The idea of the prayer vigil, Bishop Wall said, is to pray for Mitchell's conversion, for healing for the victims' family, and for conversion of the hearts of the executioners.
Fr. Downie served in the military and raised a family with his wife, Valda. After she died, he answered the call to serve the people of the Diocese of Gallup as a priest.
Bishop James Wall welcomed the announcement: "The example of the life of the ‘Padre on Horseback’ has played a large part in strengthening my own Catholic faith".
