June 17, 2009 The Florida Catholic
Priest: Revenge is no reason for the death penalty
Retired from the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., Father Sebastian Muccilli continues to work tirelessly for the peace of Christ.
LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT
Posted: 06.05.09
“If only we can learn to let go of the revenge – and I believe the only way to do that is the contemplative life…
PALM BEACH | Within Father Sebastian flows a love so intense, a “passion for life in all its glory” so unconstrained, that it is equally as potent as society’s lethal cocktail injected into reluctant veins to convey death.
“I think revenge is at the basis of all the horrors that we try so hard to eradicate that somehow when we are trying to eradicate the ugliness, violence, horrors of life – in trying to eradicate the evil we find in ourselves – we find the need to be revengeful,” Father Muccilli said.
Now that he’s retired from the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., Father Sebastian Muccilli’s life and ministry have been characterized by what could be seen as extreme contrasts or just the merest veil between life and death. In 2007, he celebrated his 50th anniversary to the priesthood and July 26 of the same year mourned the execution of his friend, Darrell Grayson.
A preponderance of evidence suggests that Grayson was indeed innocent of the crime of which he was convicted at age 19, spent 25 years of his life on death row, was denied the DNA test that could have proven him innocent and was ultimately executed despite another’s confession. It was the denial of his final request for Father Muccilli’s presence at the execution which drives home the sheer evil.
“It was the man’s last request,” Father Muccilli stated with a bone-chilling calm. “I should have been allowed, but I was escorted out of the prison. It shows how inhuman we have become – a person being denied the presence of another human being.”
It was through longtime friend, Esther Brown – a social worker who has devoted her life to people on death row – that Father Muccilli first met Grayson. For four years they wrote often and Father Muccilli became convinced of Grayson’s innocence. The priest also spent the better part of Grayson’s final two days of life with him and anointed him in the cell adjacent to the death chamber.
Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito said, “The most sacred gift we possess is the gift of life – life from conception to natural death. It’s the Church’s position that we do everything we can to protect that gift – enhancing it as well. There is no need for the death penalty in our society today, to take someone’s life when other effective measures can be used to protect society. I share the passion of the Church for the protection of life at every stage. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God and even though that person has committed a horrendous crime, anything that includes vengeance is not Christian. A Christian attitude is always one that seeks justice with compassion.”
Father Muccilli early priesthood in the 1960s included 13 months at the Naval Support Activity Hospital south of Da Nang, Vietnam, where he ministered amidst the “horrors of war – death every day and sometimes the bodies of the wounded men were worse than in death.”
For three and a half years in the ’80s, Father Muccilli worked in a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as director of a hospice program for abandoned and orphaned children. He brought chronically ill 3-year-old Jimmi to the U.S. and adopted, nurtured and cared for him. He is now a 23-year-old accomplished pianist.
Father Muccilli’s years as a chaplain at the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach where so “often the condition of the patients is/was as a result of the violence of war” were also not sufficient preparation for the intentional murder of the healthy, productive human being who was his friend.
At the time of his execution, Grayson was chairman of Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty, an Alabama organization founded and run by death-row prisoners to educate the public and bring about the abolition of the death penalty. He was a published poet and frequent contributor to the quarterly newsletter. He had become a teacher and mentor for other inmates of death row.
“If only we can learn to let go of the revenge – and I believe the only way to do that is the contemplative life – when we allow the contemplative side of ourselves to take over our existence, we see both the dark side and the light side and how easily I can fall into the dark side if I’m not allowing the light to guide me,” Father Mucilli said. “Jesus was a contradiction to the whole spirit of revenge.”
In addition to parish assignments, Father Muccilli has written and worked as associate director and associate editor of Pax Christi USA, whose mission is to “create a world that reflects the peace of Christ.” As a professor of moral theology at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wis., he taught the seminarians the way of justice and peace. His efforts and ministry to abolish the death penalty have been tireless and lifelong.
“In all of the life issues, we need the leadership of our priests, so we really appreciate Father Muccilli leading the way on ending the use of the death penalty,” said Don Kazimir, diocesan director of the Respect Life Office. “Our priests can really inspire us.”
To the delight of his friends, Father Muccilli frequently sends out an e-mail with “Etc.” as the subject line. It includes a quote or new insight he has just discovered. One of his favorites is from Father Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, “It is not sufficient to forgive others: We must forgive them with humility and compassion. If we forgive without humility, our forgiveness is a mockery: It presupposes that we are better than they.”
