Following is the complete text of the Bern Switzerland Temple dedicatory prayer offered by President David O. McKay. The temple was dedicated Sept. 11-15, 1955, in 10 sessions.
O God, our Eternal Father: On this sacred occasion, the completion and dedication of the first temple to be erected by the Church in Europe, we give our hearts and lift our voices to Thee in praise and gratitude. Help us to free our minds from idle thoughts and our souls from selfish and envious feelings, that in sincerity and truth we may assemble as one in singleness of purpose in love of Thee, of one another, and of all sincere people in the world.
We are grateful that in the spring of 1820, on the American continent, Thou and Thy Son Jesus Christ didst appear to the young man Joseph Smith; that Thou didst introduce the Savior of mankind by saying, "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" We are grateful that under Thy guidance and inspiration the Church of Jesus Christ was organized in completeness, with "apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc." for the "perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."
Such is the divine message in these latter days to all Thy children, living and dead!
Through hearing Thy Son, and by obedience to his word, we come to Thee; and "To know Thee and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent is eternal life."
We are grateful that following the glorious revelation of Thee and Thy beloved Son, Thou didst in this dispensation restore by heavenly messengers the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, and subsequently all the keys of the priesthood ever held by Thy prophets from the days of Adam, through Abraham and Moses, to Malachi who held the power to "turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" down to the latest generation.
All these rights, powers, and privileges were restored and delivered authoritatively in this, the greatest dispensation of all time.
We are grateful for the Constitution of the United States of America which permitted the Church of Jesus Christ to be established through heavenly messengers, and which grants to every man the right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
We are grateful for the freedom-loving government of Switzerland, which through the centuries has held inviolate man's free agency and his inalienable right to worship Thee without dictation from any man or group of men whatsoever.
We are grateful that in the completeness of the organization of the Church every member has an opportunity to serve his fellow men having in mind the divine saying—"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
We express gratitude to Thee for leaders of Thy Church from the Prophet Joseph Smith down through the years to the present General Authorities—The First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve Apostles, the Assistants to the Twelve, the Patriarch to the Church, the First Council of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric.
Continue to reveal to the First Presidency Thy mind and will as it pertains to the growth and advancement of Thy work among the children of men.
With humility and deep gratitude we acknowledge Thy nearness, Thy divine guidance and inspiration. Make even more susceptible our spiritual response to Thee.
Bless the presidencies of stakes, high councils, presidencies of missions, bishoprics of wards, presidencies of branches and of quorums, superintendencies and presidencies of auxiliaries throughout the world. Make them keenly aware of the fact that they are trusted leaders and that they are to treasure that trust as they treasure their lives.
We are grateful that the members of the Church recognize that the payment of tithes and offerings bring blessings, make possible the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the world, and contributes to the carrying out of Thy purposes through the building of chapels, tabernacles, and eventually temples wherever churches are organized in all lands and climes.
O Father, we sense that the crying need of the world today is acceptance of Jesus Christ and his gospel to counteract false teachings that now disturb the peace of honest men and women, and which undermine the faith of millions whose belief in Thee has been faltering and unstable, because they have not yet had presented to them the eternal plan of salvation.
Guide us, O God, in our efforts to hasten the day when humanity will renounce contention and strife, when "…nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
To this end bless the leaders of nations that their hearts may be cleared of prejudices, suspicions, and avarice, and filled with a desire for peace and righteousness.
As one means of uniting Thy children in the bonds of peace and love, this temple and other holy houses of the Lord are erected in Thy name.
Help Thy people to realize that only by obedience to the eternal principles and ordinances of the gospel may loved ones who died without baptism be permitted the glorious privilege of entrance into the kingdom of God. Increase our desire, O Father, to put forth even greater effort towards the consummation of Thy purpose to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all Thy children. This edifice is one more means to aid in bringing about this divine consummation.
To this end, by the authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, we dedicate the Swiss Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and consecrate it for the purpose for which it has been erected.
We dedicate to Thee, our Heavenly Father, the ground, the building from foundation to turret, and everything pertaining thereto, including all fixtures and furnishings, and pray Thee to accept it in completeness; sanctify it, and keep it in Thy providence until all for which it has been designed shall have been accomplished.
Enable those who will be appointed custodians to protect it in purity that no unclean person or thing shall ever enter herein. Thou hast said that Thy Spirit will not dwell in unclean tabernacles. Neither will it dwell in a house where unwholesome or selfish thoughts abide. Therefore may all who enter this holy temple come with clean hands and pure hearts that the Holy Spirit may ever be present to inspire, to comfort, and to bless.
May this building ever be held sacred, that all who enter may feel a peaceful and hallowed influence, and may those who pass the grounds, whether members or non-members of the Church feel a hallowed influence and substitute for a doubt or possible sneer in their minds, a prayer in their hearts.
Now, O God, our Heavenly Eternal Father, the faithful membership of Thy Church, through love for Thee and Thy children, have erected to Thee by tithes and offerings this holy house in which shall be performed ordinances and ceremonies pertaining to the happiness and salvation of Thy children living in mortality and in the spirit world.
Accept of our offering, hallow it by Thy Holy Spirit, and protect it from destructive elements and the bitterness of ignorance and wickedness of bigoted hearts until its divine purposes shall have been consummated; and Thine be the glory, honor, and praise forever, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen and Amen!
