Sister Helen Prejean

Sister Helen Prejean is a Catholic nun and author of Dead Man Walking, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated book, which became an Academy Award-winning movie. In 1965 Vatican II caused Sister Helen to exchange her semi-cloistered life for active participation in community around her in New Orleans. She began teaching high school dropouts at an inner city housing project New Orleans. In 1982, a conversation with a colleague at the Louisiana State Prison Coalition prompted her to become a pen pal to a convicted murderer named Patrick Sonnier. Dead Man Walking is her account of becoming Sonnier's spiritual advisor and accompanying him to his execution. Many consider Dead Man Walking and her message to be an extraordinary example of the power of unconditional love.

The passages and questions below are offered as a starting point for discussion, and are simply listed in sequential order as they appear in the book.

• Page 4, "Gradually, lovingly, she [Sister Helen] accompanies me [the author], and all her listeners, toward the heart of her message: 'what if each of us were judged solely by the worst thing we ever did in our lives?'"
  • Setting aside all legal issues and our current justice system, apply those words to your own personal life history. What are the feelings that come up when you consider the worst thing you have done?
  • How do those feelings relate to your personal spiritual beliefs about mercy, compassion, and forgiveness?
• Page 6-7, "Some of my deepest spiritual moments occurred when I walked with Patrick Sonnier to his execution. ... Suddenly, all life was clear to me. Was I going to be for love or for hate? Was I for compassion or was I for vengeance?" If you have seen the movie The Secret, consider Sister Helen's words in light of the Law of Attraction - that which we choose to focus our energy upon is what we will attract into our lives.
  • What do you personally stand for? Challenge yourself to answer the question using "I stand for yyy", rather than "I am anti-xxx."
    
  • Can you think of an instance in your life where you acted inconsistently with this belief? What prompted you to act that way?
• Was there a particular passage that made you stop and either consider or appreciate?