President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, presided over the cornerstone ceremony for the Brigham City Temple and dedicated the temple in three sessions on Sunday.
These temple dedication sessions were broadcast to LDS Stake Centers all across Utah to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holding special temple recommends for the occasion.
Being able to preside at these proceedings had special significance for President Packer. He was born and raised in Brigham City ,a quarter of a mile from the temple grounds, met his wife, who was also born and raised about a quarter mile from the temple grounds, and together President and Sister Packer had six of their 10 children in the Brigham City area before Church Educational System assignments moved President Packer elsewhere.
Even with this special connection, President Packer emphasized that this was not originally his idea, but gratefully accepting when the Brethren brought up the idea and assigned him to dedicate the temple.
“I didn’t propose there be a temple in Brigham City,” President Packer said to the Church News. “The Brethren brought that up. My contribution was not objecting. The same was true of the dedication; I didn’t assign myself to that. I am glad I was assigned to it. I am grateful.”
President Packer was accompanied by Elders Russel M. Nelson and L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as well as L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elders Allan F. Packer and William R. Walker, also of the Seventy.
Before the cornerstone ceremony commenced, Elder Perry explained that temples are no longer built out of stone, and because of this, a cornerstone was already etched into the concrete of the corner of the temple instead of an actual cornerstone being placed. Traditionally though, each of these general authorities and their wives still got a chance to ceremoniously place mortar on top of the etched cornerstone.
After the general authorities went back inside to continue the temple dedication, members of the public were allowed to place the rest of the mortar needed to seal in the cornerstone of the temple.
The first temple dedication ceremony began and ended with prayers from local stake presidents and included talks from President Preston J. Checketts and his wife, the president and matron of the Brigham City Temple. Sister Donna Packer also got a chance to speak and share her personal connection with the Brigham City Temple.
The Brigham City Temple is built to serve around 40,000 members in 13 different stakes around northern Utah and southeastern Idaho.
