Campaigning nun to speak in London
-23/11/05
A nun, known for her tireless campaigns ag
Campaigning nun to speak in London
-23/11/05
A nun, known for her tireless campaigns against capital punishment, and the subject of a blockbuster film, is to give the annual Tablet lecture next Monday.
Sister Helen Prejean’s work was the subject of the award-winning film Dead Man Walking, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
In May this year, Sister Helen received the Peace Prize of the City of Ypres. Awarded every three years by the Belgian city of Ypres, the Peace Prize recognizes those who have made important contributions to peace on earth.
Sister Helen began her prison ministry in 1981 when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans.
While living in the St. Thomas housing project, she became pen pals with Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers, sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana’s Angola State Prison.
Upon Sonnier’s request, Sister Helen repeatedly visited him as his spiritual advisor. In doing so, her eyes were opened to the Louisiana execution process. Sister Helen turned her experiences into a book that not only made the 1994 American Library Associates Notable Book List, it was also nominated for a 1993 Pulitzer Prize.
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States was number one on the New York Times Best Seller List for 31 weeks. It also was an international best seller and has been translated into ten different languages.
In January 1996, the book was developed into a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen and Sean Penn as a death row inmate. Produced by Polygram Pictures, the film was directed and written by Tim Robbins.
The film received four Oscar nominations including Tim Robbins for Best Director, Sean Penn for Best Actor, Susan Sarandon for Best Actress, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dead Man Walking” for Best Song. Susan Sarandon won the award for Best Actress.
The book was also the basis for a new opera. It was presented by the San Francisco Opera and premiered in October 2000.
The lecture – “Dead Man Walking – the journey continues” will be held on November 28 at 6.45pm at the Jeffray Hall, The Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1
Campaigning nun to speak in London
-23/11/05
A nun, known for her tireless campaigns against capital punishment, and the subject of a blockbuster film, is to give the annual Tablet lecture next Monday.
Sister Helen Prejean’s work was the subject of the award-winning film Dead Man Walking, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
In May this year, Sister Helen received the Peace Prize of the City of Ypres. Awarded every three years by the Belgian city of Ypres, the Peace Prize recognizes those who have made important contributions to peace on earth.
Sister Helen began her prison ministry in 1981 when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans.
While living in the St. Thomas housing project, she became pen pals with Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers, sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana’s Angola State Prison.
Upon Sonnier’s request, Sister Helen repeatedly visited him as his spiritual advisor. In doing so, her eyes were opened to the Louisiana execution process. Sister Helen turned her experiences into a book that not only made the 1994 American Library Associates Notable Book List, it was also nominated for a 1993 Pulitzer Prize.
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States was number one on the New York Times Best Seller List for 31 weeks. It also was an international best seller and has been translated into ten different languages.
In January 1996, the book was developed into a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen and Sean Penn as a death row inmate. Produced by Polygram Pictures, the film was directed and written by Tim Robbins.
The film received four Oscar nominations including Tim Robbins for Best Director, Sean Penn for Best Actor, Susan Sarandon for Best Actress, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dead Man Walking” for Best Song. Susan Sarandon won the award for Best Actress.
The book was also the basis for a new opera. It was presented by the San Francisco Opera and premiered in October 2000.
The lecture – “Dead Man Walking – the journey continues” will be held on November 28 at 6.45pm at the Jeffray Hall, The Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1