Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Architect of the Capitol is hereby authorized and directed to prepare a report on the origin, establishment, furnishing, and decoration of the Prayer Room established by H. Con. Res. 60 of the Eighty-third Congress for use of the Members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

      SEC. 2. Such report shall be printed as a House Document with illustrations, in accordance with regulations of the Joint Committee on Printing. In addition to the usual number, there shall be printed one hundred copies for use and distribution by each Member of Congress.

      SEC. 3. As used in this resolution, the term "Member of Congress" includes a Member of the Senate, a Member of, and a Delegate to, the House of Representatives, and the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico.

Passed the House of Representatives March 16, 1955.

Passed the Senate July 22, 1955.
 

Near the Rotunda of the Capitol there is a room set apart for prayer. It is not a room for religious assemblies, nor for any other public use. Its only purpose is to provide a quiet place to which individual Senators and Representatives may withdraw a while to seek Divine strength and guidance, both in public affairs and in their own personal concerns.

      Several Members of Congress have been associated with establishment of the Prayer Room. Representative Brooks Hays of Arkansas introduced House Concurrent Resolution 60, Eighty-third Congress, in the House February 12, 1953, directing the setting apart of a place for this purpose. Senator Monroney of Oklahoma introduced a companion resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, Eighty-third Congress, in the Senate, February 13, 1953. House Concurrent Resolution 60 was passed by the House, July 17, 1953, and by the Senate May 4, 1954. Following passage of this resolution by the House, the Honorable Joseph W. Martin, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, made available an appropriate room on the House Side of the Capitol near the Rotunda and shortly after passage of the resolution by the Senate, named a special committee to arrange for the design and equipment of the Prayer Room. This Committee consisted of Representatives LeCompte of Iowa and St. George of New York, with Representative Hays as Chairman.

"Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Architect of the Capitol is hereby authorized and directed to make available a room, with facilities for prayer and meditation, for the use of Members of the Senate and House of Representatives. The Architect shall maintain the Prayer Room for individual use rather than assemblies and he shall provide appropriate symbols of religious unity and freedom of worship."

      In accordance with the Resolution, David Lynn, the Architect of the Capitol, and his successor, J. George Stewart, assumed the responsibility for preparing the room made available by the Speaker for use as the Prayer Room. Delos H. Smith and Joseph W. Burcham, Architects of Washington, D. C., served as architectural consultants. The Clerk of the House of Representatives collaborated with the Architect of the Capitol in providing furnishings for the room. It was a first essential to make sure that no part of the furnishings and no symbol used would give offense to members of any church, and at the same time incorporate in the fabric and decoration of the room the basic unity of belief in God and His Providence that has characterized our history. To achieve these purposes, an advisory panel was constituted, representing the three great faiths that form, together, the spirit of the Nation. The Chaplains of the Senate and the House, Reverend Frederick Brown Harris and Reverend Bernard Braskamp, were joined on the advisory panel by Father Edward J. Herrmann, Assistant Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Washington, and Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld, Minister of the Washington Hebrew Congregation. The furnishings, the window, and the symbols have met with the unanimous approval of the four.

      The stained glass window was presented anonymously by a studio in the Twenty-first Congressional District of California,

      The Bible, the candelabra, the vases and the American flag were also donated anonymously.

      In March 1955 the room was completed and opened for use.

      A reverent simplicity pervades the room. Ordinarily, the lighting is subdued, but yet sufficient to direct attention to the two central objects --- a Bible, open to the Twenty-third Psalm, and the window symbolizing our Nation at prayer. A concealed ceiling light focuses upon the altar on which the open Bible rests. Members of Congress may use this Bible, turning to whatever great passage may mean the most to them at the moment.

      The single window speaks of that religious faith which has always been a part of the greatness of our Nation. The central figure is of the kneeling Washington, reminding us of the words from his First Inaugural:

". . . it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge."

      In the medallion, immediately surrounding the central figure, woven into the ruby glass, is the text from Psalm 16:1, "Preserve me, 0 God: for in Thee do I put my trust."

      On the altar, two vases constantly filled with fresh flowers tell of the beauty of God's world. At the right and left are two candelabra, each with the traditional seven lights. An American flag is at the right of the altar. In front of each candelabrum is a plain prie-dieu or prayer bench, at which those who desire to do so may kneel. There are ten chairs facing the central window. The walls are pastel blue. The ceiling is the original painting, with cloud panels trimmed with gold. The rug is deep blue. The altar and prayer benches are of white oak. When illumined by the indirect lights of the shielded wall brackets, the room is a soft color harmony of blue and gold. Neither large enough for nor designed for a religious assembly, it is adequate for its avowed purpose --- a shrine at which the individual may renew his faith in his God and his loyalty to his country.

     "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. . . ." So reads the first clause of the First Amend- ment to the Constitution. Designed; not to discourage religion, but to assure an equal freedom to all its various groups, this clause has under the interpretation of the courts come to be the basis for separation of Church and State. Only in such fashion did it appear that the various faiths which made up our people could live together in friendliness and understanding.

      Yet prayer was offered at the great Convention which framed our Constitution. By prayer Congress opens all its sessions. Through the ministry of chaplains of the great faiths, the men in our armed services are daily strengthened in will and life. Our coinage, our Pledge of Allegiance, many of our postage stamps witness our faith in Divine Providence. A long and glorious company of our national leaders down through the years have borne witness to their personal trust in God.

      It is in this tradition that the Congress has provided for its Members in the Nation's Capitol a quiet place, where those of its number who seek God, the consciousness of His Presence, the light of His Guiding, the strength of His Love, may find Him.

I. From the Clergy

     "It has been a high privilege for the undersigned to have had a share in the multifold plannings of the Prayer Room in the Capitol of the Nation.

     "This sacred enclosure now set apart for its holy purpose of quiet withdrawal from the busy rush, for meditation and prayer, is an inspiring witness of the faith in the Eternal and in the Divine Guidance which has made and preserved us a nation.

     "As representatives of Religion it has been our purpose, in co-operation with the Architect of the Capitol, to help make this officially authorized Room a mosaic of devotion which, with its altar, open Bible, and pictured glass depicting the Father of our Country bowed in prayer, would make its appeal to all who believe in the moral governance of the universe. Its door, so close to the famed Rotunda, will swing open to members of the Senate and the House who will bring with them their own inner faith to this national altar of prayer.

     "It is our earnest and united prayer that this Chapel of the Spirit in these volcanic times which try men's souls may make a vital contribution to the Nation's life as it exalts those spiritual verities which alone are the source and guarantee of the freedoms which are the glory of our democracy."

NORMAN GERSTENFELD
EDWARD J. HERRMANN
BERNARD BRASKAMP
FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS

     "We legislators might insist that in no other area are men driven so powerfully as in our profession. How well we do our job in the field of creativeness must be left to the judgment of our contemporaries and of history. But as creatures seeking peace of mind, we should use the facilities of meditation and prayer, with assurance that we will not be misjudged, that we will be permitted this aid to moral exercise, and that our private devotions will be respected. We are not the moral preceptors of the Nation. It is not altogether in our role of leadership that we seek retreat, though, to be sure, we could not honorably escape the burdens which leadership involves, even in periods of meditation. Rather it is as human beings that we aspire and suffer and seek to endure."

      " . . . a place at the Capitol where we might meditate and pray, where the mood of prayer could be encouraged."

     "One of the finest things that this Congress has done, one of the finest things that any Congress has done, or could do. . . . A lasting monument . . . to this Government of ours which has ever been in the forefront of the fight for human liberties and particularly for the right to worship God in accordance with the dictates of one's own conscience."

     "It is my hope that the establishment of the common room will serve not only to symbolize the diversity within unity that characterizes the United States, but that it will serve also as an instrument for the advancement of understanding, of tolerance, and truth."

     "By this resolution we provide for the first time in the history of this Government a room to which every Member of the House and the Senate may retire for meditation with his own conscience and with his Maker . . . I believe that the people of America want every Member of this House to approach his duties in a serious frame of mind and have the opportunity . . . for silent meditation."

     "It is a great comfort and a great progressive step to have the little Prayer Room opened under the dome of the Capitol in Washington.

     "This quiet room where Members of Congress can go from time to time for prayer and meditation has long been wanted and needed. Here at last is a place in this busy Capitol where we can go alone and 'know that thou art God.'

     "The public interest in the Prayer Room has been truly remarkable and is one more proof of the spiritual revival taking place in this country and in the world.

     "I know that most of our people are happy to know that their Representatives in Congress have this Prayer Room, where before a simple altar fresh flowers are always kept and where the Bible is open at the Twenty-third Psalm. They can look up at the beautiful stained glass window depicting General Washington in prayer, and perhaps many will repeat the words 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."'