An Original Prayer by Sr. Addie Lorraine Walker, SSND
Sr. Addie Walker, SSND, wrote and shared the following prayer in honor of the Virtual Prayer Vigil held for Christopher Vialva on Thursday, Sept. 28th, 2020. Mr. Vialva was executed hours later by the federal government.
As you say this prayer, whether in solitude or with others, we invite you to remember all persons impacted by the death penalty.
Good and gracious God we gather once again this day
to name you as our God.
God of all the nations and peoples,
God of Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca,
the God of Jacob and Leah and Rachel.We praise and we bless you and we glorify you.
You are God of life, and love and hope and healing,
of justice and mercy and compassion.
Bestow on us O God once again this day
a renewed commitment to stand with you and in you for life and love;
hope and healing, justice, mercy and compassion.United in our love for all peoples and all of life,
we stand committed to the building a world
based on your covenant of love and life.
We come together committed to the work of ridding our communities
of violence in all its forms
and of racism in all the ways that it impacts and plagues
our criminal legal system.We pray too that you remain with us
keeping us faithful to the promise we make this day
to work to abolish the death penalty in our time and in our land.
We ask these things of you O God
for you are God from whom every family takes its name.(Addie Lorraine Walker, SSND)
