By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

TALLAHASSEE | The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops is asking the faithful to join them in praying a novena for an end to the use of death penalty in our state.

“We will pray from August 6-14, 2025, concluding on the Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was executed in an Auschwitz prison camp in 1941. We will continue to ask the governor to stop signing death warrants. However, prayer is powerful!” said a note posted on the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

The Florida bishops also noted:

With the execution of Edward Zakrzewski on July 31, the ninth to take place in 2025, Florida has broken its record for the number of executions carried out in a single year. The state is not stopping there. Governor DeSantis has already signed two additional death warrants; Kayle Bates is scheduled to be executed on August 19, and Curtis Windom on August 28. This record pace of executions is alarming.

The death penalty is a harmful and unnecessary form of punishment. State-sanctioned killing further distorts society's understanding of the sacredness of all human life, diminishing the recognition of our own inherent dignity and that of others. Our ability to protect society by incarcerating the offender for life eliminates the need for executions, making every execution an act of revenge that outweighs any possible good to society.

We are called to mercy and compassion, not violence and vengeance. With mercy towards the offenders, who themselves have often been victimized in life, and compassion for the victims of violence and their families, whose grief is not eliminated by the taking of another life, justice can be better served.

Please join the bishops of Florida to pray a novena to end Florida’s Death Penalty.

Printable versions of the prayer and accompanying scripture verses for reflection are available in English and Spanish on the FCCB website for each day of the novena.

Novena to End Florida's Death Penalty:

Day 1: August 6, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 2: August 7, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 3: August 8, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 4: August 9, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 5: August 10, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 6: August 11, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 7: August 12, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 8: August 13, 2025 - English | Spanish

Day 9: August 14, 2025 - English | Spanish

Sign up to receive an email and/or text reminder on each day of the novena.

Learn more about the death penalty in Florida.