Collegiate National Day of Prayer

In 1823 most Christian denominations agreed to designate the last Thursday in February as a day to pray for the nation’s colleges and seminaries. Prayers in churches were echoed by those on campuses throughout the nation. The Collegiate Day of Prayer ended in 1910, and in February 2010 a national revival of the custom at some two hundred colleges and universities took place. At UT, Knoxvillians and UT students instituted one hundred hours of prayer—an hour for each of the years the national day was not observed—in advance of the actual day of prayer, which was celebrated on Friday, February 26, 2010.