The Dominican Sisters of Houston is a Catholic community of women whose mission is "to publicly commit ourselves to study and address the crucial justice issues of our times." The sisters' active ministries include teaching and school administration, prayer, campus ministry, parish ministry and others.
Death Penalty Statement
The Dominican Sisters of Houston call for the abolition of the death penalty in Texas and throughout the United States. As women of faith, we believe in the sanctity of human life and in a merciful and forgiving God who offers the opportunity for redemption, change, and growth.
We stand in solidarity with the Catholic Bishops of Texas, who, in their October 1997 statement on capital punishment, say, “We implore all citizens to call on our elected officials to reject the death penalty and replace it with non-lethal means of punishment which are sufficient to protect society from violent offenders of human life and public order.”
Our compassion goes out to those victims and their families who suffer at the hands of accused and/or convicted criminals. However, we believe that the death penalty is an inappropriate response that seems to encourage a culture of violence. Furthermore, capital punishment has not proved to be a deterrent to crime.
