On October 25th, The CGO met with Sister Helen Prejean, an activist whose goal is to abolish the death penalty. She is the author of Dead Man Walking and Death of Innocents. Apart from writing these nationally recognized books, she also organized the petition drive Moratorium 2000 which eventually became the Moratorium Campaign. She was given the Pacem in Terris Award in 1998. Nowadays Sister Helen tours around the world telling her story and advocating the abolition of the death penalty.

Sister Helen met with The CGO last year, and we were fortunate to have her visit again this week. She spent two hours with us discussing her thoughts on the death penalty and answering some tough questions from The CGO students. Many of our questions focused on her religion and how it affects her work. One topic that was brought up was her perception of Catholicism. She mentioned that the classic hierarchy is not representative of everyone in the Church – the focus should be on listening to the underrepresented; stay close to the people. She stated that the root “religio” means to connect us or to tie together.

Sister Helen in discussion with CGO students, 2012

When asked if she thinks religion causes more harm than good, she said that it’s a double edged sword. It can be exclusive and negative if people think they’re “supernaturally connected;” they think they have a direct communication with God and they use this in a manipulative way. On the other hand, religion can provide rituals and relationships. We are spiritual beings with an “infinite capacity to love and to commit.” Her spirituality and continued focus on the issue helps her deal with times of weakness. She is motivated by the people she’s standing for, giving them a voice.