Proclamation 3305—National Day of Prayer, 1959

Whereas this continent was chosen by men and women of profound religious conviction, seeking a free land where they and their children might worship God and follow His commandments as they understood them; and

Whereas our Nation was conceived in the same faith and dedicated to the same purpose; and

Whereas in this tradition, by a joint resolution approved April 17, 1952 (66 Stat. 64), the Congress has provided that "the President shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.":

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby set aside Wednesday, the seventh day of October, as a National Day of Prayer; and I call upon my fellow Americans to join in prayer on that day.

Let us give thanks for the bounty of Providence which has made possible the growth and promise of our land.

Let us give thanks for the heritage of free inquiry, sound industry, and boundless vision which have enabled us to advance the general welfare of our people to unprecedented heights.

Let us remember that our God is the God of all men, that only as all men are free can liberty be secure for any, and that only as all prosper can any be content in their good fortune.

Let us join in vigorous concern for those who now endure suffering of body, mind or spirit, and let us seek to relieve their distress and to assist them in their way toward health, well-being, and enlightenment.

Finally, let us rededicate ourselves and our Nation to the highest loyalties which we know; and let us breathe deeply of the clean air of courage, preparing ourselves to meet the obligations of our day in trust, in gratitude, and in the supreme confidence of men who have accomplished much united under God.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this thirtieth day of July in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-fourth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

By the President:

DOUGLAS DILLON,

Acting Secretary of State.