occurs, there is an immediate need to know if you will ever see them again. Where has that person gone and can I still feel close to them? As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called Mormons), I am so grateful to have answers to these questions.

Latter-day Saints believe in the same core Christian principles that teach in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His atonement and His life, we come to understand that we also have the chance to live again with our families and loved ones. This life is not the end.  There is infinitely more beyond the final veil of mortality and that death is only temporary.

Elder Robert D. Hales, an apostle in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has illustrated this with a story of a close acquaintance.

A few months ago I had the opportunity of visiting a man who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. As a devoted priesthood holder, he was confronted with the realities of mortality. He found strength, however, in the example of the Savior, who said, in the Lord’s Prayer, “After this manner therefore pray ye: … Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9–10).

My friend took courage in knowing that as Jesus was required to endure great pain and agony in the Garden of Gethsemane while completing the atoning sacrifice, He uttered the words, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matt. 26:42).  My friend came to accept the phrase “Thy will be done” as he faced his own poignant trials and tribulations.

A more unique view of the LDS faith is the belief that families exist forever. The relationships you cultivate with siblings, parents and spouse has the potential to continue beyond this life. In Latter-day Saint temples, couples are married and families are blessed (often referred to as ‘sealed’) together so that death cannot take away the wonderful ties that are so lovingly created during our mortal existence. This knowledge has always provided a great deal of comfort for me.

When I was four years old, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She subsequently passed away three years later. It has been almost thirty years since her death, and yet I still live with a daily, peaceful reassurance that I will see her again. She is not far away and our relationship has not ended. In fact, throughout my life, there have been several choice moments where I have felt her nearby, encouraging and supporting me as I have made the good decisions and choices that will help us be reunited when life is over.

The scriptures often talk about those on the other side that we cannot see, but are still there regardless. When the Syrian were at the gates of Jerusalem and the King of Israel thought destruction was imminent, the prophet Elisha instructed him to look with better eyes on the hilltops. He said to him, “Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (2 Kings 6:16)  While this account refers to a great battle, I know for certain that those close to us who have passed on are just as active in our daily battles on our behalf as those spoken of in the Old Testament.

In the meantime, life can be incredibly hard and full of sorrow as we struggle through days of longing for the deceased person.  It is comforting to know that God is mindful or our pain. In the Doctrine and Covenants (another book of scripture in the Mormon church), Jesus Christ declares, “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die.” (42: 45)  How reassuring it is to have Him recognize that the love and bonds we create here on this earth can be eternal. God is happy when we ‘live together in love’ with each other and His plan is focused on keeping those relationships forever.

I have a very reassuring belief that my family will always be together. While circumstances in life might call upon us to be separated for a season – if one must face death before the other – it is consoling to know that it is not permanent. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live with our families and loved ones beyond this life. We can receive strength to endure those times of grief, knowing that loving reunions lay ahead.

The post Mormon beliefs about death and dying appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Editor’s note: This is a question that we addressed a few years ago, but since there is another temple dedication today in Kansas City, we thought some readers might be curious about what happens at a Mormon temple dedication. We’re reposting the information from this archived post. For more information about the significance of temples to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, see the website Mormon Temples, or see links to other articles on our site at the bottom of this post.  

After the construction on a temple is completed, the Church holds an open house so that anyone interested can walk through and see the inside of the temple, and learn a little more about what happens in temples and why temple worship is so important to us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Once the open house is completed, a dedicatory service is held. The service includes the singing and performing of sacred music, discourses from Church leaders, and a special dedicatory prayer. Members of the Church ages 8 and above are given the opportunity to participate in the services. In a sense, we are presenting the temple — which for Mormons signifies one of the most sacred places on earth — to God and to His Son, Jesus Christ. We ask Heavenly Father to accept the temple and bless those who serve therein.

We bring white handkerchiefs to participate in what is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the service — the Hosanna Shout. This is a sacred moment for us, when we join our voices in unison, praising God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is reminiscent of the praises voiced at the triumphal entry of the Savior (Matthew 21; Mark 11; John 12). There are also times in the Old Testament that are similar in this spirit of praise, where rejoicing was part of the sacred rituals of the tabernacle. We also see such sacred use of a cry of “Hosanna” when the Savior visited the American continent after His resurrection and ascension in Jerusalem, as recorded in the Book of Mormon.

Temple dedications have always been important to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At the first latter-day temple dedication in Kirtland, Ohio,

“[h]undreds of Saints came to Kirtland for the dedicatory services; some traveled long distances to attend. There were nearly a thousand seats inside the temple, but many more people wanted to attend the dedication. The Prophet told the people who could not get seats in the temple to hold a separate meeting in the schoolhouse nearby, and the next Thursday the dedication service was repeated so these people could hear it…. [This illustrates the reason that multiple dedicatory sessions will be held, thus allowing many people the opportunity to participate in the sacred event.]

While the Kirtland temple dedication was more extensive than dedicatory services held today (it lasted over seven hours!), reading about it can give an idea of what happens each time a temple is dedicated:

The Prophet Joseph Smith read the dedicatory prayer, which had been given to him in a revelation. This prayer is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 109. In the prayer the Prophet thanked Heavenly Father for the blessings he had given the members of the Church. Joseph prayed that the temple would be a place of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order (see D&C 109:8, 16) and that those who came to the temple would grow in faith and wisdom (see D&C 109:14–15). He asked the Lord to accept the temple and make it a holy place (see D&C 109:4, 12–13). After the prayer the choir sang “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), which had been written by William W. Phelps for the dedication of the temple. The congregation then…ended the service by giving the sacred Hosanna Shout: they raised their hands above their heads and shouted three times, “Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the Lamb, amen, amen, and amen.”

Temples are dedicated today following the pattern of the Kirtland Temple dedication. The prophet (or someone he chooses) gives the dedicatory prayer, “The Spirit of God” is sung, and the entire congregation gives the Hosanna Shout.

(All quotes above were taken from this lesson.)

For more information on our site about the topic of temples, see the following articles:

What can you tell me about Mormon temples?
What the Temple Means to Mormons
Why Mormons Build Temples

***Please note: The answers in “Ask a Mormon Woman” and (other content on this site) reflect the thoughts and perspectives of the administrators at Mormon Women. Although we strive to have our content consistent with the Church’s doctrine and teachings, we do not speak officially for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For official information about or from the Church, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

The post What happens at a Mormon temple dedication? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.