Elder Bednar Dedicates the Refurbished Hill Cumorah Historic Site

The Hill Cumorah has always been a place of deep spiritual meaning for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Sunday, September 21, 2025, that sacred landscape entered a new chapter of its history when Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rededicated the newly refurbished Hill Cumorah historic site in Palmyra, New York. This event marked not only a renewal of the physical grounds but also a reaffirmation of the site’s divine purpose as a setting for reflection, testimony, and remembrance.

In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Bednar spoke of consecrating the hill as a holy place where hearts could be opened and lives transformed by the Spirit. He prayed that visitors would approach the site with humility and faith, learning eternal truths through the quiet influence of heaven. “I dedicate this site as a place of holy remembrance, a place of heavenly inspiration, a place of heartfelt appreciation, a place of seeking and learning, and a place of humble reverence,” he said, his words echoing through the forested grounds now carefully restored to their natural beauty.

You can read the official report from the Church itself on the Church Newsroom website, which offers a comprehensive account of the rededication and includes photos from the event.

Standing on Holy Ground Once More

Before the dedicatory prayer, Elder Bednar compared the Hill Cumorah to the burning bush where Moses encountered the presence of God. He reminded those gathered that Moses was told to remove his shoes because he stood on holy ground and then declared with reverence, “Today, you and I also stand on holy ground.” His message underscored that the divine significance of this hill has never faded, even after nearly two centuries since Joseph Smith first met the angel Moroni there.

This sacred location is where the young prophet was shown the golden plates that would later become the Book of Mormon, a record that continues to shape the faith of millions of Latter-day Saints across the world. To those present, Elder Bednar’s words served as both reminder and renewal — a call to see the hill not as a relic of the past but as a living witness of the Restoration and the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ in modern times.

The date of the dedication carried symbolic meaning as well. It occurred exactly two hundred and two years after the night Moroni first appeared to Joseph Smith in 1823. According to Church history, Joseph was permitted to retrieve the plates from the hill four years later, on September 22, 1827. The timing reinforced the sacred symmetry between history and divine timing that continues to characterize the Restoration story.

Restoring the Land to Its Sacred Character

The physical restoration of Hill Cumorah began in earnest in 2021. Over the past several years, Church crews and volunteers have worked to return the land to something closer to what Joseph Smith would have seen. The effort involved removing twenty-three buildings once used for the Hill Cumorah Pageant, reclaiming more than nine acres of asphalt and gravel, and planting thousands of native trees to restore the forest canopy.

These changes were designed not only to beautify the area but to refocus it spiritually. By simplifying the landscape and removing the infrastructure of the pageant, the Church has transformed Cumorah from a place of spectacle into one of quiet meditation and discovery. Visitors can now walk the paths in peace, reflecting on the sacred events that unfolded there more than two centuries ago.

Local leaders who serve at the site have spoken about how these changes invite a deeper spiritual connection. “I can picture in my mind’s eye Joseph walking up [the hill] thinking, ‘What am I going to learn today?’” said Tom McCoy, the historic site leader. His wife, Lani, added that the new layout makes it “a peaceful and a contemplative area where we can feel the Spirit and know that wonderful things came from this very hill.”

A New Era for Visitors and Pilgrims

Inside the redesigned visitors’ center, which was first built in 2002, guests will now find new interactive exhibits, art displays, and a film that immerses them in the story of the Book of Mormon’s coming forth. The centerpiece of the renovation is a trio of statues depicting the resurrected Savior ministering to the people of the Americas — a visual representation of the truth the Book of Mormon bears witness to: that Jesus Christ lives.

Curator Benedicte Dansie explained the purpose behind the new exhibits with touching clarity: “It’s the story of Joseph Smith [and] how he retrieved the golden plates from the site. But the golden plates become the Book of Mormon, and they testify of Jesus Christ.” These words capture the spirit of the entire restoration, which now encourages visitors to engage personally with the story through self-guided tours and reflection rather than large organized events.

By allowing visitors to explore at their own pace, the Church invites them to discover not only the historical details but also the spiritual truths that bind the Restoration together. Every display, film, and pathway has been carefully designed to draw attention back to the Savior and to help individuals strengthen their faith through learning and reverence.

Honoring the Past, Centering the Future on Christ

Elder Bednar was joined at the rededication by his wife, Susan, and by other Church leaders, including Elder Kyle S. McKay, Church Historian and Recorder, and Elder Hugo E. Martinez of the Seventy. Together they reflected on Joseph Smith’s early prophetic education, what Elder Bednar called part of a “celestial curriculum” that prepared him for the unfolding work of the Restoration. Elder Martinez noted that Joseph’s prophetic journey began with the First Vision and progressed through sacred encounters at sites like Cumorah until the fulness of the gospel was restored.

The Hill Cumorah has been in the Church’s care since 1928. The angel Moroni monument was added in 1935, and for decades afterward, the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant drew thousands of participants. Though the pageant concluded in 2019, Elder Bednar expressed heartfelt gratitude for the generations of Latter-day Saints who gave their time and talents to tell the story of the Book of Mormon on that hill. The rededication honors their devotion while guiding the site into a new phase that emphasizes contemplation and testimony.

In his concluding remarks, Elder Bednar turned hearts toward the Savior once again: “In this sacred place, visitors will learn the Lord preserved and brought forth the Book of Mormon to give light and knowledge to God’s children throughout the world. In this sacred place, visitors will learn the Lord restored His gospel and kingdom to the earth, beginning with the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith. And in this sacred place, visitors will learn that The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ testifies of the resurrected Redeemer and invites all people to come unto Him.”

A Quiet Legacy of Faith and Witness

With the rededication complete, the Hill Cumorah now stands renewed — not as a performance stage, but as a living monument to revelation, obedience, and faith. Its rolling hills and reforested trails now invite each pilgrim to walk where the Prophet once walked and to feel for themselves the spiritual power that has lingered there for generations.

The refurbished site represents both a return and a progression: a return to the reverence that defined early Restoration history and a progression toward deeper personal discipleship in Christ. For the faithful who visit, it becomes not merely a historical destination but a spiritual journey inward.

Those who wish to read the full official account and see additional photographs of the dedication can visit the Church Newsroom article on Elder Bednar’s Hill Cumorah rededication, which provides more detail about the project and its future role in the Church’s heritage sites.