Activist Sr. Helen Prejean - will speak at Fairfield U on the death penalty

I am a fan of Sister, although I've never met or corresponded with her. I plan on going to this on November 7th. While her ministry is to to people on death row and to abolishing the death penalty, she is not afraid to voice her right to life position.

Activist and author Sister Helen Prejean returns to Fairfield to discuss abolishing the death penalty in the United States.

"Sister Helen Prejean has proven herself, over decades, to be one of the most faithful figures in the church and society,” stated Dan Cossacchi, PhD, Canisius postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the Religious Studies department. “Her indefatigable work to abolish the death penalty in the United States has born so much fruit.”

After beginning her prison ministry in 1981, Sr. Prejean witnessed the executions of several death row inmates and was driven to speak out about the moral injustices she observed. Her experiences in the prison system ultimately inspired the publication of her first memoir entitled Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. The book became an international success, spending 31 consecutive weeks on The New York Times' Best Sellers list, in addition to earning a spot in the 1994 American Library Association's Notable Books list. In January of 1996, the book was adapted into a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon in the role of Sr. Helen, and Sean Penn as an inmate on death row. The film received four Academy Award nominations, with Susan Sarandon winning the Oscar for Best Actress.

 

 

Comments

[maria]

I met her at a Brooklyn event many years ago. While we don't agree on everything, she is an interesting woman with strong convictions.

[ELLEN MULLIN]

God bless her.