All of these efforts help to set the stage for CMN’s 15th ​anniversary event, the Justice Reimagined Awards & ​Celebration coming up on October 10, 2024, World Day ​Against the Death Penalty. Hundreds will gather to take ​stock of CMN’s impact thus far and envision the future ​we are committed to building together.

CMN’s hopeful, gospel inspired work is made possible ​through the unwavering advocacy and support of people ​like you. With this Impact Report, we lift up in a special ​way the St. Maximilian Kolbe Giving Society members, ​who have consistently invested in CMN’s mission for ​three or more consecutive years. These dedicated ​individuals, and all who support CMN through their ​regular involvement, prayers, donations, and advocacy, ​play an essential role in sustaining the vibrancy of ​CMN’s ministry.

With the untiring commitment of CMN’s ever growing ​national network, our next 15 years are surely set to ​yield increased capacity and lasting impact to end the ​death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing in our ​hurting world. We are grateful to be on this journey ​alongside you.

End the death ​penalty

CMN’s 15 years of faith-filled death penalty abolition work ​have demonstrated that steadfast grassroots education, ​skilled awareness-raising, and innovative mobilization ​efforts are key elements to building effective momentum ​to end capital punishment in the United States.

For the first time ever, more Americans reported that they ​believe the death penalty is applied unfairly, 50%, than ​fairly, 47% (Gallup Crime Survey). CMN’s growing national ​presence is moving the needle in favor of death penalty ​opposition.

Moving the needle has meant staying agile and

creative to catalyze the change possible in varying

contexts.

This past year, CMN mobilized Catholics in Louisiana during a ​mass clemency campaign for those on death row. In Georgia, ​CMN supported legislation that would lower the burden of ​proof for intellectual disability in capital cases. In Alabama, ​CMN organized to retroactively apply its ban on judicial ​override. And in Ohio, CMN promoted bi-partisan death ​penalty repeal legislation. Given the polarizing U.S. political ​climate, these efforts were not successful; yet the significant ​momentum gained this year undoubtedly will propel each ​effort forward.

We are proud that CMN’s network of advocates took 20,000 ​actions over the last year to oppose executions and support ​efforts to end the death penalty in the United States.

Alongside advocacy, prayer remains a grounding pillar of ​CMN’s work. In 2024, CMN hosted its 55th First Friday Prayer ​Vigil. Since the monthly vigils began in the summer of 2020, ​CMN has welcomed 23 bishops and dozens of women ​religious, priests, deacons, and lay ministry leaders to lead ​nearly 9,000 faithful vigil attendees in prayer for those ​impacted by the death penalty.

CMN’s capacity to advance death penalty abolition ​grew in 2023-2024 with the addition of valuable team ​members and advisors. In August 2023, CMN ​welcomed Emmjolee Mendoza Waters to the staff as ​Death Penalty Abolition Program Director. Her more ​than two decades of community organizing, faith-based ​advocacy, and young adult ministry experience ​contribute to CMN’s missional efforts. Additionally, ​CMN solidified its Grassroots Advisory Committee—a ​group of anti-death penalty advocates that meets ​regularly to share best practices from their local ​contexts and foster a cohesive and informed national ​movement.

CMN also welcomed new board members who bring ​technical acumen, knowledge, and depth of experience ​to CMN’s network including, Greg Erlandson, Justice ​Janine Geske, Dcn. Paul Kipfstuhl, Bill O’Keefe, and Fr. ​Stephen Thorne.

Meet Our Team ➡

NEXT GENERATION OF ​ADVOCATES

Young people are the future of our Church and the death ​penalty abolition movement, and they consistently oppose ​capital punishment at higher rates than their older ​counterparts.

In Fall 2023, CMN launched “Next Gen for Justice,” a college ​speaking tour in active death penalty states. Through 20 ​presentations hosted across 3 Catholic college campuses, these ​speaking tours galvanized members of the next generation of ​advocates to enact systemic change in their communities—​now, and for years to come.

In May 2024, CMN revealed a fresh look and feel complete with an updated logo and tagline, new ​brand elements, and a revitalized website. CMN’s rebranding comes at a pivotal time in the ​organization’s history as it anticipates its 15th anniversary. Through the process of rebranding, the ​organization redoubled its commitment to CMN’s mission and deeply held faith.

CMN’s new logo features three symbolic elements:

CALVARY

Represented by the dark ​space within the logo. It ​recalls this place of ​immense pain, but also ​profound redemption, ​transformation, and ​ultimately Christ’s love.

COMMUNION

Represented by the inner circle and outer ​edge of the logo. It reminds us of the values ​of this Holy Sacrament, which promotes ​right relationship with God and neighbor.

CROSS

The focal point of the CMN logo. It brings to mind the ​instrument of capital punishment used to execute Jesus, a ​symbol of sacrifice and the power of hope over death. ​The upper border of the cross remains open, representing ​the forward progress we continue to make as a ​community.

advance justice

Offering an expanded array of restorative justice education and ​training experiences continues to be a priority for CMN—both for ​restorative justice newcomers and active practitioners.

400 individuals experienced CMN’s restorative justice skillbuilding ​offerings in 2023-2024 through 5 Intro to Restorative Justice ​Workshops, 12 continuing development events, and an in-person ​training which equipped 17 ministry leaders to integrate ​restorative practices in their ministries and communities.

In January 2024, CMN launched the second season of Encounters ​With Dignity, CMN’s restorative justice podcast which has now ​engaged over 7,300 listeners with nearly 10,000 total listens. This ​season focuses on the U.S. criminal legal system through the lived ​experiences of those most directly impacted by it, including a ​victim advocate, a prison minister, a lawyer, and a formerly ​incarcerated person.

A notable contribution to increasing faith-based applications of ​restorative justice is CMN’s RJ Ministry Community of Practice, ​which offers support to restorative justice practitioners in varied ​ministerial settings, and now boasts over 600 members from ​across the country. The community’s email listserv allows ​members to share valuable resources and learn about upcoming ​events and capacity-building experiences.

NATIONAL CATHOLIC CONFERENCE ​ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

In October 2023, CMN convened hundreds of Catholic restorative ​justice advocates—both online and in person—for the National ​Catholic Conference on Restorative Justice, hosted in collaboration ​with the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, MN.

The conference’s 5 mainstage panels, 18 workshop sessions, and 7 ​group dialogue processes invited attendees to explore the theme ​“Journeying Toward Restoration,” with four key focal areas: criminal ​legal system transformation, clergy sexual abuse and healing, racial ​injustice and healing, and harms against native peoples.

The conference, which was the first in-person national conference of ​its kind, succeeded in convening an impressive array of Catholic ​ministerial leaders, restorative justice practitioners, and criminal legal ​system actors around the topic of restorative justice and the Catholic ​Church.

In 2009, CMN was founded on two core values: all life ​is sacred, and people deserve the chance to transform ​harm into healing, redemption, and wholeness. In 15 ​years, CMN has strengthened the formation of ​Catholics on the Church’s pro-life teaching, mobilized ​Catholics for advocacy, and equipped Catholics to ​become forces for healing and reconciliation.

Through a fortified national network, CMN’s next 15 ​years will surely yield increased capacity and impact ​in the work to end the death penalty, advance justice, ​and begin healing.

“I love the new website. It has so much energy and ​vitality.” – Sr. Carolyn

BEGIN HEALING

The Catholic Church’s 3-year Synod on Synodality continued ​throughout 2023-2024. From the initial call of the synod process​—inviting the global Church to listen, pray, and communally ​discern so that we might better respond to the movements of ​the Holy Spirit at work— CMN recognized the process as a ​veritable global restorative practice.

Executive Director, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, penned an ​op-ed in January 2024 entitled, “How restorative justice and ​synodality can help the church heal,” and expanded on this ​synergy as a panelist in a high-profile synodal event hosted by ​the Georgetown Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public ​Life.

Director of Restorative Justice, Caitlin Morneau, facilitated a ​synodal process for hundreds of Catholic ministry leaders at the ​February 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit. And in June 2024, ​Vaillancourt Murphy and Morneau were invited to participate in ​the Discerning Leadership Program in Rome, a formation ​program for leaders participating in organizational renewal in a ​synodal way of proceeding.

Inspired by this synodal way, CMN initiated the development of ​Conversations in Communion: Parish Dialogues for Connection ​and Understanding, a new facilitators guide and companion ​training program set to launch publicly this Fall. This exciting ​program will enable ministry leaders to embrace the restorative ​practice of circle process as a tool to become a listening, ​discerning Church and to bring these desperately needed ​conversations into parishes, ministries, or community settings.

Finally, CMN continued addressing the sin of racism in our ​Church and our criminal legal system by organizing group ​experiences to historical sites of the Civil Rights Movement in ​Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. CMN convened three trips in ​2023-2024, including for Holy Trinity Parish DC, the ​Congregation of St. Joseph Mission Network, and a group of ​U.S. Catholic Bishops and their staff co-hosted with the United ​States Conference of Catholic Bishops AdHoc Committee ​Against Racism.

A STORY TO TELL

Restorative practices make way for healing and wholeness in the ​wake of harm. CMN uses its national platform to amplify the ​voices of powerful messengers who have been most directly ​impacted by this transformative approach.

In 2023-2024, CMN featured the stories of two such individuals ​in two, 3-minute minidocs which have been viewed by more ​than 300,000 people.

Heather Thompson sought out a restorative process with the ​man who took her brother’s life, an experience that made way ​for peace where she had once been consumed by anger; and ​Felix Rosado engaged in restorative justice while serving a life in ​prison sentence, a discovery that set him on a journey of ​accountability, transformation, and ultimately freedom.

In June 2024, Felix’s video (displayed below) won third place at ​the Catholic Media Awards in the category of Best Video — ​Social Justice Issues, Diocesan and National News ​Organizations.

IMPACT BY THE ​NUMBERS

St. Maximilian kolbe

giving society

St. Maximilian Kolbe, OFM Conv. was a Polish Franciscan ​who was executed by lethal injection in Auschwitz during ​World War II, after courageously volunteering to take the ​place of a cellmate. Today, he is the patron saint of ​prisoners, families, and the pro-life movement. His feast ​day is August 14.

The St. Maximilian Kolbe Giving Society recognizes the ​committed supporters who have invested in CMN’s ​ministry for three or more consecutive years. Their ​generosity drives forward CMN’s life-affirming mission to ​end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing.

financials

Thank you for all the ways you support Catholic Mobilizing ​Network. CMN continues to further efforts to end the death ​penalty and promote the healing practices of restorative justice ​thanks to your contributions, which in 2023-2024 was the most ​CMN has raised since its founding.

CMN’s mission is made possible through individual ​supporters, a faithful and growing Monthly Steward Circle, ​generous major donors, diocesan and parish gifts, family ​foundations, and loyal support from men and women religious ​and their communities.

Give a gift to CMN today at catholicsmobilizing.org/donate

FY’24 Total revenue: ​$1,082,818.44