Announced: April 1, 1981.
Location: In the center of Friedrichsdorf, a small town nine miles north of Frankfurt; Talstrasse #10, D-61381 Friedrichsdorf/TS, Germany; phone (49) 6172-59000.
Site: 5.2 acres.
Exterior finish: White granite, copper roof.
Architects: Church architectural staff; local architect, Borchers-Metzner-Kramer; project architect, Hanno Luschin.
Construction adviser: Henry Haurand.
Contractor: Hochtief AG.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, four ordinance rooms, five sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 24,170 square feet.
Dimensions: 93 feet by 232 feet; statue of Angel Moroni on top spire, 82 feet high.
District: 10 stakes, 4 districts in Luxembourg, northern France, German, Yugoslavia, Slovenia.
Groundbreaking, site dedication: July 1, 1985, by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Dedication: Aug. 28-30, 1987, by President Ezra Taft Benson; 11 sessions.
Dedicatory Prayer
Done by President Ezra Taft Benson
O God, our Eternal Father, we come unto Thee in prayer in the name of Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We are assembled in Thy holy house to dedicate it unto Thee. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for this historic day.
The presence of this house, on the soil of this nation, is an answer to the prayers of Thy people, and a fulfillment of the words of Thy prophets.
We are grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ which has touched for everlasting good the lives of all here assembled. We thank Thee that we are partakers of Thy divine truth, restored to earth in this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. We thank Thee for the Prophet Joseph Smith and for all who have succeeded him, including our present prophet and seer. We thank Thee for the great Nephite record, the Book of Mormon, which has come as a voice from the dust to bear witness of the divinity of Thy Son.
Thy restored word was first taught in this nation 146 years ago. Since then, tens of thousands of missionaries, at untold sacrifice, have borne testimony to the people of Europe. Hundreds of thousands have responded to their message. How grateful we are to be counted among that number.
This city, where stands this holy house, has for centuries shown tolerance for those seeking freedom to worship according to the dictates of conscience. We thank Thee for the hospitality of those of this community who have welcomed Thy people and Thy temple.
We thank Thee for the beauty of this structure and for all who have labored to build it. We are grateful for the consecrations of Thy faithful saints throughout the world who, with their tithes, have made it possible. We thank Thee particularly for the offerings of Thy saints in Europe who, with testimony and faith, have imparted of their substance with generous hearts and with love for Thee. Bless them Father, and open the windows of heaven and shower down upon them every needful gift. Prosper them in their labors and magnify them for good before their associates. May the example of their lives lead others to seek Thine everlasting truth.
Now, Beloved Father, in the name of Jesus Christ and by authority of the everlasting priesthood, we dedicate this the Frankfurt Germany Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate it unto Thee as Thy hallowed dwelling place. We dedicate it unto Thy Son as the house of the Lord where the fulness of the priesthood may be exercised. We dedicate it as a house of worship, a house of covenants, a house of faith, a house of God.
Wilt Thou accept it as the offering of Thy faithful sons and daughters. Wilt Thou hallow it by the presence of Thy Holy Spirit. Wilt Thou sanctify it for the divine purposes for which it has been erected. Wilt Thou preserve it from defilement and destruction.
We pray that Thou wilt protect it by Thy powerful hand. May all who look upon it regard it as a house of holiness. May all who enter its portals do so with clean hands and pure hearts, and with that knowledge of the eternal things of God which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost.
Bless the husbands and the wives, the parents and the children among Thy people that they may gather to this Thy holy house and be sealed as families for all eternity by the power and authority which Thou hast given to Thy chosen servants. Wilt Thou grant a divine endowment to those who here enter into covenants with Thee. May Thy saints gather here to serve in behalf of their forebears so that those of the many generations who have gone before may partake of these priceless blessings.
O God, bless this Thy holy house and all who shall serve herein. We pray for the temple president and his counselors, the matron and her assistants, the ordinance workers, and all who serve in any capacity. Bless them with joy in their service. Bless them with that satisfaction which comes of knowing that they are serving Thee through service to their fellowmen.
We dedicate this building and its various parts from the footings to the top of the steeple, with all its rooms, its altars, its baptismal font, and every other facility. We dedicate the ancillary structures. We dedicate the grounds on which it stands, with all the vegetation growing thereon, that it may be acceptable unto Thee and a place of beauty to all who shall look upon it.
We ask Thy blessings upon Thy work in this part of the earth. Touch the hearts of the people in these lands of Europe. Open their minds with a desire and willingness to hear the truths of the everlasting gospel. Bless the missionaries who come among them as messengers of truth. Bless the homes of Thy saints that peace may dwell therein with love and harmony and worship of Thee.
We pray for Thy work in all the earth. Unlock the doors of the nations that Thy sons and daughters in all lands may hear Thy revealed word. Bless Thy chosen prophet and grant him strength according to his need and revelation according to Thy will. Bless his counselors in the First Presidency, the members of the Quorum of the Twelve, the First Quorum of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric. Bless all who have responsibility in Thy work throughout the earth.
We love Thee, our Father and our God. We love Thine Only Begotten Son, our Redeemer. We love Thy revealed truth and pray that we shall walk always with faith in its eternal light.
Accept of our thanks. Accept of our love. Hear our prayers and smile with favor upon us, we humbly ask as Thy thankful children, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Temple is place to sincerely evaluate lives
Lord's 'universities' prepare for spiritual graduation to eternal life
The temples of the Lord are the only "universities" for men to prepare spiritually for their graduation to eternal life, observed Elder F. Enzio Busche Sunday afternoon.
Elder Busche of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the Frankfurt Germany Temple, said he has learned much while serving in the temple."In the light of my experiences in being close to the house of the Lord, I have come to know that the Lord is urgently inviting all members of His Church to prepare to go to the temple, not only to receive the necessary ordinances for their own salvation and the salvation of their ancestors, but for additional reasons.
"The temple," Elder Busche explained, "is the place where the Lord wants us to make a sincere evaluation of our mortal lives. He wants us to know the consequences of the fact that this life is a probationary time.
"Understanding this," he continued, "it seems to be imperative to ask ourselves these questions: `How are we really doing? Is there a way to find out or to know where we are and whether we are on the right track?' "
The answers to these questions, he said, are found in the Book of Mormon. He then quoted Alma 41:10, " `Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.'
"We cannot afford to ignore the situation if we observe that we are not really happy," Elder Busche declared. "When the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn even in part, we feel it. . . . Shadows of darkness will fall upon the soul and, in this state, an awareness of what is happening to us is essential."
Elder Busche noted that much can be learned from the experiences of others while reading and studying the scriptures. He also urged those listening to sharpen their awareness as the Lord calls them to the continuous process of repentance.
"It seems that we can only effectively go through the process of continuous repentance if we literally learn to become our own judge," Elder Busche noted. "We, ourselves, and the Lord are the only ones who really know us. We do not even know ourselves unless we have learned to walk the lonely and most challenging road toward self-honesty as constantly guided by the Spirit."
The temple is the place to grow in understanding of those principles of honesty, Elder Busche observed. "Temples have been erected as houses of the Lord. They are standing ready to serve as instruments to our own gradual awakening on our inevitable road to eternity."
