The Red Cliffs Utah Temple on the day of its dedication, Sunday, March 24, 2024.
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SALT LAKE CITY — President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated the Red Cliffs Utah Temple in southern Utah. Sunday’s dedication occurred nearly four years after construction commenced in St. George.
2024 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Speaking during the first of two dedicatory sessions, President Eyring told church members, “You will find a joy in your service here that is available in no other way.”
Many members of the faith have a deep connection to the St. George Utah Temple, which was recently rededicated and is 146 years old (the oldest operating temple in the Church). The Red Cliffs Utah Temple is the second temple in St. George.
President Eyring said his faith is strengthened whenever he visits the area. “My great-grandfather, Henry Eyring, was one of the pioneers of the St. George area. He served as a recorder in the St. George Utah Temple. I can only imagine his joy to know that there is now a second temple in St. George.”
President Eyring was accompanied by Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife Jennifer, Elder Kevin W. Pearson, Utah Area President, and his wife June, along with Elder Jonathan S. Schmitt of the Seventy and his wife, Alexis.
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In the dedicatory prayer, President Eyring blessed the Saints to feel more of God’s presence. “May [the temple] be ever sacred to those who enter it and to all who look upon it,” he prayed. “Bless them to feel Thy presence and a sense of hope and a desire to draw closer to Thee and to Thy Son.”
The Red Cliffs Utah Temple, first announced in October 2018, is one of 28 temples dedicated, under construction, or being renovated in Utah. The location was announced in 2019.
The temple’s interior and exterior motifs resemble the environment surrounding the St. George area and were inspired by Southern Utah’s grand cottonwood trees and its numerous mountains and canyons. A palm tree-lined entrance leads to the sacred edifice. This house of the Lord stands against the scenic Red Cliff mountains as a beacon of serenity and peace for all who enter.