Florida Catholic | Death Penalty Opponents

Death penalty opponents to journey for prayer vigil

YVONNE MARTINEZ | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 11.09.07

PALM BAY | Father Leo Hodges travels to Raiford more regularly than he prefers. Raiford is home to the Florida State Prison where each time a death sentence is enforced, Father Hodges and a group of parishioners and other faithful gather to pray. It has become a somber vigil for the victims of crime, for the families of those to be executed and for the soul of the prisoner that is being put to death.

“It’s very somber,” said Father Hodges, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Palm Bay. “It is a quiet, prayerful, respectful gathering.”

Father Hodges and another group of faithful are preparing to make another bus journey to Raiford for the Nov. 15 scheduled execution of Mark Dean Schwab, 38, of Cocoa. Schwab has been on Florida’s death row for more than 16 years for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 11-year-old Junny Omar Rios-Martinez.

The 44-passenger bus will leave Our Lady of Grace Church in Palm Bay at noon on the day of the execution, stop in Daytona Beach at Our Lady of Lourdes to pick up another group and then arrive in Raiford in time for the 6 p.m. execution. Anyone wishing to participate is welcome.

But the Nov. 15 death sentence for Schwab may likely be stayed because of a petition pending before the Supreme Court of the United States. Baze v. Rees challenges the constitutionality of the use of lethal injection. According to a summary of the petition, there is evidence that “any and all of the current lethal injection chemicals could be replaced with other chemicals that would pose less risk of pain while causing death than the tri-chemical cocktail currently used.”

The petition goes on to argue that by creating an “unnecessary risk” there is the creation of cruel and unusual punishment, making the current method unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court has not yet ruled on Schwab’s latest motion pertaining to this case, most likely because it will wait for a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. For now, as of this writing, the execution will proceed as scheduled.

Even so, the Catholic faithful will watch and wait, praying for an end to the use of the death penalty in Florida and the rest of the country. Priscilla Zayas, of Our Lady of Grace Parish, has made the bus trip to Raiford on more than one occasion. The 24-year-old calls herself a staunch advocate for ending the use of the death penalty.

“It’s very sad. You feel helpless and all you can do is pray,” Zayas said. “I think more people should make this trip and put their faith into action.” She plans to travel to Raiford again to pray for all those affected by the actions of the condemned killer.

“While the circumstances of the case certainly matter, they do not supersede the dignity of life,” Father Hodges said. “It (the death penalty) doesn’t bring any peace to anyone’s life, it just perpetuates violence.”

Father Hodges has a background in criminology and has spent much time ministering in the prison system. His hope is that more people will make the bus journey to Raiford to pray and bear witness to the sanctity of all life.

For more information or if you wish to participate in the bus journey, call 321-725-3066.

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Death penalty opponents to journey for prayer vigil

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