What: Prayer Vigil for Life
When: November 30, 2017 (7:00 pm)
Where: St. Cecilia Catholic Church (820 Jasmine Way, Clearwater, FL 33756)
Special Guests
- Deacon Andy & Kate Grosmaire – authors of ‘Forgiving My Daughter’s Killer’ (www.forgivingmydaughterskiller.com)
- Herman Lindsay – Florida Death Row Exoneree
- Local Clergy (ecumenical group)
History
Since 2002, the Community of Sant’Egidio has organized the International Day of Cities for Life, Cities against the Death Penalty, which takes place every year on November 30 – on the anniversary of the first abolition of the death penalty on the part of a State, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on November 30, 1786.
About 80 cities participated in the first edition in 2002. More than 2000 cities in the world in more than 90 countries on the five continents that have declared themselves “Cities for Life” and are committed to the abolition of the death penalty.
The Event
The World Day of Cities for Life / Cities against the Death Penalty, that takes place on November 30 each year, is the largest contemporary planetary mobilization in order to indicate a higher and more civil form of justice, able to finally renounce to the death penalty.
The aim is to made use of symbolic monuments and squares to hold educational and artistic events aimed at raising public awareness. All cities taking part in the initiative make their major monuments available as “living logos”, which “speak” with the help of special illuminations, thus becoming symbols of a commitment to hold a dialogue with the population aimed at achieving a world without the death penalty.
The Results
In 16 years, 696 monuments have been lit in 92 nations of 5 continents promoting a total of 5,897 events across the globe!