112 STAT. 3746
PROCLAMATION 7088—APR. 29, 1998
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-
fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and
ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America
the two hundred and twenty-second.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
Proclamation 7088 of April 29, 1998
National Day of Prayer, 1998
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
In every era of American history, devout men and women from every
nation have come to our shores seeking the freedom to worship according to their own conscience. Recognizing the sacredness of this fundamental human right, our foxmders wisely guaranteed it in the First
Amendment to the Constitution.
Prayer has always been an integral part of American life. In every city,
town, and rural community across our country, people of every religious denomination gather to worship according to their faith. In
churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, Americans come together
to pray. We pray for the health and happiness of loved ones; for inner
peace and peace among nations; and for the wisdom and courage to
face the challenges of the new millennium. And always we raise our
voices and hearts in prayers of thanksgiving for the blessing of freedom.
Just as Americans rely on prayer for strength and renewal in private
life, so do we turn to it at moments of great joy or crisis in our public
life as a Nation. Meeting in Philadelphia to make the momentous decisions that would ultimately determine the nature and form of American Government, the Continental Congress began daily deliberations
with a prayer for God's blessings and assistance. In his first inaugural
address. President George Washington also prayed for guidance from
the Almighty as he began the enormous task of leading a new, untried
democracy.
In this century, with America in the throes of the Great Depression and
a world teetering on the brink of war. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt concluded his first inaugural address with a fervent prayer: "In
this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May
He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days
to come," And today, as we look ahead to the promise of a new centiury, Americans continue to draw strength from the bedrock of faith
and rehgious freedom upon which our democracy rests.
The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, has called on om- 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, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United
States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 1998, as a National Day
of Prayer. I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to pray, each in
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