DIOCESAN NEWS
05/28/10
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Prayer vigils held for victims, inmates
By Elsa Baughman
JACKSON — St. Therese parishioner Betsy Carraway, her husband Charles, and daughter Nina attended the prayer vigil for Krystal King and Gerald Holland Thursday, May 20, at Smith Park in downtown Jackson.
Holland murdered 15-year-old King in Gulfport in 1986. His execution was scheduled at 6 p.m.
Betsy Carraway said they attended the service out of obedience. “I have found a great deal of blessing and spiritual growth comes from learning what the church teaches and when I put it into action,” she said.
She explained the teachings of the church on life issues are crystal clear: “We can’t separate the dealth penalty from abortion, physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia.”
According to her beliefs, all of these methods go against Christ’s teachings about mercy and forgiveness. “We are to show mercy since mercy has been shown to us,” she said, adding, “God will take care of the rest. ‘Vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord.”’
 Those attending the prayer vigil included Bishops Joseph Latino and William Houck, Fathers Jeremy Tobin, Kent Bowlds and Lincoln Dall, Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church, Rev. Carol Spencer from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral and others from different faiths and denominations.
Holland, 72, the oldest inmate on Mississippi’s death row, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 6:14 p.m. at the State Penitentiary at Parchman.
At the half-hour vigil prayer, Father Tobin lighted candles for King and Holland as Bishop Houck read a prayer for all on death row in Mississippi and across the country.
The day before, May 19, also at Parchman, Paul Everette Woodward was put to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 25-year-old Rhonda Crane of Escatawpa, nearly 24 years after her death.
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