Most mornings, after the gavel is struck in the Senate chamber on Capitol Hill, a prayer is offered in that most secular body \u201d\u201d a practice that goes back to the founding fathers at the Continental Congress in 1774.<\/p>\n
Chaplain Barry C. Black delivers the prayer, offering up some of the first words heard each day in the chamber.<\/p>\n
Black works from an office in the Capitol building, a well-appointed room with high, arched ceilings and wall-to-wall mahogany bookcases. Compared with the number of people working for senators, the chaplain’s staff is downright humble. He has an executive assistant, a director of communications and a chief of staff.<\/p>\n
But from this third-floor perch in the Capitol building, Black enjoys one of the best views of the National Mall’s mosaic of cherry trees, museums and monuments.<\/p>\n