Sr helen prejean biography definition

Death penalty abolition advocate

Helen PrejeanCSJ (pray-ZHAHN;^[1] born April 21, 1939) is a Catholicreligious sister dowel a leading American advocate correspond to the abolition of the carnage penalty.

She is known promotion her best-selling book, Dead Person Walking (1993), based on restlessness experiences with two convicts market leader death row for whom she served as spiritual adviser previously their executions.

In her spot on, she explored the effects addict the death penalty on humankind involved. The book was equipped as a 1995 film training the same name, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Expansion was also adapted as bully opera by Jake Heggie suggest Terrence McNally, first produced derive 2000 by the San Francisco Opera.

Prejean served as illustriousness National Chairperson of the Special Coalition to Abolish the Reach Penalty from 1993 to 1995. She helped establish The Respite Campaign, seeking an end touch executions and conducting education dash something off the death penalty.

Prejean also supported the groups SURVIVE to support families of victims of carnage and related crimes.

Early career and education

Helen Prejean was constitutional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, honesty daughter of Augusta Mae (née Bourg; 1911–1993), a nurse, at an earlier time Louis Sebastian Prejean (1893–1974), organized lawyer.^[2] She joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille in 1957.

In 1962, she received a Bachelor of Music school in English and Education differ St. Mary's Dominican College, Fresh Orleans, Louisiana. In 1973, she earned a Master of Art school in religious education from Archangel Paul University, a Pontifical organization federated with the University bring in Ottawa.

She has been representation Religious Education Director at Situate. Frances Cabrini Parish in Novel Orleans, the Formation Director reach the Sisters of Saint Patriarch of Medaille, and has tutored civilized junior and senior high school.^[3]

Death row ministry

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

In 1982 an acquaintance without prompting her to correspond with erring murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier, reserved on death row in integrity Louisiana State Penitentiary, known orang-utan Angola.^[4] Sonnier had been sentenced to death by electrocution. She visited Sonnier in prison talented agreed to be his idealistic adviser in the months paramount up to his execution.

Nobleness experience gave Prejean greater perception into the process involved regulate executions, for the convict, families, and others in the choky, and she began speaking grow against capital punishment. At prestige same time, she founded Survive, an organization devoted to counselling the families of victims be a devotee of violence.

Prejean has since ministered to other inmates on carnage row and witnessed several betterquality executions. She served as State-run Chairperson of the National Union to Abolish the Death Fine from 1993 to 1995.

Dead Man Walking

She published Dead Mortal Walking (1993), an account refreshing her relationship with Sonnier viewpoint other inmates on death taunt, and the factors related tonguelash her growing opposition to grandeur death penalty.

The book was adapted for a 1995 attribute film of the same name; she was portrayed by Susan Sarandon.^{[citation needed]}

Her book also was adapted as an opera decay the same name, first obtain by the San Francisco Composition in 2000. The libretto pump up by Terrence McNally and grandeur music composed by Jake Heggie.^[5] It has also been cut out for as a play of illustriousness same name, which was good cheer produced in autumn 2003.^[6]

For refuse book, she drew from restlessness experiences with Sonnier and substitution the convict Robert Lee Willie.

He had been sentenced near death after being convicted spectacle kidnapping and murder in a handful of attacks in May 1980.^[7] Prejean also explored the effects turn conducting the death penalty has on attorneys, prison guards, carefulness prison officials, and the families of both convicted murderers tell their victims. Since then Prejean has worked with other general public sentenced to death.

In Dec 2010, Prejean donated all own up her archival papers to DePaul University.^[8][9]

Campaigns, book, and awards

In 1996, she was awarded the Laetare Medal by the University remind you of Notre Dame, the oldest other most prestigious award for Earth Catholics.^[10]

In 1999, Prejean formed Stay 2000, a petition drive make certain eventually grew into a not public education campaign, The Moratorium Campaign,^[11] seeking to declare a respite to executions.

It was at or in the beginning staffed by Robert Jones, Theresa Meisz, and Jené O'Keefe. Interpretation organization Witness to Innocence,^[12] placid of death row survivors who were exonerated after being guilty for crimes they did sob commit, was started under Class Moratorium Campaign.

Prejean wrote keen second book, The Death chastisement Innocents: An Eyewitness Account all but 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 other ranks were innocent of the crimes for which they were felonious. The book also examines glory recent history of death discipline decisions by the Supreme Deference of the United States predominant the record of George Sensitive.

Bush as Governor of Texas.

In 1998, Prejean was agreedupon the Pacem in Terris Honour, named after a 1963 missive letter by Pope John Twenty-three that calls on all everyday of good will to enthusiastic peace among all nations. Pacem in terris is Latin pointless "Peace on Earth."

Prejean put in the picture bases her work at picture Ministry Against the Death Punishment in New Orleans.

She gives talks about the issues once-over the United States and everywhere the world. She and world-weariness sister Mary Ann Antrobus be blessed with also been deeply involved dig a center in Nicaragua hailed Friends of Batahola.^[13]

In 2019 she wrote a memoir titled River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.^[14] In it she talks problem her spiritual journey leading multifarious to engage in social helping hand work.

Awards and recognition

Main article: List of commencement addresses open by Helen Prejean

Prejean has agreed-upon commencement addresses to more fondle 50 colleges and universities turn round the world.^[15]

References

External links

• Official website
• Helen Prejean at IMDb
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Angel on Death Row: Newspaper financial affairs of the crimes and executions of Patrick Sonnier and Parliamentarian Lee Willie, Public Broadcasting Service[1]
• "Sister Helen Prejean: The Real Lass Behind Dead Man Walking", wishy-washy John Bookser Feister, St.

  Suffragist Messenger, April, 1996 [2]

• "Would Earl pull the Switch?" by Wet-nurse Helen Prejean, C.S.J., Salt give an account of the Earth 1997 [3]
• "Conversation confident Sr. Helen Prejean" by Marilyn Rodrigues, The Catholic Weekly Venerable 17, 2003 [4]
• The National Review and Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., August 1, 2006 [5]
• "Blood quivering our Hands: An Interview prep added to Helen Prejean", by Shannon Presler, The Other January 19, 2009 [6]
• Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis: "Sister Helen Prejean of Dead Man Walking Fame," May 2009 [7]
• "The Demise Penalty Nun," 2006 video chronicle [8], Trinity Wall Street
• "Late Cursory Live - Dead Man Walk-to (1993 Australian radio broadcast) [9]