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San Antonio Texas Temple

120th temple dedicated

Dedication of the San Antonio Texas Temple

San Antonio Latter-day Saints had waited a long time for a house of the Lord in their city. At a cultural celebration for the San Antonio Texas Temple, Church President Gordon B. Hinckley told the youth in attendance that the San Antonio temple “is a beautiful, beautiful temple.”

Continuing, the Prophet noted, “There is no other temple in all of the Church in all of the world that is more beautiful than San Antonio in its interior designs.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that the heavens were smiling on Texas the day of the San Antonio temple’s dedication.

President Hinckley presided over the dedication of the temple on May 22, 2005. In his dedicatory prayer the Prophet invoked God’s blessings “upon the citizens of [the San Antonio] community and state” and prayed that He would “bless this nation of which we are all a part.”

“This will be a landmark for San Antonio,” Elder Charles Didier of the Presidency of the Seventy said.

Mike Majorka, a local member, said that the opening of the temple “is one of the greatest events that has ever happened to San Antonio.” Majorka added later, “I love the fact that the temple is here and it’s ours. It’s part of San Antonio [and] always will be.”

Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “Wilt Thou, dear Father, accept of this our offering unto Thee. Wilt Thou smile upon it and crown this dedication with Thy benediction. Hallow it as Thy house. Wilt Thou deign to visit it and cause that Thy Holy Spirit may dwell here. The faithful and obedient will gather here to accomplish the singular, eternal work in their own behalf and in behalf of those beyond the veil of death.”

Read the dedicatory prayer of the San Antonio Texas Temple here.

Timeline of the San Antonio Texas Temple

June
24
2001
Announced

The San Antonio Texas Temple was announced by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley in a devotional with four stakes in San Antonio on June 24, 2001.

March
29
2003
Groundbreaking

Ground was broken for the temple on March 29, 2003. Elder H. Bruce Stucki of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southwest Area presided over the ceremony.

April
16
2005
Open house

An open house was held from April 16 to May 7, 2005. A total of 69,679 people attended, and roughly 2,700 of that were on just the first day. President Gordon B. Hinckley noted that about 500 people who had toured the temple had requested missionary lessons afterward.

May
21
2005
Cultural celebration

On May 21, 2005, a cultural celebration was held at the Alamodome. The event, titled “Heart of Texas Youth Jubilee,” was performed by local youth.

May
22
2005
Dedication

The temple was dedicated in four sessions May 22, 2005, by President Gordon B. Hinckley. A total of 14,069 Latter-day Saints witnessed the dedication.

In a devotional with local members, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced a temple for San Antonio, Texas, on June 24, 2001. Ground was broken on March 29, 2003, and beginning April 16, 2005, an open house for the San Antonio Texas Temple was held through May 7, 2005.

Youth performed a cultural celebration for the new house of the Lord on May 21, 2005, and on May 22, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple.

Architecture and Design of the San Antonio Texas Temple

The San Antonio Texas Temple stands on 5.5 acres. The 16,800-square-foot structure holds two instruction rooms, two sealing rooms and a baptistry. Its exterior is made of granite and features a single spire at the center of the structure. Art-glass windows are found around the exterior walls.

Various trees, shrubs, walkways and water features decorate the San Antonio temple grounds. The “landscape art ... captures the rugged beauty of south Texas,” reported Church News.

Inside the temple are found various pictures and paintings of Jesus Christ’s life, as well as murals in the instruction rooms. The celestial room features floor-to-ceiling-length art-glass windows depicting the tree of life.

Quick Facts

Announced

24 June 2001

Dedicated

22 May 2005

Current President and Matron
Location

20080 Stone Oak Parkway

San Antonio, Texas 78258-6920

United States

Appointments

Additional Facts

Fact #1

This was the fourth Latter-day Saint temple in Texas. Others previously dedicated in the state include the Dallas, Houston and Lubbock temples.

Fact #2

Its groundbreaking ceremony was held on the same day as the Helsinki Finland Temple groundbreaking.

Fact #3

The dedication of the San Antonio temple occurred in the 200th anniversary year of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s birth.

Fact #4

Roughly 15 miles from central San Antonio, the temple sits between Timberwood Park and Hollywood Park.

Additional Facts

Fact #1

This was the fourth Latter-day Saint temple in Texas. Others previously dedicated in the state include the Dallas, Houston and Lubbock temples.

Fact #2

Its groundbreaking ceremony was held on the same day as the Helsinki Finland Temple groundbreaking.

Fact #3

The dedication of the San Antonio temple occurred in the 200th anniversary year of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s birth.

Fact #4

Roughly 15 miles from central San Antonio, the temple sits between Timberwood Park and Hollywood Park.