Transcript: Bishop Caussé Remarks at Palmyra Bishops’ Storehouse Dedication

The following remarks were given on April 16, 2016, at the dedication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Palmyra Bishops' Storehouse. 

An Outward Symbol of an Internal Commitment

By Bishop Gérald Caussé
Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

There is an old French proverb that says, “La reconnaissance est la mémoire du coeur.”[i]

Translated into English, it means, “Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”

Most of the days of our lives are composed of moments that pass without our thinking much about them—typically, these moments are soon forgotten.

In contrast, there are those special, unforgettable moments—memories woven from the strands of deep emotion—that are felt in our hearts. These are the memories that, throughout the remainder of our lives, bring us feelings of gratitude, happiness, and joy.

This is such an event for me.

This is my first visit to the Palmyra, New York area. And already I feel that I will not soon forget the people, emotions, and memories of this day.

Acknowledgments

I am honored to be with you today and to celebrate with you the dedication of the Palmyra New York Bishops’ Storehouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To all who have labored long hours to make this day a possibility, please know of my admiration and sincerest gratitude.

It takes the contribution of many hundreds of people to make a day such as this possible. I am grateful to the many Church leaders and members who have given—and who will yet give—so generously of their time, resources, and talents to make this storehouse a reality. My immense appreciation also extends to our Welfare Department staff and all others who have labored in planning and bringing to reality this beautiful facility.

I am also gratified to know that the leaders of this community and the citizens themselves have been and continue to be so encouraging and supportive. We are honored to have many of them with us this morning.

The Smith Family in Palmyra

Exactly two hundred years ago, in 1816, Joseph Smith Sr. and his wife, Lucy, packed up their belongings and moved from Norwich, Vermont, to western New York State. Due to drought and frost, the Smiths had experienced three successive crop failures, and, lured by the reports that farmers could grow wheat in abundance here in western New York, they risked all that they had and arrived in Palmyra with only two cents cash.

A few years later, in the spring of 1820, in a wooded area not far from here, a young Joseph Smith fell to his knees and opened his heart in prayer. On that day, the heavens opened and the God of the universe, along with His son, Jesus Christ, appeared and spoke to mortal man once again.

For members of the Church, this is sacred ground. We cherish Palmyra. We speak of it with reverence and awe. We stand with you in your desire to preserve the beauty, peace, and character of this wonderful place.

I am pleased that this bishops’ storehouse will provide an additional resource to help those in need—one that will complement the wonderful work in which you are already engaged.

To understand the purpose of this storehouse, I believe it is helpful to understand the mind and heart of the man who lived here two hundred years ago, Joseph Smith Jr.

I love and admire Joseph Smith for many reasons, not the least of which is his compassion for others and his concern for those in distress.

Joseph, the Man

Perhaps a story would best serve to illustrate the heart of Joseph Smith.

One day while Joseph was serving as mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, he sat in judgment of an African-American named Anthony who was accused of selling liquor in a way contrary to the established law.

Anthony pleaded for mercy, saying that he needed the money to buy the freedom of his child, who was being held as a slave in a southern state.

Joseph said, “I am sorry, Anthony, but the law must be observed, and we will have to impose a fine.”

The next day, Joseph searched for Anthony, and when he found him, he handed him the reins to a fine horse. “Go and sell this,” he said, “and purchase the freedom of your child.”[ii]

Joseph’s heart was always extended to others. He taught that “to be justified before God we must love one another.”[iii]

One of the most common themes in the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph is our obligation to seek out the poor, share their burden, and help them to become self-reliant.

“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men,”[iv] we read in these early revelations. “Thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support. … [For] inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me.”[v]

Over and again this thread of compassion and caring for others permeates the prophet’s teachings and actions. And his concern for others was not limited to members of the Church. Joseph taught that “a man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”[vi]

Joseph, though prophet and leader of a growing church, extended himself personally to others, building cabins for widows and welcoming refugees, providing them healing, food, and shelter until they could find a way to support themselves. He instituted a day of fasting, encouraging members to go without eating two meals and bring the food they would have eaten to the bishop, who could then provide for those who were hungry.[vii]

Less than a year after the Church was organized in 1830, the Lord instructed Joseph to call Edward Partridge to be the first bishop of the Church. The bishop was to keep the Lord’s storehouse, receive the funds of the Church, and administer to the wants of the people.[viii] As more bishops were called, Brother Partridge became known as the “First Bishop.”

Later, this calling would evolve and become the Presiding Bishop of the Church—the office I am honored to hold today.

Thomas S. Monson

Joseph Smith not only created an organization dedicated to helping others, he instilled within the Mormon people a resolve to do so as well.

This devotion and compassion is exemplified in the life of President Thomas S. Monson, who presides over the Church of Jesus Christ today. Whenever he has a free moment—and often when he doesn’t—he visits those who are suffering, lonely, or discouraged.

On a Saturday afternoon, he is more likely to be found at a hospital holding the hand of someone who is facing a severe trial of illness and inspiring them with the courage to be brave rather than at a stadium shouting for a sports team and doing the wave.

One time, a well-meaning individual told President Monson that it was useless to spend so much time with the elderly people he often visited because they didn’t even know who he was. President Monson replied. “I don’t talk to them because they know me. I talk to them because I know them.”

John W. Gallivan, a newspaper publisher and member of the Roman Catholic Church, said of him that “this warm, genuine, gregarious man doesn’t love his neighbor because that is the mandate; Tom Monson is your friend because he loves mankind. That’s his nature.”[ix]

The legacy of Joseph Smith and his example of compassion for others has passed from generation to generation. The love that President Thomas S. Monson has for God’s children today is a reflection of the character of the man from Palmyra.

On a personal level, it has been a great honor and pleasure for me to work with a man of God who not only speaks of helping others but acts as he follows the Savior’s example to go about doing good.[x]

The Modern-day Welfare Program

Over the past 186 years, this commitment to reach out and help others has grown into a remarkable welfare program that is admired and praised by people of influence throughout the world.

Today, the Church of Jesus Christ grows food on more than a hundred thousand acres of land. This food is then sent to one of our many plants, where it is packaged, canned, or processed. From there, these goods are shipped to over a hundred bishops’ storehouses such as the one we have the opportunity to dedicate this morning.

In every community, local bishops who know each individual personally meet and work with families—assessing their needs and identifying available resources. They help them to help themselves and reach their goals of becoming self-reliant. For those unable to meet basic needs, the bishop can provide food and other household goods from the bishops’ storehouse. There is no cost for these needed, life-sustaining supplies.

We are assembled today in one of these bishops’ storehouses. But what we see here today is only the smallest part of the Church’s outreach to bless the lives of those who are struggling and in need.

The Church has established numerous additional resources, such as vocational training programs, employment finding resources, marriage and individual counseling centers, adoption support services, and addiction recovery programs—these are all part of the Church’s outreach to those in distress.

In addition, the Church reaches out to those in need throughout the world by providing food, clean water, wheelchairs, medical training, agricultural support, assistance for refugees, and flying to the rescue of those affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Why do we do this?

To operate this vast infrastructure of farms, canneries, storehouses, training facilities, counseling centers, and to offer worldwide assistance, requires a massive commitment of funds, labor, and resources.

We are known throughout the world as a people who give without expectation of recompense.

Often when we offer assistance, those who receive don’t even know it is from our Church. In Sumatra, after the terrible devastation of the 2004 tsunami, when one of our many truckloads of supplies entered one village, they shouted, “Hurry, everyone. Another truck from the Jesus Church has arrived.”

We give because the Savior gave.

We love others because God loves us.

We lift others because it is an essential and integral part of our faith.

And all this is because two hundred years ago, in the small town of Palmyra, a young man asked a question.

Conclusion

We now prepare to dedicate this bishops’ storehouse.

It is my prayer that those who work here, who live here, who pass by this beautiful facility will know, understand, and feel that this structure is an outward symbol of an internal ideal and resolute commitment to reach out in love to those around us.

It is my sincerest hope that this will be a memory of the heart that will inspire us with gratitude. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.