Saint Joseph’s College continues its Distinguished Lecture Series on Tuesday, May 3 with “Dead Man Walking: The Journey Continues,” a talk by Sister Helen Prejean at 7 p.m. in the Harold Alfond Center.

Sister Prejean is the author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the U.S.,” which was listed on the New York Times best sellers list for 31 weeks and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Her book was made into the 1996 motion picture “Dead Man Walking,” which was adapted and directed by Tim Robbins. Susan Sarandon received the Best Actress award for her portrayal of Sister Prejean. Sister Prejean’s book has been translated into 12 languages and has been made into an opera by the San Francisco Opera Company.

Sister Prejean has lived and worked in Louisiana all her life. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medialle in 1957. In 1981 she worked at the St. Thomas Housing Project with poor inner-city residents and began counseling death row inmates in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a ministry she continues today. She has accompanied six men to their death by execution. She also works with murder victims’ families and founded a group in New Orleans called Survive.

ABC did a special on Sister Prejean on “Prime Time Live,” PBS featured her on “Frontline” and BBS did a special on her on “Everyman” called “Angel of Death Row.” She has been interviewed on many television and radio programs about the death penalty. She is honorary chairperson of Hands of Cain, an international group based in Rome working for abolition of death penalty, a member of Amnesty International and the U.S. National Coalition to abolish the Death Penalty, where she served as a board member for 10 years. She is the founder of Moratorium Campaign, a group working towards a moratorium at the state and national level. She is the author of a recently released book titled “Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions.”

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