Area residents and churches on Thursday evening participated in a “Prayer Parade” on Park Avenue West on Thursday evening before gathering at the gazebo in Central during local events to mark the National Day of Prayer across the country. Music, prayers and fellowship were part of the evening, as were prayers said over local elected officials. Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry and Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero presented petitions marking the day, first marked by Congress in 1952 when federal lawmakers approved legislation that said, “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.”
