For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
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.
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
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