

			   THE WHITE HOUSE
  
		    Office of the Press Secretary
  
  _______________________________________________________________
  For Immediate Release                            April 13, 1994
  
  
		    NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, 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
  
			       #  #  #
  
  

