Rededication Prayer
Spanish Fork Pioneer Cemetery
July 21, 2009
given by
Ross E. Baadsgaard
President
Spanish Fork Utah Palmyra Stake
Our kind and loving Father in Heaven, we gather here to rededicate this sacred plot of ground in remembrance of the early settlers whose mortal bodies were laid to rest here. We thank thee for the peace and beauty of this site, surrounded by pastoral farmlands, comfortable homes, majestic mountains, and a thriving community.
We acknowledge that what we now enjoy had its beginnings in tents, wagons and dug-outs in the hillside below as shelters from the elements. We recognize that many of the graves here represent young children buried by heart-broken parents, as well as husbands buried by wives and wives buried by husbands. We know that this place has been consecrated and made sacred by the faith and sacrifice of those who first settled here.
We express our gratitude for truths revealed from Thee that inspired those early settlers to endure all manner of hardship and deprivation to make possible the blessings we now enjoy. As so beautifully depicted by this monument, we thank thee for the hope and vision that inspired them to look forward to a better day, and to know that their sacrifice would lay the foundation for peace and prosperity for future generations.
We thank Thee for turning the hearts of those now living to those first settlers, for Thy guiding hand in helping to identify those who lie here, that they may not be forgotten. We thank thee for stirring the hearts of all those of good will who made the restoration of this cemetery possible through generous offerings of time, talent and resources. We pray that our efforts might preserve the memory of these people for many generations to come, and that the hearts of our children and grandchildren will in turn be turned to their fathers.
We therefore dedicate this Pioneer Cemetery to be a place of remembrance, a bridge between generations, a place of contemplation, a place of peace, a place of vision and hope. We consecrate this place to bring comfort and peace to the posterity of those whose mortal remains were put here to rest. We ask Thee to provide Thy watchful care over this sacred place, to protect this monument from the elements, and to preserve the improvements that lend such beauty and peace. We ask Thee to bless those that care and maintain this facility with a spirit of reverence as they go about their work. We ask thee to bless those that visit here with that same spirit of reverence and respect, with a feeling of connection between generations, and a spirit of renewal that has accompanied all aspects of this endeavor.
We ask Thee to bless us with a willingness to rededicate our lives, even as we rededicate this cemetery, to become part of an unbroken chain extending from those we honor today to future generations, willing to exercise faith, sacrifice, hope and vision to provide a peaceful and prosperous community for those that follow us.
With humility and gratitude we offer this prayer of dedication in the sacred name of Thy Son Jesus Christ, Amen.
Pioneer Heritage Cemetery Re-Dedication Program
July 21st 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
6:45 Prelude music (Crystal Strings Quartet)
7:00 Song: Harp Solo “Star Spangled Banner” (Alex Bigny)
7:03 Invocation (Richard Davis)
7:05 Welcome and order of events (Dale Robinson)
7:10 Recognition of City Staffers Work (Dale Robinson or City Councilman)
7:15 History of site before restoration (Susan Barber)
7:20 History of restoration planning (Pat Mitchel)
7:25 DUP Recognition (Katherine Brimhall DUP marker chairwoman)
7:30 Song Primary Children Sang As They Walked & The Handcart Song (Primary children with harp (Alex Bigny) and violin (Lisa Jackson)
7:35 Story of person buried at pioneer cemetery (Janene Baadsgaard)
7:40 Flower Presentation on graves/violin solo/ names of dead read(at the same time)
children (Primary children)
violin solo Come, Come Ye Saints and Be Still My Soul (Barbara Forsey)
pioneer names read (Dale Robinson)
7:45 Reading of Plaque (Mayor Thomas)
Unveiling of Statue (Mayor Thomas assisted by statue artists)
Harp accompaniment They the Builders of the Nation (Alex Bigny)
7:50 Placing of flower wreath next to statue (Tella Montague)
7:55 Dedication Prayer (President Baadsgaard)
8:00 Dismissal (Dale Robinson)
8-8:15 Postlude music (Crystal Strings Quartet)
