When members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints attended Sunday’s dedication of the Syracuse Temple in northern Utah, they found their 100-year-old prophet there to do the honors.
He, in turn, promised the faithful that when they returned to worship in the sacred building, they could find God there.
“As you sincerely seek Jesus Christ, you will find him here, in his holy house,” President Russell M. Nelson said in prerecorded remarks before dedicating the single-spired, three-story, 90,000-square-foot edifice. “You will feel his mercy — here. You will find answers to your most vexing questions — here.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Latter-day Saints arrive at the Syracuse Temple for a dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
The Syracuse Temple, announced by Nelson in 2020, is now the 206th operating temple in the global faith of more than 17.5 million members. Back in November, the church leader dedicated the faith’s 200th such structure, Tooele’s Deseret Peak Temple.
Before his prerecorded dedicatory prayer Sunday, Nelson compared the northern Utah city on the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake to its European namesake by the Ionian Sea — Syracuse, Italy — where the biblical Apostle Paul “tarried … three days” on his way toward Rome.
“In similar fashion, this Syracuse, Utah, area of the Lord’s vineyard is important to the Lord,” he said, according to a news release. “It is known to produce valiant youth, strong families and [Latter-day Saints] who are willing to let God prevail in their lives.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) President Russell M. Nelson and wife Wendy attend the Syracuse Temple dedication on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
Nelson, escorted in a wheelchair and donning the traditional white temple suit, was accompanied by his wife, Wendy, and apostle Quentin L. Cook and his wife, Mary.
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Apostle Quentin L. Cook, left, and President Russell M. Nelson attend the Syracuse Temple dedication on Sunday, June 8, 2025.
The greatest temple builder in the faith’s 195-year history, Nelson has announced 200 (or nearly 53%) of the church’s 382 existing and planned temples. And Utah is home to 32 planned or existing Latter-day Saint temples.
“This is the Lord’s house,” Nelson said at Sunday’s ceremony. “It is filled with his power. 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.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) The Syracuse Temple.
Unlike the church’s more common meetinghouses, temples are places where devout Latter-day Saints participate in their highest religious rites such as eternal marriage.
