Dedication of the Syracuse Utah Temple
Neal and Caroline Briggs emerged from the Syracuse Utah Temple dedication with what they described as both a sense of relief and a renewed sense of purpose. The land where the temple was built had been in Neal Briggs’ family since his great-great-grandfather purchased it in 1885 — 10 years before the first ward was established in the area.
“I’ve told my family for years that I hold this land dear, and I need every acre I can get to farm,” he said. He told them he wouldn’t sell or develop the land, and he didn’t allow family to build on it, either.
“But I always added the clause: ‘Unless the Lord happens to need it for a temple,’” he said. So when he had his first discussions with the Church about the land potentially being used to build a temple, he said he felt it was “game time” and that others were going to want to know if he would keep his word now that a temple was a possibility.
Thomas Briggs was that first ancestor who purchased the land. He had a quote that has been passed down and now hangs on Neal and Caroline Briggs’ wall: “All that I have is the Lord’s, and in the end I hope to be His.”
The Syracuse Utah Temple was dedicated June 8, 2025, by President Russell M. Nelson. He was accompanied by his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson, and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Mary Cook. Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Temple Department, and his wife, Sister Nancy Duncan, and Elder Hugo E. Martínez, General Authority Seventy and counselor in the Utah Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Nuria Martínez, also attended.
President Nelson said four blessings of the Restoration include the ability to be sealed to loved ones for eternity, the chance to be endowed with Heavenly Father’s power, the gift and ministering of the Holy Ghost, and the watchful protection of angels. He said the house of the Lord provides an opportunity to increase access to these and other blessings from Heavenly Father.
“This is the Lord’s house. It is filled with His power,” President Nelson said. “Those who live His higher laws have access to His higher power. God’s power helps us to grow from the trials of life, rather than be defeated by them. God’s power also helps us to withstand temptations with joy in our hearts.”
President Nelson said: “Each stake has many diligent and faithful Saints. You are truly blessed to live here.” He added that the area is known for producing “valiant youth, strong families and Saints who are willing to let God prevail in their lives.” Those youth mentioned by President Nelson have the unique opportunity of participating in the temple’s baptismal ordinances in one of two baptistries. The Syracuse temple is the first to open with multiple baptistries.
Elder Cook said he knows youth are excited for the extra capacity. “With two baptistries we know the youth will rejoice as they make the Syracuse temple an oasis for sacred ordinances,” he said. “Having a sanctified temple of the Lord, the dedicated Syracuse Utah Temple, is truly a supernal blessing.” At the time of dedication, the temple district had more than 10,000 youth.
Sister Nelson said being in the temple feels different than any other place on earth because it is the Lord’s house. “Time in the temple puts everything into an eternal frame,” she said. “What we experience inside the temple is real and really important.”
Sister Cook said participating in temple covenants allows individuals to have testimony-building experiences. “Spiritual experiences occur when we participate and perform the ordinances and make the covenants which link families for eternity.”
Dedicatory prayer excerpt: “We pray that this temple may be a house of peace and personal revelation for all who are worthy to enter these doors. May their families be strengthened and protected as they serve here. Please inspire our youth to attend Thy house often. Please bless them with a desire always to be worthy of a temple recommend. Please inspire all who enter Thy house to stand as witnesses of Thee and Thy Beloved Son.”
Read the dedicatory prayer of the Syracuse Utah Temple here.
Timeline of the Syracuse Utah Temple
The Syracuse Utah Temple was announced April 5, 2020, by Church President Russell M. Nelson. The groundbreaking and site dedication for this house of the Lord were held on June 12, 2021, and presided over by Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy.
After a public open house from May 10 to May 31, 2025, the Syracuse Utah Temple was dedicated June 8, 2025, by President Russell M. Nelson.
Architecture and Design of the Syracuse Utah Temple
The Syracuse temple is a three-story building of 90,526 square feet and stands on a 12.268-acre site. The exterior of the temple’s steel-frame structure is clad with white moncini granite. Design motifs feature the local flora around the Great Salt Lake and nearby wetlands, including the snowball sand-verbena, desert paintbrush, common cattail and reeds.
Design colors are differing shades of blues, greens, golds, yellows and reds, again reflective of the area’s indigenous plants. Colors in the art glass transition to greens, blues and yellows, reflecting the Great Salt Lake, with Syracuse known as the “Gateway to Antelope Island.” The art glass features faceted crystal and colors of blue, yellow, green, red, orange and white. Doors are made of sapele and poplar, with those two joined by maple in the millwork.
Flooring includes a variety of stones — crema ella verde and emperador light, with white cliffs found in the sealing and celestial rooms. Island green, red rose, azul macaubas, chocolate brown and emerald green comprise the accent stones, with celestial room and brides room floor coverings made of New Zealand wood.
Interior Photos of the Syracuse Utah Temple
