Washington: As the United States Catholic Church marks the beginning of Respect Life Month on October 1, renewed attention is being focused on one of the most pressing life issues of our time: the death penalty. Celebrated annually in October, Respect Life Month invites Catholics to reflect deeply on the God-given dignity of every human life, recommitting to the belief that all lives, regardless of circumstance, are sacred.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, Executive Director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a national Catholic nonprofit advocating to end the death penalty, emphasized the human dimension of those facing execution. Sharing personal stories, she highlighted how individuals on death row continue to demonstrate humanity, faith, and hope even in the shadow of death. “No life is beyond redemption,” Murphy said, underscoring the Church’s teaching that every person, regardless of past actions, is created in God’s image.
This October, eight men are scheduled to be executed across seven U.S. states, bringing renewed urgency to Catholic advocacy against capital punishment. Among them is Lance Shockley in Missouri, whose execution is scheduled for October 14. Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, CMN’s Director of Death Penalty Abolition, described her encounters with Shockley, noting his pride in his family and faith. “Meeting him made the work more personal, more real, and deepened both the hope and the sorrow I carry into it,” Waters said.
Archbishop Mark Rivituso of Mobile, Alabama, who previously served as auxiliary bishop in St. Louis, Missouri, has also been a steadfast advocate for those on death row, including Shockley. “I am inspired by his goodness and devotion to faith,” the Archbishop said, urging clemency and life sentences over execution. His ongoing outreach to death row inmates reflects the Church’s call to work tirelessly for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2267).
Catholic leaders emphasize that the culture of life must be actively fostered to counter the prevailing culture of death. “In advocating for an end to the death penalty, we need to be present and show the compassionate care of Jesus to those on death row,” Archbishop Rivituso said. “We must always foster hope and communicate the Church’s advocacy to safeguard the sanctity and dignity of all human life from conception to natural death.”
To mark Respect Life Month, CMN is encouraging Catholics and people of goodwill to pray a Novena to End the Death Penalty from October 1–9 and take concrete actions to support those facing execution. Through these efforts, the organization seeks to bring mercy, justice, and the possibility of redemption to individuals and families affected by capital punishment.