LOGAN, Utah — Latter-day Saint students and friends of the Church have a new space in which to learn about the gospel following the dedication of a new building by Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.
The brand-new Logan Institute of Religion building on the west side of the Utah State University campus in Logan, Utah, occupies the same space as the previous building — torn down three years ago — that stood for decades adjacent to the campus. The new building and the institute program are indicative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ consistent investment in education.
“The Church’s commitment to education is part of who we are,” Elder Caussé said. “It is woven into our beliefs and our daily lives. That is why the Church continues to invest significant resources to promote both the religious and secular education of its members. Church institutions of higher education, Seminaries and Institutes and other educational programs all play vital roles in fulfilling this sacred mission.”
Elder Caussé was joined by his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé. Also attending were Elder Clark G. Gilbert, General Authority Seventy; his wife, Sister Christine Gilbert; Elder Brian K. Taylor, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Utah Area; his wife, Sister Jill Taylor; Brother Chad H Webb, first counselor in the Sunday School general presidency and administrator of the Church’s Seminaries and Institutes of Religion; and his wife, Sister Kristi Webb.
Utah State University’s newly appointed president, Brad L. Mortensen, and his wife, Camille Mortensen, both attended the dedication and toured the building with Elder Caussé and other leaders from the Church and the school.
Logan’s institute was the Church’s first in the state of Utah and the second created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was first dedicated by President Heber J. Grant after the institute was established in 1928 — nearly 100 years ago.
Elder Taylor invited those who attended the dedication to be filled with light through their study of the gospel.
“Receive, search, feast upon the words of Christ,” he said, “and He will fill you with all the light that you need.”
Elder Gilbert said he hopes those in attendance could see the significance of being a part of the institute’s dedication.
“Something special is happening here in Logan, Utah, at this institute,” he said.
Brother Webb invited the institute’s students to live in gratitude for the opportunity to learn in a place like institute.
“I hope it will be a place of safety from the storm, a place to deepen your faith, a place to find answers and a place of peace — knowing you are anchored to the sure foundation of Jesus Christ,” Brother Webb said. “There is great peace in being anchored to an immovable foundation.”
The new building can accommodate up to 10,000 students. Currently, institute students attend 181 classes and 50 different subjects taught by a faculty of 26 teachers. The new building has 22 classrooms — many with large windows looking out at the mountains to the east and the Cache Valley to the west.
Four pieces of advice
Elder Caussé shared four “friendly pieces of advice” that he said he hoped would bless the young adults attending as they journey through “this important season of your life.”
- Remember that spiritual knowledge comes through the Spirit to the heart as well as to the mind.
- Let your spiritual learning be driven by a sense of awe and wonder — not doubt.
- Do not overcomplicate the gospel.
- Be wise in choosing your sources of information.
The newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles concluded with his testimony that the Savior is the source of all truth, light and peace.
“Keep seeking truth every day. Keep a lifelong thirst for learning — both spiritual and secular — that strengthens your faith and brings you closer to the Savior,” he said.
Growth of Seminary and Institutes
Brother Webb said “something wonderful has been happening” in the Church’s Seminaries and Institutes program. More than 108,000 new students enrolled last year, bringing the worldwide total to over 922,000.
“[This] is both the highest total number ever, as well as the highest percentage ever enrolled — which is an indicator of your love and gratitude for the Savior,” Brother Webb said.
He said the Church anticipates more than 1 million students will be enrolled soon and said that each of those in attendance would then literally be one in a million. He expressed his hope that each would find solace and spiritual knowledge at institute.
The institute’s 70-person audition choir sang “And Can It Be?” in the middle of the dedication, which brought many audience members to tears. Elder Caussé said that if being an Apostle means hearing beautiful musical numbers like that each week that he “wants to do this until the end of my life.”
Aly Woodbury and Bryson Newswander, president and vice president of the institute student council, respectively, shared their testimonies of the Savior, His Atonement and His restored Church.
Revelation and education
Elder Caussé spoke to the students about the connection between personal revelation and education that should last throughout each person’s life.
“Revelation should also become a guiding principle in your personal lives,” he said. “I encourage you to continually seek greater spiritual knowledge. Pray for it. Learn to recognize it. Do not treat the search for truth as a mere intellectual exercise. It is one of life’s most sacred and meaningful experiences.”
He invited listeners to commit to learning beyond their time at the university or the institute.
“Education, in all its forms, is a vital part of our eternal growth,” Elder Caussé said. “The scriptures teach that ‘the glory of God is intelligence (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36).’ It implies that each of us has the potential to receive a portion of that glory through both spiritual and secular learning."
Underscoring the importance of spiritual learning on a daily basis, Elder Caussé compared gospel study to physical nourishment.
“The gospel is like a rich and endless feast,” he said. “And as we all know, yesterday’s meal cannot satisfy today’s hunger.”
A mother-in-law’s conversion
Elder Caussé shared the conversion story of his mother-in-law, Francine Babin, and spoke lovingly of her lifelong faith and testimony.
When the missionaries first spoke with her, they did not know that she had been diligently seeking for answers to spiritual questions but could not find satisfying answers anywhere she looked.
The first time she invited the missionaries into her home, she offered them cigarettes, coffee and a customary French alcoholic beverage. To her surprise, they refused each and offered to share with her “a message that contained the secret to happiness in this life and the answers to life’s deepest questions.”
She felt the influence of the Holy Ghost as she listened to them. She accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and read it completely within one week.
The hole she had felt was filled. The answers she had sought were found.
“She and her husband remained steadfast in the faith, bearing powerful witnesses of the life-changing truths found in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ,” Elder Caussé said.
He also shared some of what he sees as the unique gospel truths revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith:
- The true nature of the Godhead.
- The central role of Jesus Christ and His Atonement in fulfilling God’s plan of salvation and exaltation.
- The authority of the priesthood and its sacred ordinances.
- The eternal nature of families.
- The reality of continuing revelation through living prophets and apostles.
Elder Caussé invited students to be grateful for revelation through living prophets.
“These and other gospel truths are precious. They bring purpose and joy into our lives,” he said.
