National Day of Prayer, 2003

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.

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