US-Europe World Affairs

The National Day of Prayer is a special annual event observed on the first Thursday of every May in the United States.

Although the day was established and declared by a joint resolution of Congress and President Harry S. Truman in 1952, the history of this significant yearly event goes back to the first prayer which was held in 1774 at the request of the Continental Congress to pray for wisdom and spiritual guidance for establishing the United States of America.

“On this day, may our faiths enable us to sow the seeds of progress in our ever-changing world.  Let us resolve to guide our children and grandchildren to embrace freedom for all, to see God in everyone, and to remember that no matter what differences they may have, they, just like we, will always be united by their common humanity.”  Excerpt from Presidential Proclamation — National Day of Prayer, President BARACK OBAMA ©White House National Day of Prayer, 2016.

 

Additional: Chaplains announce plans for May ‘Spiritual Readiness Month’ events

• Prayer breakfast brings Camp Zama community together for food, fellowship
• Building spiritual readiness in the Pacific
• Spiritual resiliency team shares food for thought
• Army chaplain shares Ramadan with Muslim prayer group
• Perseverance through spiritual readiness
• Be inspired with hope and faith by Joel Osteen

 

Acknowledgments: Sources: U.S Army, The White House. Image Chaplain (Maj.) Castelly prays for the command teams during the National Day of Prayer. Soldiers from various faiths joined together in prayer to strengthen their spiritual wellbeing. May 5th, 2022, ARIFJAN, KUWAIT. Photo by Capt. Joshua Sik, 135th Expeditionary Sustainment Command © DoD/U.S Army. Article by Catherine S. Schmidt, Editor in Chief.