Following is the text of the prayer offered by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to dedicate the Davao Philippines Temple on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Our dear Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the many blessings Thou hast granted to Thy children throughout the Philippines, including those who will be served by the Davao Philippines Temple. In deep humility, we acknowledge Thy goodness, love and compassion.
We thank Thee for the faithful Latter-day Saints in this temple district who have given devoted service over the years. We recognize their sacrifices and the contributions of members in the Philippines, and throughout the world, that have made this temple possible. Please bless them and those who will serve in this temple in the future for their faith and faithfulness.
Please pour out specific blessings on these people. Please restore to them what they cannot restore themselves, heal wounds they cannot heal, fix what has been irreparably broken, compensate them for any unfairness they experience and permanently mend even shattered hearts. Please grant these blessings so that they can fulfill their missions in mortality.
We are gathered today to dedicate this temple, this “mountain of the Lord’s house” (Isaiah 2:2) where Thy Son can “teach us of his ways” (Isaiah 2:3). By the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, under the direction of President Dallin H. Oaks and exercising the keys of the holy apostleship, we solemnly dedicate the Davao Philippines Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unto Thee and Thy Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We dedicate every portion and detail of this beautiful building, from its footings and foundations to the dome and steeple that adorn its top.
We dedicate the auxiliary structures, surrounding grounds and landscaping. We also dedicate the wonderful meetinghouse that is on this temple site. We plead with Thee to protect the temple, meetinghouse and surroundings from adverse forces of nature or acts of wickedness.
We recognize that the temple is not simply a beautiful structure but a holy place wherein sacred ordinances can be performed that allow Thy children on both sides of the veil to make and keep covenants with Thee. We are grateful that by worshipping Thee and Thy Son here, we can better learn of Thy ways and more completely follow Thy Son. We pray for the fullness of the Holy Ghost to direct our lives. We humbly pray that our worship here will help us mature in our discipleship and help us live our lives with an eternal perspective.
We pray for protection from evil and to gain greater power to resist temptation and to repent when we stumble. We ask that Thou will bless us with hope, comfort and strength to withstand mortality’s trials and heartaches better.
We ask Thee to grant us greater access to Thy power as we keep temple covenants we make with Thee. We pray that the temple will be the gateway for us to receive all of the blessings promised to Abraham.
We are grateful for the central role of Jesus Christ in the plan of salvation. We know that He bore “our griefs, and carried our sorrows,” that He had “laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6), that He “endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2), broke “the bands of death” (Mosiah 15:23), “ascended into heaven, and [claimed from Thee the] rights of mercy” (Moroni 7:27) for those who believe on His name (Moroni 7:28).
We sense that He yearns for us to access His power so that He can forgive our sins and pardon us from the punishment that we would otherwise warrant. We recognize that He wants to transform us, to have us become perfected in Him, thus helping us be sanctified. We stand all amazed at the love He offers us. We stand amazed at the love Thou offers us. We are forever indebted to Him and to Thee.
Today, we not only dedicate this temple, but we rededicate ourselves to Thy Son’s work. We are grateful for the Restoration of His gospel, His priesthood and His Church. We are grateful for Joseph Smith and modern prophets who have helped us understand our divine nature and the role of temples in helping us achieve our eternal destiny.
We ask Thee to bless the current and future temple leaders, workers and patrons with health and wisdom. Please bless all who enter the temple that they may feel Thy power and recognize that Thou has sanctified it. Bless those who visit the temple grounds that they may sense that it is a place of Thy holiness.
We pray for all who now live in the temple district and those who will live here in the future. We pray that Thou would bless all those who suffer in any way and help us as we try to relieve suffering and offer hope. May faithful Latter-day Saints in the temple district act as a leaven to call down Thy blessings on all people in the Davao area.
We pray that Thou would bless this choice nation of the Philippines with peace, protection and prosperity. We ask Thee to inspire and strengthen government leaders who facilitate freedoms that allow for the worship of Thee and for the well-being of all Thy children. Help those leaders to be favorably disposed to facilitating the forward progress of Thy Son’s work.
Now, dear Father, we present this temple as an offering to Thee. We pray that Thou will accept it. We pray that Thou will sanctify it and bless all who worship here for decades and decades to come, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
