[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 15 (Monday, April 18, 1994)]
[Page 794]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6668--National Day of Prayer, 1994

April 12, 1994

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    In a country built by people from hundreds of nations and with as 
many beliefs, we rely upon our religious liberty in order to preserve 
the individuality and great diversity that give our Nation its unique 
richness and strength of character. America's founders saw the urgent 
need to protect religious freedom and opened debate on the important 
subject when the Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia to chart 
a course for our nascent country. After hearing Massachusetts delegate 
Samuel Adams' plea, the Congress voted to begin its session with a 
prayer. When the framers of the Bill of Rights set down our fundamental 
rights, the free exercise of religion rightfully took its place at the 
head of our enumerated liberties.
    As our Nation has grown and flourished, our Government has welcomed 
divine guidance in its work, while respecting the rich and varied faiths 
of all of its citizens. Many of our greatest leaders have asked God's 
favor in public and private prayer. From patriots and presidents to 
advocates for justice, our history reflects the strong presence of 
prayer in American life. Presidents, above all, need the power of 
prayer, their own and that of all Americans.
    We need not shrink as Americans from asking for divine assistance in 
our continuing efforts to relieve human suffering at home and abroad, to 
reduce hatred, violence, and abuse, and to restore families across our 
land. By following our own beliefs while respecting the convictions of 
others, we can strengthen our people and rebuild our Nation. As Micah 
reminds us, we must strive ``to do justly, and to love mercy, and to 
walk humbly'' before God.
    The Congress, by joint resolution approved April 17, 1952, having 
recognized the role of faith and prayer in the lives of the American 
people throughout our history, has set aside a day each year as a 
``National Day of Prayer.'' Since that time, each President has 
proclaimed an annual National Day of Prayer, resuming the tradition 
begun by our leaders in the Nation's earliest days. Pursuant to Public 
Law 100-307 of May 5, 1988, the first Thursday of each May has been set 
aside as a National Day of Prayer.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, do hereby proclaim May 5, 1994, as a National Day of 
Prayer. I encourage the citizens of this great Nation to gather, each in 
his or her own manner, to recognize our blessings, acknowledge our 
wrongs, to remember the needy, to seek guidance for our challenging 
future, and to give thanks for the abundance we have enjoyed throughout 
our history.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 9:32 a.m., April 14, 
1994]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on April 13, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
April 15.