Students from Mount Paran Christian School, a private school in Cobb County, joined Vice President Mike Pence for a moment of prayer during the official National Day of Prayer.
Pence posted these photos via his official, public Twitter account:
In an American tradition that stretches back to the 1950s, the first Thursday in May marks the annual National Day of Prayer.
Some facts about the day, according to nationaldayofprayer.org:
- It was started in 1952 with a bill initiated by Conrad Hilton of Hilton Hotels and Sen. Frank Carlson that required the President, who was Harry Truman at the time, to set aside a day of prayer on a day other than a Sunday.
- The first National Day of Prayer observance organized by the National Prayer committee occurred in 1983 at Constitution Hall, featuring then-Vice President George HW Bush as a speaker.
- In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a law designating the first Thursday in May as the annual National Day of Prayer.
- President Bill Clinton signed a law in 1998 that required the president to proclaim the day as one during which people may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups and as individuals.
- 2017 marks the 66th anniversary of the National Day of Prayer.
Click here to read more facts about religion in America from Pew Research.
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