LDS President Monson dedicates Draper Temple

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A white-suited LDS President Thomas S. Monson joked with hundreds of onlookers Friday as he presided over the traditional mortar ritual at the first dedication ceremony for the Draper Temple.

"Those who will use these trowels are not trained," he said of the Mormon officials and temple attendees lining up to press some of the squishy substance into the edges around the cornerstone. "But don't worry. Real professionals will come along later and fix it."

Monson, considered a "prophet, seer and revelator" in the 13 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called several people out of the crowd to take their turns with the mortar. They included his long-time secretary, Lynne Cannegieter; his daughter, Ann Dibb; President Henry B. Eyring, Monson's first counselor in the First Presidency; and Apostle Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He also tapped several children in the audience to try their hands.

"She's a professional," Monson quipped after 8-year-old Gracie Awerkamp, an eighth-generation Draper resident, took a turn.

A choir of 200 teens from 26 LDS stakes in Draper serenaded the Mormon officials with hymns, beginning with "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet."

The cornerstone ritual is the only public part of the hour-long dedication. The rest takes place inside the temple, which only practicing Mormons can enter. The pattern was set at the faith's first temple in Kirtland, Ohio, which was dedicated in 1836. It features hymn-singing, speeches by various LDS authorities, and a dedicatory prayer.

The dedication's climactic ritual is the "Hosanna shout," where the congregation rises, waves white handkerchiefs and repeats in unison three times, "Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna to God and the lamb."

According to Mormon teachings, the shout is meant to convey the same sense of joy that believers in the Bible expressed by waving palm branches when Jesus entered Jerusalem.

Monson supervised the first dedication session from the temple's Celestial Room, with a total of 1,976 people seated there and elsewhere throughout the sacred building watching on closed-circuit televisions. He also offered the dedicatory prayer. There will be 11 more such sessions during the next three days, but Monson may not be at all of them. On Sunday, members across the state who have tickets will be able to view a broadcast of the dedication at their own chapels.

During the last two months, more than 650,000 visitors of many faiths have toured the temple. After it is dedicated, the temple is only open to those with current "temple recommends" attesting to a person's adherence to LDS standards such as the prohibitions on alcohol, tobacco, coffee and tea, and paying tithing.

Ann and John Manning, who have lived in Draper for four years, were thrilled to be part of Friday's festivities. They waited for hours to watch their 17-year-old son Nathan sing in the choir.

"We worked on the open house," said Ann Manning. "It gives you a real sense of kinship to the temple."