27th Annual Good Friday Vigil and Service of Hope
Praying to End the Use of the Death Penalty
Sioux Falls: For 25 years, groups that work for alternatives to the death penalty have gathered for a Good Friday Vigil on the grounds of the South Dakota Penitentiary in opposition to the death penalty.
This year, on Good Friday, March 29, 2024, people will gather from NOON to 1:00 PM, near the flagpole by the east side parking lot of the South Dakota Penitentiary, to offer prayers for an end to the death penalty in South Dakota. Prayers will be offered for both those who are victims and for those who commit the crimes. A homily will be shared by Pastor George Gehant of Brookings. A number of denominations and faiths have positions against the death penalty. Pope Francis has made clear that the death penalty represents an attack on the “inviolability and dignity of the human person,” and “contrary to the Gospel.” The Presentation Sisters stand for life from conception through natural death.
The public is invited to pray, sing, and hear messages of hope with people of other faiths. There will also be an opportunity to sign a “Declaration of Life.”
From event sponsors: South Dakotans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (www.sdadp.org), Alternatives to the Violence Project of Sioux Falls and Springfield, Pax Christi South Dakota, Pax Christi Brookings, and the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Contacts: Deacon Denny Davis at dlynndad@hotmail.com or Susan Thompson at suziemarie68@gmail.com for more information.