16 Faith-Led Events for World Day Against the Death Penalty
October 10 is “World Day Against the Death Penalty,” a day where people across the globe will gather to oppose capital punishment.
Here in the U.S, faith-based events scattered across the country on October 10 will echo the call: the death penalty violates the sanctity of life, and needs to be abolished.
Check out these opportunities below, and find out how you can get involved in a faith-based advocacy event this World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Birmingham, Alabama
Tuesday, October 10 | 1 p.m. CT
Hosted by: Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham
Location:
Linn Park or Jefferson County Court Criminal Division
Join in a multifaith vigil for World Day Against the Death Penalty. For more information, contact The Rev. Julie Conrady at 202-945-8109 ext. 102.
Montgomery, Alabama
Tuesday, October 10 | 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by: Post-Conviction Relief Project and ACLU
Location:
The Sanctuary
432 South Goldthwaite St.
Montgomery, AL 36104
Fr. Manual Williams from Catholic Resurrection will join a panel of speakers to discuss the anti-death penalty movement, particularly in Alabama.
Phoenix, Arizona (virtual available)
Tuesday, October 10 | 6-7:30 p.m. MT
Hosted by: The Arizona Faith Network and Death Penalty Alternatives for Arizona
Location:
First Church UCC Phoenix
1407 N 2nd St
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Advocates and faith leaders will come together to discuss death penalty abolition in Arizona, and to pray for an end to capital punishment locally, federally, and around the world. Attendees will discover sources of hope, and share meaningful discussion about how Arizona can work to break cycles of violence, rather than perpetuate them.
Los Angeles, California
Tuesday, October 10 | 12:10 p.m.
Hosted by: St. Camillus Chapel and Pax Christi SoCal/LA
Location:
St. Camillus Chapel
1911 Zonal Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Join Fr. Chris Ponnet for mass which will include preaching and specific prayers regarding Catholic opposition to the death penalty.
Atlanta, Georgia
Tuesday, October 10 | 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET
Hosted by: Roman Catholic Diocese of Atlanta, Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, Faith Leaders of Color Coalition, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, Central Presbyterian Church, and Ebenezer Baptist Church
Location:
Georgia State Capitol
206 Washington St SW
Atlanta, GA 30334
11 a.m. | Coffee and Conversations
Room 125, Georgia State Capitol
12 p.m. | Vigil
Georgia State Capitol Steps
Join clergy and community members to pray for everyone affected by the American capital punishment system.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Tuesday, October 10 | 10 a.m. CT
Hosted by: Promise of Justice Initiative, the Jesuit Social Research Institute, Catholic Mobilizing Network, L.I.F.E., P.R.E.A.C.H, and the Faith Leaders of Color Coalition
Location:
Governor’s Mansion, outside the gates
1001 Capital Access Road
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana finds itself with a unique opportunity to grant clemency to nearly the entire state’s death row. Join for a prayer vigil to pray that those sentences are indeed commuted to life in prison.
No registration required. You will be directed to park on a grass parking lot when you arrive.
Missouri / National (virtual only)
Tuesday, October 10 | 1 p.m. ET
Hosted by: Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty and L’Chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty
Join this webinar to learn about the Jewish perspective on the death penalty in honor of World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Liberty, Missouri (virtual available)
Tuesday, October 10 | 6:30-8 p.m. CT
Hosted by: Precious Blood Renewal Center
Location:
Precious Blood Renewal Center
2120 St. Gaspar Way
Liberty, Missouri 64068
“The Death Penalty from a Faith Perspective”
Fr. Mark Miller, CPPS will guide attendees through the church’s evolving understanding of the death penalty, using personal histories, Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and social sciences.
Participants will be invited to consider the following questions:
What did we hear about the death penalty growing up?
What myths about the death penalty persist?
What does Scripture teach us about the death penalty?
What does the Church teach about the death penalty?
Las Vegas, Nevada
Tuesday, October 10 | 3 p.m. PT
Hosted by: Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Location:
Nehemiah Ministries Christian
3606 N Rancho Dr. #144
Las Vegas, NV 89130
Join NVCADP, faith leaders, activists and community members to unite for World Day Against the Death Penalty, to pray for an end to the death penalty everywhere, and learn about the work being done to abolish the racist, inhumane, and costly system of capital punishment.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Tuesday, October 10 | 4:30-6 p.m. ET
Hosted by: Catholics for Abolition in North Carolina
Join in solidarity with those on South Carolina’s death row, and all who advocate against the death penalty in a peaceful protest outside of the state Central Prison. Participants are invited to participate in any or all of the following events:
4:30 p.m. — Recitation of the Rosary
5:00 p.m. — Peaceful Protest (bring a sign)
5:30 p.m. — Divine Mercy Chaplet
6:00 p.m. — Closing thoughts from Margaret Toman
Columbus, Ohio
Monday and Tuesday October 9-10 | 5 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Hosted by: No Death Penalty Ohio
Location:
Ohio State Capitol
Faith leaders and community members will hold a 24-hour prayer vigil outside of the state capitol in honor of World Day Against the Death Penalty. Houses of worship across the state are invited to do the same.
Columbia, South Carolina
Tuesday, October 10 | 11 a.m. ET
Hosted by: South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Location:
South Carolina Statehouse Front Steps
1100 Gervais St
Columbia, SC 29208
There will be an interfaith press conference with religious and spiritual leaders from across South Carolina in honor of World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, October 10 | 6-7 p.m. CT
Hosted by: Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Location:
Frank Crowley County Courthouse
133 N Riverfront Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75207
Community members, faith leaders, and collective partners will hold an interfaith vigil to pray for and stand in solidarity with those who are facing the death penalty. For more information, contact TCADP Deputy Director Tiara Cooper at tcooper@tcadp.org
El Paso, Texas
Sunday, October 8 | 3 p.m. MT
Hosted by: The Restorative Justice Ministry, El Pasoans Against the Death Penalty, and the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
Location:
Memorial Park
1701 N Copia St
El Paso, TX 79930
Join in an interfaith, citywide prayer vigil for the four men scheduled to be executed in Texas this year, for their families, and for an end to the death penalty. For more information, contact Pat Delgado at phdelgado3583@gmail.com
San Antonio, Texas
Tuesday, October 10 | multiple times
Hosted by: University of the Incarnate Word and Catholic Mobilizing Network
University students and faculty and San Antonio community members are invited to join for any or all of the following events:
11:30 a.m. | Vigil
Join local organizations and groups who mobilize when an execution is scheduled in Texas by holding a public vigil at NOON outside San Fernando Cathedral. UIW will provide transportation from the Broadway campus to San Fernando or participants can meet the group downtown. The bus will return to UIW by 1:30 p.m.
6:15 p.m. | Dinner
Enjoy an informal buffet meal at the UIW Student Engagement Ballroom.
7-8:30 p.m. | Panel
Come listen to the powerful stories of three exceptional witnesses: Monique Coleman, sister of a death row exoneree, who advocated for his liberation and reintegration; Mitesh Patel, San Antonio resident, who advocated against the execution of the man who murdered his father; and Dr. Doshie Piper, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of the Incarnate Word.
National Christian Prayer Call to End the Death Penalty (virtual only)
Tuesday, October 10 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Hosted by: Equal Justice USA Evangelical Network, Live Free, Faith Leaders of Color Coalition, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, and Justice for Julius
Christians from across the country will gather to lament, find hope, and equip themselves to prayerfully move toward being a nation that breaks cycles of violence, rather than perpetuates them.
