Manila Philippines Temple

The Manila Philippines Temple was announced on April 2, 1981 and ground was broken on August 25, 1982. The temple was dedicated on September 25, 1984 by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The Manila Philippines Temple is located on a 3.5 acre site in Quezon City. The temple consists of four ordinance rooms and three sealing rooms, occupying 19,388 square feet.  The Manila Philippines Temple serves nearly half a million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 78 stakes and 17 missions in the Philippines, Micronesia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, India and part of Burma.

Dedicatory Prayer:

Dedicated by Gordon B. Hinckley

Our Eternal Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thou art the Mighty Elohim, the Father of all men, our God whom we worship and to whom we look with love and gratitude. We come unto Thee in prayer in the name of Thine Only Begotten Son, the Redeemer of Mankind, the Savior of the world.

We are thankful for this day when we dedicate this sacred building. Its completion brings to full fruition the marvelous and wonderful work of establishing Thine eternal ordinances in this nation. Now Thy sons and daughters of the Philippines have available every gift and blessing, every act and ordinance pertaining to the dispensation of the fulness of times.

Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving to Thee and to Thy Son whose redeeming sacrifice has made possible our salvation. We thank Thee for the great eternal plan which Thou hast revealed through Thy prophet for the salvation and exaltation of Thy sons and daughters. We thank Thee for the restoration to earth of Thy divine gifts and powers of all prior dispensations. We thank Thee for the vision afforded the boy Joseph Smith when Thou and Thy Son appeared and opened the work of restoration.

We thank Thee for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as another witness of the reality and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank Thee for the promise found therein that in the latter-days Thou wouldst remember Thy children on the isles of the sea.

This nation of the Philippines is a nation of many islands whose people love freedom and truth, whose hearts are sensitive to the testimony of Thy servants, and who are responsive to the message of the eternal gospel. We thank Thee for their faith. We thank Thee for their spirit of sacrifice. We thank Thee for the miracle of the progress of Thy work in this land. In a few short years it has grown from small beginnings to its present stature with many established stakes of Zion.

We thank Thee for the hospitality afforded Thy servants by the government of the Republic of the Philippines. Bless the gracious officers of this nation, and preserve by Thy mighty power peace and freedom in the land. Lift the blight of poverty from which so many suffer. Particularly bless Thy faithful saints who live honestly with Thee in the payment of their tithes and offerings. As was promised of old by Thy prophet Malachi, open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that there shall not be room enough to receive them. Bless Thy saints in their faith that they shall remain true as Thy covenant people. Bless them in their homes that there shall be love and peace. Bless them that neither they nor their generations after them will go hungry, nor naked, nor without shelter from the storms that beat about them. Open their minds that they shall grow in wisdom in matters both spiritual and temporal.

May Thy Church in this island nation grow and increase in numbers. May the evil designs of its enemies be frustrated. May Thy work become as "a city set upon a hill whose light cannot be hid."

O Father, we pray for Thy prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball, whom we love and honor. He is now old in years, his body worn from service to Thy children. Sustain him by Thy power, and comfort and bless him.

We love Thee, our Father and our God. We love Thy Son, our Redeemer and our Savior, the author of our salvation, He who gave His life as a ransom for all men. Grant us faith and knowledge of things divine. Grant us willing hearts and obedient spirits. Grant us strength and the will to walk the straight and narrow way that leads to life eternal. Bless us as a people, wherever we may be found, that we may be worthy of the respect and confidence of all men and that we may walk acceptably before Thee.

We thank Thee for this beautiful edifice and for all who have worked to make it possible. May it stand as a pillar of truth and as an invitation to all who look upon it to learn of the purposes for which it has been created.

Now, in the authority of the holy priesthood in us vested and in the name of Jesus Christ we dedicate unto Thee and to Thy Beloved Son this the Manila Philippines Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate it as Thine abode and as the abode of Thy Son. Wilt Thou accept this temple as Thy house, a gift of Thy grateful people. We dedicate the building, all parts thereof and any related structures, with all of the facilities and furnishings thereof. We dedicate the grounds and their plantings. We dedicate it as the house of the Lord with shouts of hosanna unto Thee and the Lamb. Wilt Thou deign to visit it and sanctify it with Thy presence. May Thy Holy Spirit always abide here.

We dedicate it for the sacred ordinances Thou has revealed to Thy prophets. We dedicate it for Thine eternal purposes. May it be holy to all who enter within its walls. May no unclean thing desecrate its sacred precincts. May it be preserved from the storms of nature, from vandalism, from trespass by those who are unworthy to enter it.

Bless the work that will be done here by Thy covenant children. Bless Thy work in all the world. Bless Thy people everywhere. May the spirit of Zion grow in their hearts wherever they reside. May the messengers of Thy divine truths be endowed with power from on high in their sacred ministry. Wilt Thou reveal unto Thy prophets, seers and revelators Thy will concerning Thy people. Bless the leaders of Thy work in this land and in all lands that they may seek to do Thy will and that they may counsel with the people under inspiration and direction from Thee.

Now, Almighty God, accept of our thanks, hear our prayer, pour out Thy healing spirit upon us, accept of our offerings, forgive our sins, strengthen us against evil temptation, magnify us in our service in Thy great eternal cause, bless us as we seek to build Thy kingdom, we humbly pray as Thy thankful sons and daughters, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Church News 30 Sept. 1984: 5, 10.
 

Cebu City Philippines Temple

The Cebu Philippines Temple was announced in a letter Filipino priesthood leaders dated April 18, 2006.  Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on November 14, 2007 and the site was dedicated by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  The Cebu Philippines Temple was dedicated on June 13, 2010 by President Thomas S. Monson.  The temple serves member from 30 stakes and 36 districts based in the Visayas Island Group, the Mindanao Island Group, and the Luzon Island Group.

Aerial View of Temple During Construction

Cebu City Philippines Temple Open House 

Dedicatory Prayer:

Dedicated by Thomas S. Monson

Our Eternal Father in heaven, Thou great Elohim, who liveth and reigneth from everlasting to everlasting, who created the heavens, the earth, and all things thereon, we bow before Thee this day in this beautiful edifice to dedicate it unto Thee.

We thank Thee for the gift of Thy Beloved Son, who came into the world according to Thy divine plan to show us by His example how we should live. We express our profound gratitude for the infinite love manifested in His atoning sacrifice as He gave Himself a ransom for all mankind, breaking the bands of death and opening the gates of salvation. We praise His holy name, our Redeemer and our Lord.

Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving unto Thee for the light of Thy everlasting gospel, restored to earth in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. We are grateful that Thou didst restore, by heavenly messengers, the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods and subsequently all of the keys of the priesthood ever held by Thy prophets from the days of Adam through Abraham and Moses to Malachi.

We are grateful for the faith of those who, nearly half a century ago, first came to the Philippines as missionaries of Thy Church. We thank Thee, as well, for the great and faithful service of the thousands of missionaries who have followed in their footsteps, sharing Thy message with those willing and ready to listen and to receive the gospel.

We thank Thee for the promise found in the Book of Mormon that in the latter days Thou wouldst remember Thy children on the isles of the sea. We are in a nation of many islands, whose people love truth and whose hearts are responsive to the message of the eternal gospel. We thank Thee for their faith. We thank Thee for their spirit of sacrifice. Bless them that neither they nor the generations which follow them will go hungry or be without shelter from the storms that beat about them.

We are grateful for the completion of this Holy House. Wilt Thou bless those faithful members here and throughout the world who have contributed their tithes which have made possible this magnificent edifice for Thy name's honor and glory and for the blessing of all who enter herein.

We ask Thee to bless all who walk in righteousness and faith and obedience to the commandments Thou hast given. Wilt thou provide comfort to them when they face adversity. Wilt Thou sustain and strengthen them when the winds of opposition blow against them. Wilt Thou bring joy and peace into their hearts and the assurance of Thy everlasting love.

Father in Heaven bless, we pray Thee, those called to lead Thy Church here upon the earth, that they may have Thy guiding influence and inspiration. May they have the vitality, the wisdom and the spirituality necessary to accomplish Thy purposes.

Bless the temple president and his counselors, together with their wives, and all who assist in the operation of this temple.

Help the youth of Thy Church stand firm for truth and righteousness. Open wide to their view the gates of learning, of understanding and of service in Thy kingdom. Build within them strength to resist the temptations of the world. Give them the will to walk in virtue and faith, to be prayerful and to look to Thee as their constant anchor.

Now, our Beloved Father, acting in the authority of the Holy Priesthood which comes from Thee, and in the name of Thy Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate this, the Cebu City Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as Thy house and the house of Thy Son. We dedicate it for the administering of those ordinances and covenants which are eternal and everlasting. We dedicate it for the performing of sacred service for both the living and the dead. We dedicate the baptismal font, the facilities used for the initiatory ordinances, the endowment rooms, the sealing rooms and the altars found therein. We dedicate this beautiful celestial room, and every other facility in this, Thy holy house.

May Thy watch care be over this beautiful temple, that it shall be holy to all who shall enter it. May those who enter to serve here leave the world behind and reflect on the things of eternity. May no one who is unworthy cross the threshold of this, Thy house. May its sanctity never be violated by those with unclean hands or evil designs. We pray that none shall interfere in any way with the sacred work for which this structure has been erected.

We dedicate the ancillary buildings and the ground on which the temple stands. We dedicate this beautiful structure, from the unseen footings to the majestic figure of Moroni crowning its highest point.

May this House provide a spirit of peace to all who observe its majesty, and especially to those who enter for their own sacred ordinances and to perform the work for those beyond the veil. Let them feel of Thy divine love and mercy.

As we dedicate this sacred edifice, we rededicate our very lives to Thee and to Thy work.

And now we dedicate this temple as an abode for Thee and Thy Son. Let Thy glorious light ever shine upon it. Wilt Thou place Thy ratifying seal of approval upon this dedicatory service and upon all we have done and shall do in this, Thy Holy House, which we now present to Thee.

May we, Thy children, merit Thy bounteous blessings and Thy watchful care, we pray, in the name of Thy Beloved Son, even the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, amen.

"Cebu City Philippines Temple: 'We are in a nation…whose people love truth,'" Church News 19 Jun. 2010, 19 Jun. 2010 <http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/59496/Cebu-City-Philippines-Temple-We-are-in-a-nation-0-whose-people-love-truth.html>.
 

Urdaneta Philippines Temple

On October 2, 2010, at the commencement of the 180th general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced the building of a new temple in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines.  Urdaneta is located about 100 miles north of Manila on the island of Luzon.  Latter-day Saints in the area currently attend the Manila Philippines Temple.  There are ninety-nine stakes and districts in the area.  With the addition of the Urdaneta temple, there will be three temples in the Philippines.

In June 2011, the Philippines Baguio Mission will be relocated to Urdaneta City, wich offers a more central and accessible location for the members and missionaries of the mission.  A new mission home and office will be located next to the recently refurbished Urdaneta Philippines Stake Center.