Prayers, Services, Sermons/Reflections & Essays

You are invited to submit services, sermons/reflections or essays about the death penalty. Email the CPF North Coordinator or CPF South Coordinator.

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SAMPLE PRAYERS

.: Service of Lament and Healing A prayer vigil to be offered at site of a violent death. By Council of Churches of Santa Clara County (pdf) Word document

.: CPF Sample Prayer (pdf)

.: Sample Prayer for Murder Victims' Families by Maria Hines - a former member of MVFR (pdf)

.: United Methodist Sample Litany General Board of Church and Society (pdf)

SERVICES

.: Dominican Sisters of San Rafael — Interfaith Service of the Eve of Scheduled Execution (pdf)

.: Generic Version of Service of Lament and Healing: Council of Churches of Santa Clara County (pdf)

.: Sample Interfaith Service on eve of an execution from St. Paul's Episcopal Church, San Rafael (pdf)

.: Sample Interfaith Service National Weekend of Faith in Action Interfaith Service: Frst Iconium Baptist Church, Atlanta GA (pdf)

.: Sample National Weekend of Faith in Action Christian "Restorative Justice" Service: Oakhurst Baptist Church, Decatur, GA (pdf)

SERMONS/REFLECTIONS

.: The Bible and The Moratorium — Rev. Jack McKinney (pdf)

.: Can Justice Be Destructive? A Reflection on Mishna Makkot 1:10 — Rabbi Jerrold Goldstein, former state chairperson of CPF

.: Dismantling the Cross: A Case Against Capital Punishment — L. Michael Jendrezjczyk (pdf)

.: Does the Death Penalty Make Our Society Safer? — Statement of the Most Reverend John C. Wester, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of San Francisco on day of execution of Clarence Ray Allen 1/17/06 (pdf)

.: Execution of Jesus — Good Friday, 33 A.D. Execution of R. Robbins and M. Pruett — Bishop Andrew J. McDonald, April 12, 1999

.: The Healing Power of Forgiveness — Bill Pelke (pdf)

.: If There is One Thing I am Sure of, it's that God Can Always Surprise Us —Joanne Leslie, Deacon at Holy Faith Church

.: In the Name of God — a Rosh HaShana sermno by Rabbi Stacy Friedman

.: Mend Holes in Fabric with Kindness and Compassion— Hozon Alan Senauke, S.F. Zen Center, 1/17/06

.: Sermon for Kol Nidrei Evening Yom Kippur 5760 —Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein

.: Sermon by Rev. John Marsh —Unitarian Universalist Minister

.: What Would Jesus Have to Say? — Terry McCaffrey, 10/12/06

.: Why Ending the Death Penalty is critical for us as Dharma Practitioners — Diana Lion, Associate Director of Program, Prison Program Director, Buddhist Peace Fellowship (pdf)

.: With a Human Being Who's About to Be Killed — Sister Helen Prejean (pdf)

.: Who Should Live and Who Should Die — Rev. Michael McGee

.: A Yom Kippur Reflection on the Death Penalty —Daniel Sokatch, Executive Director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, 10/13/05

.: Zacchaeus: A Lost Sheep, not a Lynched Sinner…A Reflection on Luke 19:1-10 —Eric DeBode, 10/30/04

ESSAYS

.: Death Penalty and a Constant Pro-Life Ethic — Fr. Michael Carson

.: In the Shadow of Death—Letters from a friend on death row shed light on the ultimate legal penalty — Amy Runge Gaffney

.: Descending into Greater Darkness — Chuck Carlson, 1/06

.: Lethal Injection — Louana George

.: A Mother and Father Want to Know — Who Killed Jojo? — Naomi White and Derrel Myers, 1/06

.: Walking as a Buddhist — Jerry Bolick, Walk for Abolition participant 1/06

.: Small San Quentin Sutra — Mark Mitchell, poet and Walf for Abolition participant (pdf)