[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 18 (Monday, May 5, 2003)]
[Pages 508-509]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7672--National Day of Prayer, 2003

April 30, 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.
    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.
                                                George W. Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 2, 2003]

[[Page 509]]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 5.