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Announced: June 24, 2001; site announced Aug. 19, 2002.

Location: 20080 Stone Oak Parkway at Hardy Oak Boulevard, San Antonio, Texas 78258.

Site: About 5.5 acres.

Exterior finish: Granite.

Temple design: Traditional.

Architects: Rehler, Vaughn & Koone.

Project manager: Vern Martindale.

Contractor: Jacobsen Construction.

Rooms: Celestial room, two endowment rooms, two sealing rooms and baptistry.

Total floor area: Approximately 16,800 square feet.

Dimensions: 97-feet wide by 191-feet; height to top of statue is 115 feet.

District: Southwest Texas.

Groundbreaking, site dedication: March 29,2003, by Elder J. Bruce Stucki of the Seventy.

Dedication: May 22, 2005, by President Gordon B. Hinckley; four sessions.

Dedicatory Prayer

Done by President Gordon B. Hinckley

O God our Eternal Father, Thou great Elohim, we bow in reverence before Thee as we dedicate this Thy holy house.

Thou art the great God of the Universe, all-wise and omnipotent. Thou art also our Father, and we are Thy children. We come unto Thee in solemn supplication, with love and gratitude.

Thou hast revealed unto Thy servant Joseph Smith the ordinances of Thy house. Thou hast bestowed the fulness of the everlasting priesthood to be exercised herein. How thankful we are for these marvelous blessings so generously given.

And now, dear Father, acting in the authority of the holy priesthood in us vested, we dedicate and consecrate to Thee and to Thy Beloved Son this beautiful San Antonio Texas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We dedicate this choice plot of ground on which it stands, with its flowers, shrubbery, and lawns. We dedicate the footings, the foundation, the walls with their doors and windows. We dedicate the roof and the tower with the crowning figure of Moroni. We dedicate all of the interior facilities, the Baptistry, the fixtures and areas for the administration of initiatory ordinances, the rooms where instruction pertinent to the endowment will be given and covenants made, the magnificent Celestial room, the sealing rooms with their sacred altars, the offices, halls and other spaces.

Wilt Thou, dear Father, accept of this our offering unto Thee. Wilt Thou smile upon it and crown this dedication with Thy benediction. Hallow it as Thy house. Wilt Thou deign to visit it and cause that Thy Holy Spirit may dwell here. The faithful and obedient will gather here to accomplish the singular, eternal work in their own behalf and in behalf of those beyond the veil of death. May no one who is unworthy cross the threshold of this house. Stay the hand of any who may be inclined to deface or vandalize it in any way. May all who pass this way reflect on the beauty of this edifice and look upon it as a sanctified and holy structure.

Many not of our faith have gone through the building. We pray that they may ponder what they have seen and be inclined to investigate the doctrines of Thy Church and eventually come to enjoy the privileges of this Thy house.

Endow with power from on high those who go forth from here as messengers of truth to the nations of the earth. May Thy watchcare be over them and Thy Holy Spirit speak through them to the convincing of many. May they be led to those seeking the truth.

We pray for the temple president and his counselors, the matron and her assistants, that they may be blessed with strength and vitality to do all that is expected of them. May their associates serve faithfully and well, finding great joy in their labors.

Bless all who come as patrons that they may be made to feel welcome and rejoice in the opportunity to further this great work of salvation and exaltation.

May the work done here be added to all that is done in the other temples in bringing to pass the "immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

We pray, dear Father, for Thine ordained servants whom Thou hast called to preside in Thy Church. Give them strength and revelation to lead Thy people in the paths in which Thou wouldst have them walk.

We remember Thy covenant people wherever they may be. Open the windows of heaven and shower down blessings upon the heads of the faithful of Thy kingdom throughout the earth.

We pray for the youth of Thy Church. Save them from the destroying elements which confront them. Give them the strength to shun the evils of the world. Cause them to grow in righteousness, to walk in Thy ways, and, in due time, to be joined in marriage for eternity in the house of the Lord.

We invoke Thy blessings upon the citizens of this community and state and pray that Thou wilt bless this nation of which we are all a part. May it ever remain free from bondage and be recognized as an ensign of peace and strength before the entire world. Prosper its people as they walk in righteousness before Thee.

Now, our beloved Father, we commit ourselves, and all that we have and are, to the onrolling of Thy glorious work. May it never fail. May its critics and enemies be confounded. May its light shine over the earth as a glorious beacon, inviting all to come and worship Thee in Spirit and in truth.

We so pray with love, faith, and thanksgiving in the sacred name of our Redeemer, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.ervation; if not you walk in," Elder Walker said.

A temple on a hill

Dedication of lofty San Antonio Texas Temple elevates thoughts, spirits

By Jason Swensen

Church News staff writer

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Drive north on Stone Oak Parkway in northern San Antonio and you'll pass the familiar trappings of American suburbia — stop lights, fast food spots, mini-marts and dental offices. Then, to the right, a building of granite and glass seems to suddenly appear on a prominent hill, hovering — geographically and symbolically — above life's stop-and-go noise and congestion below.

The San Antonio Texas Temple.

Thousands congregated May 22 inside the recently built edifice and in meetinghouses throughout south Texas to participate in the dedication of the Lone Star State's fourth temple. President Gordon B. Hinckley presided over each of the four dedicatory sessions. He was joined by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Charles Didier of the Presidency of the Seventy and Elder Paul E. Koelliker of the Seventy.

"I would think that the heavens are smiling on Texas today," said Elder Ballard.

Encased in an exterior of granite, the 16,800-square-foot temple drew some 65,000 people during the open house period. Visitors marveled at the temple's majestic location and warm interior featuring art glass in every window, placid water features and landscape art that captures the rugged beauty of south Texas.

But for LDS San Antonians, the new temple transcends aesthetics.

When the First Presidency announced plans to build a temple in San Antonio in 2001 "we were doing flips," said 79-year-old Herbert Eyring Turley, who has lived in the San Antonio area since 1927. "We always had hopes a temple would be built here, but we never thought it would come."

"This is one of the greatest events that has ever happened to San Antonio," said Mike Majorka of the Boerne 2nd Ward, San Antonio North Stake. Opening a new temple, he added, marks "a great responsibility — we're going to love doing the work. We're going to love the job of maintaining the temple."

During a news interview, Elder Ballard said the Church's 120th operating temple should fan the flames of local missionary work.

"We would hope that in San Antonio every member of the Church will be infused with the desire to tell people of the Restoration and explain the fact that there was a prophet of God here that dedicated this building."

It's no accident the San Antonio Texas Temple was built on a point visible from 30 miles away, Elder Didier said. Temples are often built in elevated locales that prompt elevated thoughts.

"This will be a landmark for San Antonio," Elder Didier said. "People will recognize we have again a temple of the Lord because of the restoration of the gospel."

San Antonio Texas Temple President Ray Otte spoke of the Church's efforts to "raise the bar" for missionary service. A bar of spirituality, he said, is also being raised for folks living inside the new temple district's boundaries. "People here have said, 'If we only had a temple.' Now we do."

Long before the temple was dedicated, San Antonio-area members began answering the call to support the new edifice. Instead of circulating a temple open house brochure in the local newspaper, members were asked to hand deliver the 16-page circular to their friends and neighbors.

"We gave members a chance to participate in the opening of this temple," said President Otte, a longtime San Antonio resident.

Members assumed myriad roles in supporting the open house and dedication efforts. Thousands would attend one of the four dedicatory sessions inside the new temple. Despite the crowds, the lines in and out of the temple before and after each session flowed smoothly thanks to a well organized transportation system. Members parked their cars at a nearby high school and then shuttled to the temple in chartered buses. When they walked out of the temple at the conclusion of a session, the buses were waiting to hustle them back to the high school.

Such efficiency was made possible by scores of members such as Ben Johnson, a relative newcomer to the area. Over the past several weeks Brother Johnson has donned a florescent vest and assisted with the parking committee, helped open house guests slip on their shoe covers and even hosted tours inside the temple.

"Every chance and opportunity I have had to serve at the temple has been a privilege," said Brother Johnson of the High Country Ward, San Antonio East stake.

On the morning of the dedication, Nefi Trevino and his young family sat outside the new temple, admiring its exterior. He and other members from his branch in the San Antonio West Stake worked together to wash bricks used in the temple construction.

"Now it's a branch goal for each person to bring 10 names to the temple," said Brother Trevino, a transplant from Piedras Negras, Mexico.

One need not live inside San Antonio's municipal boundaries to claim a measure of ownership of the new temple. Wayne Schoenleber of Hewitt, a community outside of Waco, is like hundreds of other LDS Texans living outside San Antonio who share the thrill of the new temple. Like many others from cities such as Austin, Corpus Christi or Laredo, Brother Schoenleber did his part to make the opening of the temple a success, singing with the cornerstone choir.

"I just hope I was equal to the responsibility," said Brother Schoenleber, a Church convert.

Brother Majorka remains a bit awestruck whenever he sees Texas' newest temple resting majestically atop its hill.

"I love the fact that the temple is here and it's ours. It's part of San Antonio. Always will be."

E-mail to: jswensen@desnews.com

San Antonio Texas Temple: construction soon underway

By Julie Gill

Church News contributor

SAN ANTONIO — Not even the strong gusts of Texas wind could rival the spirit and excitement felt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the San Antonio Texas Temple March 29.

A crowd of approximately 450 Church leaders and spouses from central and south Texas were in attendance on the blustery Saturday morning to witness the historic event.

"The choice of the site is inspired, I assure you," said Elder H. Bruce Stucki of the Seventy and first counselor in the North America Southwest Area Presidency.

The temple will sit on a hill in a residential neighborhood on the north side of the city. Elder Stucki said President Gordon B. Hinckley knew it was the right location when he visited on June 24, 2001. It was the day President Hinckley announced to the members that a temple would be built in San Antonio.

"He expressed a feeling of specialness, a special feeling of peace and of serenity and he knew that this was the site," Elder Stucki said. "Here you can see the whole valley, but more important, the whole valley will be able to see the beautiful temple."

The San Antonio Temple will serve a large portion of central and south Texas. There are more than 45,000 Church members in the district spanning nearly 450 miles from north to south.

Herbert E. Turley, a Church pioneer in San Antonio, joined Elder Stucki as one of several speakers during the groundbreaking service. Casey Golightly, a former San Antonio stake president, and Rene Garza, the Eagle Pass District President, also spoke. Elder Timothy Olson, an Area Authority Seventy, conducted.

After Elder Stucki offered the dedicatory prayer, leaders put on their hard hats and used gold-painted shovels for the groundbreaking. Everyone in attendance was given the opportunity to turn the dirt.

"This is where it begins with construction, but as you've already heard, it began a long time ago in the hearts and the souls of the leaders and the people who were here," Elder Stucki said. "The stakes in Texas will always be large, powerful and full of good people."

Construction on the San Antonio Texas Temple is to begin immediately and should be completed in the summer of 2004. Local temple committee coordinator, A. Ray Otte, urged the members to use the next 15 months to focus on temple work.

"The architects, contractors and the Church Building Department will prepare the temple for the saints. It is important that we prepare ourselves for the temple," Brother Otte said. "We must have a current temple recommend and our family history work prepared for our ancestors to receive these sacred ordinances for their eternal progression."