History
The Catholic Mobilizing Network to End Use of the Death Penalty (CMN) in the United States was launched on January 25, 2009 to take up the call to action by Catholic Bishops’ Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty in their 2005 publication, A Culture of Life. Late in the summer of 2008 a group of veteran advocates against the death penalty gathered in Washington, DC. Among these advocates for change was: Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking, and leadership from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Catholics Against Capital Punishment (CACP), Catholic Charities,, Franciscan Action Network (FAN), Maryland Conference of Catholic Bishops, Murder Victims for Reconciliation, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP), Equal Justice USA, New Jerseyans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, et al.
It was determined the main focus of the organization is to network with State Catholic Conferences by offering education programs in both English and Spanish, provide speakers for trainings, as well as create a website with downloadable media and links. An invaluable asset is the work of Vicki Schieber, Chair of Murder Victims for Human Rights, who contributes her professional skills by teaching workshops for Catholic Education Conferences. Her experience along with other murder victim’s families brought to realization the network would not be complete without the inclusion of Restorative Justice education which seeks to repair the harm caused by unjust behavior.
We are confident with over 67,000,000 Catholics in the United States we can make a difference. There are 195 archdioceses and dioceses. There are 236 Catholic colleges and universities, as well as 1,352 high schools and 6,266 elementary schools. We are convinced our efforts can bring to fruition our vision: The United States free of capital punishment in the name of Christ. Join us.