This October, the Catholic Church across the United States will observe Respect Life Month. This is a time when we are invited to renew our dedication to lifting up the inherent, God-given dignity of all human life. CMN has been hard at work preparing new and exciting materials to assist you in your advocacy to build a culture of life and end the use of the death penalty.
CMN's book list includes some of our favorite selections covering both the death penalty and restorative justice. Use this list as a guide to learn more about these topics, or as a tool to help your parish or community reading group engage with these issues at a deeper level.
Catholic Social Teaching brings the teachings of Jesus and his call to discipleship to the larger societal conversation of social justice. This infographic highlights the ways in which the continued use of the death penalty violates our call to live as a people of life.
Estas oraciones de los fieles subrayan nuestro llamado a ser defensores de TODA vida.
Commonly seen as a justification for the use the death penalty, the Old Testament command "Eye for an Eye" is often misunderstood. This infographic breaks down this scripture passage and connects it to the larger call for justice and mercy seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
Intended for use before or on the day of an execution, CMN's Prayer Vigil for an Execution calls all to reflect on the themes of forgiveness and mercy in the face of the death penalty. Inviting us to lift up the dignity of all life and pray for those impacted by violence, this vigil serves to deepen our commitment to the work to end the death penalty.
CMN's Holy Saturday Prayer Service serves as a way to explore one of the more profound - and underutilized - days of the liturgical year. Beginning from the darkness of Good Friday, this experiential prayer service invites participants to reflect on the role of harm in their own lives; and the lives of those impacted by the continued use of the death penalty and the larger criminal justice system.
This powerful promotional flyer is perfect for use at your parish, school, or community center. Pulling on themes from CMN's 2018 Respect Life Month Toolkit, this flyer is a great way to start the conversation around our call to build a culture of life and end the death penalty.
Join us during the Lenten season for prayerful reflection and contemplation. Every Monday receive a special Lenten reflection for the coming Sunday. Available online and on social media. These reflections will unpack the scripture readings for the week through the lens of justice and mercy. This year, CMN has worked with our partners in different states for our weekly reflections.
By David Matzko McCarthy, Trudy D. Conway, and Vicki Schieber, Editors
This new book on Restorative Justice serves as a guiding context for Catholic Mobilizing Network's work to promote restorative justice.
“All Christians and people of good will are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom” - Pope Francis #Pledge4Mercy
CMN’s Mercy in Action Project seeks to promote clemency for those facing imminent execution. By joining the Mercy in Action Project you will receive monthly alerts with information on upcoming executions and tools to advocate for clemency in those cases as well as prayerful resources. Join us as we save lives on death row! The Mercy in Action Project is being partially supported by a grant from The Consistent Life Network, an international pro-life, pro-peace coalition.
