[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 20 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[Pages 606-607]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast

May 15, 2003

    Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Sientese. Gracias, Luis. El 
honor es mio. It is an honor to be here again this year. I'm so pleased 
that you would have me back for the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. 
I'm really pleased this is becoming a tradition in Washington, DC.
    It is important and it is good to begin the day with prayer and 
fellowship. Prayer is an opportunity to praise God for His works and to 
thank Him for His blessings. Prayer turns our minds to the needs of 
others, and prayer changes our hearts as we seek God's will.
    I want to thank you for reminding the Nation and our Capital about 
an even greater source of strength and authority. I want to thank my 
friend Luis for being a general in the army of compassion. He is what I 
like to call a social entrepreneur.
    I want to thank the Members of the United States Congress who are 
with us today. I see Senator Bill Frist, the leader of the United States 
Senate. Senator Frist, thank you for coming. I was told one of the 
leaders of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is to be here.
    I'm not going to try to read off every single name of every single 
person in the Congress who may or may not be here; I'll probably skip 
one and add one that isn't. [Laughter] But let me just tell you, I'm 
honored to be working with them. It's a fine group of our fellow 
citizens, all working together to try to do the best thing on behalf of 
the American people.
    I want to appreciate Gaddi Vasquez, who is the Director of the Peace 
Corps, who's with us today. Donde esta? Hey, Gaddi, thank you for 
coming.
    I think the Mayor is here. Mr. Mayor, I appreciate you coming. I'm 
honored to have you here. I always like to tease the Mayor about the 
potholes in front of the White House. [Laughter] There aren't any. Says 
to me he's doing a pretty darn good job.
    I want to thank Reverend Jose Martinez and Manuel Vasquez. I want to 
appreciate the beautiful musicians who sang today. I'm honored that the 
students from St. Rita's Catholic School in Alexandria are with us 
today. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate the pastors who are here 
and the leaders from around our country. Welcome back to Washington.
    Last May, when I came, you honored me with a special gift, a 
bilingual Bible that was made for me in Mexico. And this Bible means a 
lot because with it came a promise. You promised that you were praying 
for me. There is no greater gift that a President can receive. I have 
felt the comfort of those prayers, and I am really grateful. Thank you 
from the bottom of my heart.
    Hispanic Americans bring many gifts to this Nation, hard work and 
strong cultural traditions and patriotism. Above all, the Hispanic 
community lives every day por los valores de fe y familia. Your good 
works and reverence bring compassion to our country and honor to 
Almighty God.
    In the last several weeks, we have learned the names of some 
exceptional young men and women who have shown the strength and 
character of America. At the National Naval Medical Center, I met Master 
Gunnery Sergeant Guadalupe Denogean. Sergeant Denogean is an immigrant 
from Mexico who served in the Marine Corps for 25 years. This spring he 
was wounded near Basra, and he was sent back to America for treatment. 
When asked if he had any requests, the good sergeant just had two, a 
promotion for the corporal who helped rescue him, and he wanted to be an 
American citizen.
    I was honored to be with the sergeant the day he received a Purple 
Heart and took the oath of citizenship. It was an amazing experience, a 
truly American experience, to be in the hospital where he was recovering 
from his wound, to see this son of Mexico raise his right hand and 
pledge to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. He 
had kept that oath for decades before he took it, and I'm proud to call 
him my fellow American.
    Our country is proud of all the Hispanic Americans who serve in 
uniform. We're deeply grateful for those who have died in the cause of 
our security and in the cause of freedom. We honor their memory. We

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pray for their families. We honor the communities and the churches where 
they learned the value of service and sacrifice.
    Because of their sacrifices, America is a more secure country. 
Because of their sacrifices, the world will be a more peaceful place. 
And because of their sacrifices, people who had lived in bondage under 
the strong arm of a brutal dictator are now free.
    America is blessed by their sacrifices, and America is also blessed 
by the sacrifices that you make every day as you care for the sick, 
house the homeless, feed the hungry, and preach the Word--la palabra.
    In the Book of James, we are reminded that faith without works is 
dead. By loving a neighbor as you'd like to be loved yourself, you prove 
every day that faith is alive. By your work and prayers, you have formed 
your own army, an army of compassion. And by living your faith, you 
bring hope to those who need it most.
    It is appropriate that the group sponsoring this breakfast has the 
name Nueva Esperanza--New Hope. Hope allows us to dream big, to pray 
bold, and to work hard for a better future. I want to thank you for your 
abiding hope, for your steadfast faith, and for your acts of love. I 
want to thank you for helping to keep prayer an important part of our 
national life. May God continue to invigorate you as you work to make 
this country a compassionate home for anybody. May God continue to 
invigorate you as you reach out to help a neighbor in need.
    This country needs your compassion. We need your works. We need your 
love. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 7:38 a.m. in a ballroom at the Capital 
Hilton. In his remarks, he referred to Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., founder 
and president, Nueva Esperanza; and Mayor Anthony A. Williams of 
Washington, DC. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of these remarks.