In May 2025, CMN staff members Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy and Emmjolee Mendoza Waters traveled to the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth in Texas to participate in the Presbyterial Assembly of all priests in the diocese, following an invitation from Bishop Michael Olson.

Over the course of two days, CMN offered three main-stage presentations that covered the current status and historical realities of capital punishment in the United States — particularly in Texas — and the foundation of Church teaching against the death penalty as a life-issue.

CMN also elevated the witness, testimony, and lived experiences of individuals who have been personally affected by the death penalty and violent crime.

An Assembly of Priests

Data strongly suggests that what the Church teaches matters, and those who are in the pews to hear the teaching reflect those beliefs in their opinions on the death penalty. As such, the role of priests is critical.

This kind of focused briefing for priests regarding current realities and contours of capital punishment in an actively executing state like Texas is a formational practice that has the incredible potential for significant impact. The power of the pulpit is real. We know that what parishioners hear from the pulpit influences their own formation and understanding.

Priests and deacons have natural opportunities to share the Church’s consistent ethic of life teaching on capital punishment. Having a familiarity with the stories of victim family members and others directly impacted can be a powerful communication tool for catechesis.

Contact CMN if you’re interested in bringing death penalty education to your diocese.

For decades the Catholic bishops of Texas have publicly condemned each and every execution in the state.

Contributing Voices

CMN was proud to invite contributors to share from their own personal experiences as part of the two-day presentation. Priests heard from the following individuals:

• Syl Schieber — Father of a murder victim and renowned anti-death penalty advocate
• Monique Coleman — Sister of a death row exoneree
• Lee Harbaugh — Former death penalty foreman and author
• Nan Tolson — Texas State Director of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty
• Fr. Dustin Feddon — Executive Director of Joseph’s House, a community for the formerly incarcerated, and a spiritual advisor to individuals on Florida’s death row

Texas — A critical state

In the modern-era of the death penalty, Texas has consistently been a top producer of executions and new death sentences. Just two counties in the whole state account for the majority of those death sentences: Harris and Tarrant county, the latter of which comprises the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Due to its prominence in the death penalty landscape, Texas has always had a significant impact on CMN.

Since CMN’s beginning, Texas has influenced the organization. CMN’s Founder, Karen Clifton, is from Texas and came to learn about the death penalty given the rampant executions in her home state. The late Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston was CMN’s first episcopal advisor, followed by Bishop Daniel Flores from the Diocese of Brownsville who serves CMN currently.