Death Penalty Activist Sister Helen Prejean Visits St. Joseph’s Academy Feb. 6 and 7

Information was provided by the communications department at St. Joseph's Academy.

Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of international best seller “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty” and leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty will discuss life, death and social justice in “A Conversation with Sister Helen”, Feb.6. This event is hosted by St. Joseph’s Academy. 

Sister Helen will also attend opening night of the St. Joseph’s Academy performance of “Dead Man Walking School Theater Project” written by Tim Robbins on Feb. 7 at the same location. Play begins at 7 p.m. St. Joseph’s Academy students will perform the play February 6-8.

“Young people can change the death penalty,” said Sister Helen. “Capital punishment is one of the great moral issues facing our country, yet most people rarely think about it and very few of us take the time to delve deeply enough into this issue to be able to make an informed decision about it.”

Today, more than 30 states, including the state of Missouri have the death penalty.

Sister Helen is a Roman Catholic religious sister and a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph. In the early 1980s, she corresponded with convicted murderer Elmo Patrick Sonnier and became his spiritual advisor in the months leading up to his execution by electrocution. The experience changed her life forever. 

Since 1986, Sister Helen has been the recipient of many prestigious awards. She stands in nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize and her book “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty” has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and been the subject of an Oscar-winning film. She is currently working on a new book Rain of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.