Starting this past Friday and continuing every Friday during lent there will be a group of Catholics holding a 30 minute silent vigil before the 12:10 Friday Mass across the street from St Ambrose in front of the Pastoral Center on High Street. This vigil is part of the Blessed Franz Jagerstatter Lenten Fast and Prayer to Break the Silence campaign. Franz Jägerstätter was an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II who was declared Blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. His refusal to serve mandatory military service in war time was a criminal offense in Germany, and he was sentenced to death and executed. The Lenten fast and prayer campaign is in reparation for our silence and the silence of our church in not condemning the invasion and ongoing occupation of Iraq by our military.

In the Des Moines Diocese our campaign consists of three actions: 1) To get as many people as we can to sign up and join the fast. The nature and extent of fasting and prayer is set by each individual who signs on to the campaign. People can sign up to join the campaign and have their name added to our list by contacting: Frank Cordaro, DM Catholic Worker by mail: Berrigan CW House, 713 Indiana Ave. DM IA 50314, by phone: (515) 282-4781, by e-mail: frank.cordaro@gmail.com  2) We will hold a silent vigil on the side walk across the street from St Ambrose Cathedral on the north side of the DM Diocesan Pastoral Center on High Street every Friday during lent, a half hour before the 12:10 p.m. Mass starting at 11:40 a.m. We invite others to join us. 3) We will deliver a list of all the names we collect for the campaign to our Bishop - if one is named by Easter or to Msgr Steve Orr, our designated diocesan administrator, if no Bishop is named – on Easter Sunday. The names of all people who sign on for the campaign will also be forward to the international campaign web page www.FranzPrayForUs.org

•Franz Jägerstätter (May 20, 1907 — August 9, 1943) was an Austrian conscientious objector during World War II and has been declared Blessed by the Roman Catholic Church. As in most countries at the time, refusal to serve mandatory military service in war time was a criminal offense in Germany, and Jägerstätter was sentenced to death and executed.  The DM Committee of the Blessed Franz Jagerstatter Lenten Fast and Prayer to Break the Silence campaign. Contact Person: Frank Cordaro, Phil Berrigan CW House, 713 Indiana Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50314 (515) 282-4781