Arlington, Va. - Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, well-known author, speaker and advocate to abolish captial punishment, will be a keynote speaker at the annual convention of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). She will speak Wednesday morning, April 27, during the opening session.
Sister Helen Prejean is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph. In 1981 she became pen pals with Patrick Sonier, who was sentenced to die in the electric chair in Louisiana. She began visiting him and ultimately turned her experiences into the book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.” The book was number one on the New York Times best seller list for 31 weeks and has been translated into 10 languages.
In 1996, the book was developed into major motion picture and also was the basis for an opera that premiered in San Francisco in 2000. Sister Prejean’s second book, “The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions,” was published in 2004.
Through her public and media appearances and leadership of Survive, a victim’s advocacy group, Sister Prejean has become the country’s most visible opponent of the death penalty. Her work has been honored by many religious and secular organizations, including more than 50 honorary degrees from institutions in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and Scotland.
The NCEA, founded in 1904, is a professional membership organization that provides leadership, direction and service to fulfill the evangelizing, catechizing and teaching mission of the church. NCEA members include elementary schools, high schools, parish religious education programs and seminaries.
National Catholic Educational Association
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