[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23829-23830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11193]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 86 / Monday, May 5, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 23829]]


                Proclamation 7672 of April 30, 2003

                
National Day of Prayer, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                We are a Nation whose people turn to prayer in times of 
                our most heartfelt sorrow and our moments of greatest 
                joy. On this National Day of Prayer, first called for 
                more than 225 years ago by the Continental Congress, we 
                come together to thank God for our Nation's many 
                blessings, to acknowledge our need for His wisdom and 
                grace, and to ask Him to continue to watch over our 
                country in the days ahead.

                America welcomes individuals of all backgrounds and 
                religions, and our citizens hold diverse beliefs. In 
                prayer, we share the universal desire to speak and 
                listen to our Maker and to seek the plans He has for 
                our lives. We recognize the ways that He has blessed 
                our land abundantly, and we offer thanks for these 
                gifts and for the generosity of our Nation in helping 
                those in need. We are grateful for our freedom, for 
                God's love, mercy, and forgiveness, and for a hope that 
                will never be shaken.

                Today, our Nation is strong and prosperous. Our Armed 
                Forces have achieved great success on the battlefield, 
                but challenges still lie ahead. Prayer will not make 
                our path easy, yet prayer can give us strength and hope 
                for the journey.

                As we continue to fight against terror, we ask the 
                Almighty to protect all those who battle for freedom 
                throughout the world and our brave men and women in 
                uniform, and we ask Him to shield innocents from harm. 
                We recognize the sacrifice of our military families and 
                ask God to grant them peace and strength. We will not 
                forget the men and women who have fallen in service to 
                America and to the cause of freedom. We pray that their 
                loved ones will receive God's comfort and grace.

                In this hour of history's calling, Americans are bowing 
                humbly in churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and 
                in their own homes, in the presence of the Almighty. 
                This day, I ask our Nation to join me in praying for 
                the strength to meet the challenges before us, for the 
                wisdom to know and do what is right, for continued 
                determination to work towards making our society a more 
                compassionate and decent place, and for peace in the 
                affairs of men.

                The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, 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, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 
                2003, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens 
                of our Nation to pray, each after his or her own faith, 
                in thanksgiving for the freedoms and blessings we have 
                received and for God's continued guidance and 
                protection. I also urge all Americans to join in 
                observing this day with appropriate programs, 
                ceremonies, and activities.

[[Page 23830]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand three, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-11193
Filed 5-2-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P