Today is the 57th Annual National Day of Prayer, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty leads an observance at the State Capitol.

Pawlenty and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau will speak at noon at the celebration, which begins 30 minutes earlier on the Capitol steps.

Former Gov. Al Quie will be among the attendees. The National Day of Prayer is held on the first Thursday of May, "inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation." It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman.

PAUL WALSH