“Cities for Life” is an annual global event initiated in 2002 by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic association dedicated to abolishing the death penalty. Each year on November 30, approximately 2,000 cities across more than 80 countries commemorate the Grand Duchy of Tuscany’s 1786 decision to abolish capital punishment—the first by a civil state. Participating cities illuminate significant monuments and organize events to advocate for the end of the death penalty worldwide.
Cities for Life Daytona
Saturday, Nov. 29 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Good Shepherd Catholic Church Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Grotto
1014 N. Halifax Ave, Daytona Beach, FL 32118
Bill Kissinger will be sharing with us this year at our gathering. He has written an article called “The Last Breakfast” that recounts his final morning with Dobie Gillis Williams before his 1999 execution in Louisiana. Kissinger, an inmate legal assistant, keeps his promise to share breakfast with Dobie, who eats little and moves with difficulty but faces the morning with quiet dignity. After multiple close calls with execution dates, a last-minute DNA test failed to save him, and he was led calmly to the death chamber. FADP’s Executive Director Grace Hanna will also be in attendance.
Cities for Life Tallahassee
Monday, Dec. 1 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET
Good Shepherd Catholic Church
4665 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL
On Monday, December 1, from 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Good Shepherd will sponsor the annual Cities for Life celebration, which marks the end of the death penalty in many U.S. states and countries around the world, and will continue to advocate for its worldwide abolition. The service will be led in the Church by Father Dustin Feddon; the Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Susan Recinella who will tell us about counseling mothers of both victims and accused, and Bishop William Wack will give us his thoughts about the death penalty. All are invited and encouraged to attend. FADP’s Executive Director Grace Hanna will also be in attendance.