hi Congress, the tradition of opening legislative sessions with prayer has continued without interruption, and remained essentially unchanged,3 for over 200 years, hi that time period, there have been 59 House Chaplains and 61 Senate Chaplains. Mildred Amer, House and Senate Chaplains (Congressional Research Service (Oct. 9,2001)). Ten different denominations are represented among the individuals who have served as chaplain of the Senate or House. See 4 Robert C. Byrd, The Senate 1789-1989, S. Doc. No. 100-20, at 660-62 (1993); 1 Encyclopedia of the U.S. Congress 332-35 (Donald C. Bacon et al. eds. 1995); see also Compl. If 51-53 (identifying different denominations).4 The current House and Senate chaplains are, respectively, Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, and Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, who has announced an intention to retire, effective March 15,2003.
3 The original agreement was that "two Chaplains, of different denominations, be appointed to Congress, for the present session, the Senate to appoint one, and give notice thereof to the House of Representatives, who shall, thereupon appoint the other; which Chaplains shall commence their services in the House that appoint them, but shall interchange weekly." 1 Senate J. 12; 1 House J. 16. This practice was abandoned in 1856 in favor of each House electing its own chaplain. See Cong. Globe, 34th Cong., 1st Sess. 486 (1856). In the late 1850's, both Houses in the 35th Congress, instead of electing chaplains, invited local volunteer clergy to deliver opening legislative prayers. Because of discontinuity, misgivings about the failure to compensate invited clergy, and other dissatisfactions with the use of rotating volunteers, see, e.g., Cong. Globe, 36th Cong., 1st Sess. 97-98 (1859), the experiment was quickly abandoned, and in the 36th Congress, both Houses returned to the election and appointment of chaplains as officers. See id. at 162; id. at 1016 (1860).
4 "Guest chaplains," representing a variety of monotheistic and non-monotheistic faiths, have also opened House and Senate legislative sessions with prayer. See, e.g., 147 Cong. Rec. S 11567 (daily ed. Nov. 8,2001) (Elder Francis Cree, Spiritual Leader, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians); 147 Cong. Rec. S5907 (daily ed. June 7, 2001) (Rabbi Stephen Einstein, Temple B'Nai Tzedek); 147 Cong. Rec. H2389 (daily ed. May 22, 2001) (Gurudev Shree Chitrabhanuji, Founder, Jain Meditation International Center); 147 Cong. Rec. H203 (daily ed. Feb. 7,2001) (Imam Bassam A. Estwani, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center);146 Cong. Rec. H7579 (daily ed. Sept. 14,2000) (Priest Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala, Shiva Hindu Temple).
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