Dedicatory Prayers

Many dedicatory prayers for meetinghouses and other buildings were given by a visiting General Authority, and they represent a special moment in the history of a Church building. Before about 1983, clerks usually recorded the dedicatory prayers in a local unit’s general minutes; after 1983, the dedicatory prayers may be found in a unit’s annual historical reports. Note that, traditionally, the Church would not dedicate a meetinghouse until it was completely paid for, so a dedication may not have taken place until several years after a building was in use. You will want to check the following records:

• Ward or branch general minutes and historical reports
• Stake or mission general minutes and historical reports
• Published histories of local units
• Programs of significant anniversaries (25th, 50th, 75th, and so forth)
• “Church News” section of the Deseret News or other local newspapers

Again, our guide to researching local unit records may be helpful.