LIHU‘E — The first Thursday in May was designated as the National Day of Prayer through a law signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988. Twenty-three years later, Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation to representatives
LIHU‘E — The first Thursday in May was designated as the National Day of Prayer through a law signed by President Ronald Reagan on May 5, 1988.
Twenty-three years later, Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. issued a proclamation to representatives of Kaua‘i’s faith-based community celebrating the 60th Annual National Day of Prayer.
“It was important to me, this year, to create a time and a space when people of all faiths could come together to acknowledge the power of prayer and to be united in our concern for our community,” Carvalho said, addressing a good-sized gathering of County of Kaua‘i employees and representatives of Kaua‘i’s faith-based community. “This is a day when we can come together, no matter what faith you honor, and try to make a positive difference through prayer.”
The first national day of prayer was declared in 1775 when the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer in forming a new nation. In 1778, President George Washington, the first President of the United States, recognized that a day of public prayer be observed, the mayoral proclamation states.
On April 17, 1952, a bill proclaiming an annual National Day of Prayer was unanimously passed by Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman, 36 years before Reagan designated the first Thursday in May as the annual National Day of Prayer.
It is that spirit of unity that transcends socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds that bring citizens together at state capitols, county courthouses, on steps of city halls and in schools, businesses, churches and homes to give thanks for our freedoms and blessings, the proclamation states.
“On Kaua‘i, we are a small community so it’s very important for us all to focus on what brings us together instead of what divides us,” Carvalho said. “Faith is such an important part of our community. It gives us hope in hard times; it’s what makes us dig deep and give to those in need; it’s what allows us to turn hate into love.”
Carvalho said Kaua‘i has seen examples of some powerful things taking place just in the past week — on the global front, the death of Osama Bin Laden, nationally, the destruction from tornadoes and storms in the Southeast, and closer to home, the difficult decisions being made at the state and county levels to deal with our financial crisis.
“I believe prayer can make a difference in these and other matters and I’m asking you for your prayers, today,” Carvalho said. “Please pray that our government leaders will make good and just decisions; please pray that we will be able to effectively fight the war on drugs; please pray that our families will become stronger and that our keiki will have the support they need to live productive lives; please pray that we will continue to give whenever and wherever we can for the needy and those less fortunate. Pray for all people to act with compassion and empathy for others — at all times.”
Carvalho said the National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans and all people on Kaua‘i, signifying that prayer is as important today as it was at the time our nation was born.
Larry Matsuwaki and Delia Astrologio led a National Day of Prayer observance at the Mo‘ikeha Building where prayers and hopes for the community and nation were offered before a release of balloons, each scribed with individual prayers and hopes, closed the observance as the prayers and hopes were picked up by the brisk winds and borne upwards.
Prayers for America were offered by Gary Cooper for our nation and government, CW03 Dexter Carr of the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Mana for the military, D’Lissa Iannucci for The Peace of Jerusalem, Mel Rapozo for the State of Hawai‘i, Cathy Simao for the County of Kaua‘i, Sherry Scott for education, Pastor Niles Kageyama for marriages and families, Pastor Vince Venson for churches, pastors and ministries, Doug Carvalho Sr. for businesses and Dickie Chang for media.
Visit www.nationaldayofprayer.org for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
