Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Presidential Documents 25101 

Proclamation 8514 of April 30, 2010 

National Day of Prayer, 2010 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy and thanksgiving, 

or in times of great challenge and uncertainty, Americans have turned to 

prayer. In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility, sought guidance 

and forgiveness, and received inspiration and assistance, both in good times 

and in bad. 

On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings God has bestowed 

upon our Nation. Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom both to believe 

and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and opportunities 

that bring us together as one Nation. Let us ask for wisdom, compassion, 

and discernment of justice as we address the great challenges of our time. 

We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience and 

free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles, thereby 

ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs 

according to the dictates of their consciences. Prayer has been a sustaining 

way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express their most cherished 

beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to publicly 

recognize the importance of prayer on this day across the Nation. 

Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from natural 

disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from those countries 

and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to 

render aid. Let us pray for the families of the West Virginia miners, and 

the people of Poland who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their 

beloved leaders. Let us pray for the safety and success of those who have 

left home to serve in our Armed Forces, putting their lives at risk in 

order to make the world a safer place. As we remember them, let us not 

forget their families and the substantial sacrifices that they make every 

day. Let us remember the unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their families, and help their neighbors, for they are the 

wellspring of our greatness. Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and 

prayers those people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world 

that is just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human 

being. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 

and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 

2010, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation 

to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths 

and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all 

people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance, grace, 

and protection as we meet the challenges before us. 


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25102 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Presidential Documents 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day 

of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence 

of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth. 

[FR Doc. 2010–11014 

Filed 5–6–10; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3195–W0–P 


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