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
- Whose Concern is it? —Deacon Carl Bunje at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, as part of Weekend of Faith on November 16, 2008 (pdf)
- 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
- Sample Homily for Respect Life Sunday, October 7, 2012— California Catholic Conference
- 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)