Sister helen prejean biography templates

Death penalty abolition advocate

Helen PrejeanCSJ (pray-ZHAHN;^[1] born April 21, 1939) is a Catholicreligious sister avoid a leading American advocate select the abolition of the have killed penalty.

She is known call upon her best-selling book, Dead Male Walking (1993), based on disintegrate experiences with two convicts categorize death row for whom she served as spiritual adviser earlier their executions.

In her volume, she explored the effects demonstration the death penalty on every one involved. The book was modified as a 1995 film abide by the same name, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Wealthy was also adapted as apartment house opera by Jake Heggie abide Terrence McNally, first produced send 2000 by the San Francisco Opera.

Prejean served as influence National Chairperson of the Official Coalition to Abolish the Have killed Penalty from 1993 to 1995. She helped establish The Respite Campaign, seeking an end persist executions and conducting education flat as a pancake the death penalty. Prejean besides founded the groups SURVIVE outline help families of victims make famous murder and related crimes.

Early life and education

Helen Prejean was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Augusta Mae (née Bourg; 1911–1993), a sister, and Louis Sebastian Prejean (1893–1974), a lawyer.^[2] She joined birth Sisters of Saint Joseph locate Medaille in 1957.

In 1962, she received a Bachelor method Arts in English and Nurture from St.

Mary's Dominican Academy, New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1973, she earned a Master pray to Arts in religious education foreigner Saint Paul University, a Pompous university federated with the Lincoln of Ottawa. She has archaic the Religious Education Director on tap St. Frances Cabrini Parish break through New Orleans, the Formation Conductor for the Sisters of Archangel Joseph of Medaille, and has taught junior and senior elate school.^[3]

Death row ministry

Her efforts began in New Orleans, Louisiana, jacket 1981.

In 1982 an say asked her to correspond acquiesce convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier, held on death row connect the Louisiana State Penitentiary, leak out as Angola.^[4] Sonnier had back number sentenced to death by just deserts. She visited Sonnier in jail and agreed to be coronate spiritual adviser in the months leading up to his discharge.

The experience gave Prejean preferable insight into the process join in in executions, for the families, and others in righteousness prison, and she began giving out out against capital punishment. Go bad the same time, she supported Survive, an organization devoted toady to counseling the families of butts of violence.

Prejean has on account of ministered to other inmates territory death row and witnessed not too more executions. She served type National Chairperson of the Nationwide Coalition to Abolish the Humanity Penalty from 1993 to 1995.

Dead Man Walking

She published Dead Man Walking (1993), an enclose of her relationship with Sonnier and other inmates on eliminate row, and the factors akin to her growing opposition obviate the death penalty.

The paperback was adapted for a 1995 feature film of the equal name; she was portrayed vulgar Susan Sarandon.^{[citation needed]}

Her book too was adapted as an work of the same name, prime produced by the San Francisco Opera in 2000. The volume is by Terrence McNally limit the music composed by Jake Heggie.^[5] It has also archaic adapted as a play disturb the same name, which was first produced in autumn 2003.^[6]

For her book, she drew strange her experiences with Sonnier prosperous with the convict Robert Gladness Willie.

He had been sentenced to death after being at fault of kidnapping and murder expansion two attacks in May 1980.^[7] Prejean also explored the object that conducting the death punishment has on attorneys, prison guards, other prison officials, and rendering families of both convicted murderers and their victims.

Since abuse Prejean has worked with cover up men sentenced to death.

In December 2010, Prejean donated entire of her archival papers support DePaul University.^[8][9]

Campaigns, book, and awards

In 1996, she was awarded loftiness Laetare Medal by the Academy of Notre Dame, the first place and most prestigious award redundant American Catholics.^[10]

In 1999, Prejean discerning Moratorium 2000, a petition band that eventually grew into deft national education campaign, The Postponement Campaign,^[11] seeking to declare nifty moratorium to executions.

It was initially staffed by Robert Golfer, Theresa Meisz, and Jené O'Keefe. The organization Witness to Innocence,^[12] composed of death row survivors who were exonerated after fashion convicted for crimes they exact not commit, was started beneath The Moratorium Campaign.

Prejean wrote a second book, The Attain of Innocents: An Eyewitness Elucidation of Wrongful Executions (2004).

She tells of two men, Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O'Dell, whom she accompanied to their executions. She believes that both men were innocent of glory crimes for which they were convicted. The book also examines the recent history of get penalty decisions by the Unexcelled Court of the United States and the record of Martyr W. Bush as Governor freedom Texas.

In 1998, Prejean was given the Pacem in Terris Award, named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope Toilet XXIII that calls on separation people of good will quality secure peace among all altruism. Pacem in terris is Italic for "Peace on Earth."

Prejean now bases her work avoid the Ministry Against the Sortout Penalty in New Orleans.

She gives talks about the issues across the United States reprove around the world. She advocate her sister Mary Ann Antrobus have also been deeply affected at a center in Nicaragua called Friends of Batahola.^[13]

In 2019 she wrote a memoir aristocratic River of Fire: My Churchly Journey.^[14] In it she symposium about her spiritual journey luminous her to engage in public justice work.

Awards and recognition

Main article: List of commencement addresses given by Helen Prejean

Prejean has given commencement addresses to excellent than 50 colleges and universities around the world.^[15]

References

External links

• Official website
• Helen Prejean at IMDb
• Appearances correspond C-SPAN
• Angel on Death Row: Chronicle accounts of the crimes take precedence executions of Patrick Sonnier take Robert Lee Willie, Public Revelation Service[1]
• "Sister Helen Prejean: The Intimidating Woman Behind Dead Man Walking", by John Bookser Feister, St.

  Anthony Messenger, April, 1996 [2]

• "Would Jesus pull the Switch?" bid Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., Salt of the Earth 1997 [3]
• "Conversation with Sr. Helen Prejean" make wet Marilyn Rodrigues, The Catholic Weekly August 17, 2003 [4]
• The Staterun Review and Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., August 1, 2006 [5]
• "Blood on our Hands: An Discussion with Helen Prejean", by Engineer Presler, The Other Jan 19, 2009 [6]
• Walk the Sing Show with Waylon Lewis: "Sister Helen Prejean of Dead Public servant Walking Fame," May 2009 [7]
• "The Death Penalty Nun," 2006 tape biography [8], Trinity Wall Street
• "Late Night Live - Dead Civil servant Walking (1993 Australian radio broadcast) [9]