For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 30, 2001
National Day of Prayer, 2001
By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation
Turning to prayer in times of joy and
celebration, strife and tragedy is an integral part of our national
heritage. When the first settlers landed on the rocky shores
of the New World, they celebrated with prayer, and the practice has
continued through our history. In 1775, the Continental
Congress asked the citizens of the colonies to pray for wisdom in
forming a Nation. General George Washington, encamped at
Valley Forge, also sought God's guidance as Americans fought for their
independence. The faith of our Founding Fathers established
the precedent that prayers and national days of prayer are an honored
part of our American way of life.
Continuing in that tradition, many of the men
and women who have served at the highest levels of our Nation also have
turned to prayer seeking wisdom from the Almighty. President
Lincoln, who proclaimed a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" in
1863, once stated: "I have been driven many times to my
knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to
go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed
insufficient for the day." Today, millions of Americans
continue to hold dear that conviction President Lincoln so eloquently
expressed. Gathering in churches, synagogues, mosques,
temples, and homes, we ask for strength, direction, and compassion for
our neighbors and ourselves.
The theme of the 2001 National Day of Prayer
is "One Nation Under God." In a prayer written specially for
the occasion, Americans are asked to pray for "a moral and spiritual
renewal to help us meet the many problems we face." Special
observances are scheduled for all 50 States, with local volunteers
planning a variety of activities including prayer breakfasts, concerts,
rallies, and student gatherings. These events will bring
people of all faiths together, each according to his or her own
beliefs, to give thanks to the Almighty and to ask for strength and
guidance.
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, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do
hereby proclaim May 3, 2001, as a National Day of Prayer. I
encourage the citizens of our Nation to pray each in his or her own
manner, seeking God's blessings on our families and govern-ment
officials and personal renewal, moral awakening, and a new spirit of
harmony across our land. I 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 twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America
the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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