[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 85 (Monday, May 4, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24383-24384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11921]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 85 / Monday, May 4, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 24383]]

                Proclamation 7088 of April 29, 1998

                
National Day of Prayer, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In every era of American history, devout men and women 
                from every nation have come to our shores seeking the 
                freedom to worship according to their own conscience. 
                Recognizing the sacredness of this fundamental human 
                right, our founders wisely guaranteed it in the First 
                Amendment to the Constitution.

                Prayer has always been an integral part of American 
                life. In every city, town, and rural community across 
                our country, people of every religious denomination 
                gather to worship according to their faith. In 
                churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, Americans 
                come together to pray. We pray for the health and 
                happiness of loved ones; for inner peace and peace 
                among nations; and for the wisdom and courage to face 
                the challenges of the new millennium. And always we 
                raise our voices and hearts in prayers of thanksgiving 
                for the blessing of freedom.

                Just as Americans rely on prayer for strength and 
                renewal in private life, so do we turn to it at moments 
                of great joy or crisis in our public life as a Nation. 
                Meeting in Philadelphia to make the momentous decisions 
                that would ultimately determine the nature and form of 
                American Government, the Continental Congress began 
                daily deliberations with a prayer for God's blessings 
                and assistance. In his first inaugural address, 
                President George Washington also prayed for guidance 
                from the Almighty as he began the enormous task of 
                leading a new, untried democracy.

                In this century, with America in the throes of the 
                Great Depression and a world teetering on the brink of 
                war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt concluded his 
                first inaugural address with a fervent prayer: ``In 
                this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing 
                of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He 
                guide me in the days to come.'' And today, as we look 
                ahead to the promise of a new century, Americans 
                continue to draw strength from the bedrock of faith and 
                religious freedom upon which our democracy rests.

                The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, has called on our 
                citizens to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society 
                and to honor the religious diversity our freedom 
                permits by recognizing annually a ``National Day of 
                Prayer.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 
                1998, as a National Day of Prayer. I encourage the 
                citizens of this great Nation to pray, each in his or 
                her own manner, seeking strength from God to face the 
                problems of today, requesting guidance for the 
                uncertainties of tomorrow, and giving thanks for the 
                rich blessings that our country has enjoyed throughout 
                our history.

[[Page 24384]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord 
                nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the 
                Independence of the United States of America the two 
                hundred and twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-11921
Filed 5-1-98; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P