[Page H1397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, offered the following 
prayer:
  Eternal God, we give You thanks for giving us another day.
  On this day of the National Prayer Breakfast, we gather as a Nation 
founded by people of faith. In their wisdom and, we hope, with Your 
inspiration, our Founders recognized that the power of government ought 
not be utilized for the advancement of religion, nor validated by 
religion, but, rather, to guarantee the freedom of citizens to worship 
as they feel called by God's spirit to do.
  From its inception, a predominantly Protestant, colonial population 
has become a national population of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, 
Muslims, Mormons, and countless other congregants, Americans all, who 
have flourished on this continent, not without trials and tribulations.
  We pray together that Your blessing continues upon us all and, most 
especially, on the Members of this assembly, trusting that, in the 
depths of our hearts, we are seeking to hear Your call in the following 
of our consciences.
  Bless us this day and every day. May all that is done here be for 
Your greater honor and glory.
  Amen.

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