[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered the following 
prayer:
  Good and gracious, Lord our God, today across this Nation, many 
celebrate Cinco de Mayo, marking the struggle of the Mexican people for 
freedom and independence.
  We bless You and praise You, Lord, because these various devotions 
and festivities remind all of us of the large part immigration has 
played in the formation of this great country with diverse cultural and 
ethnic backgrounds.
  Mexican Americans, as so many before them, Lord, have shared their 
rich heritage with others while they have sought health, safety, and 
education for their children as well as political and cultural 
recognition.
  Bless their deeply felt family values and religious convictions. We 
pray always for a greater integration into American life where all live 
free from fear, segregation and prejudice.
  We ask Our Lady of Guadeloupe to join us in our prayer for Your 
blessing upon all Hispanic Americans and especially upon our 
neighboring country of Mexico. Grant peace and security both now and 
forever. Amen.

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