Dead Man Walking

“Jesus is sneaky, you got to watch out” were the first couple of words Sister Helen Prejean started off with in her seminar on October 7th at Texas A&M International University. Sister Helen is a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph; she is not only a sister of the ministry but also an author. Dead Man Walking as well as Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions are the two books that were written by Sister Helen. In which Dead Man Walking later became a movie in 1995

It all started when she moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans and worked at Hope House in 1984, she was raised in a well brought up family, her father was a lawyer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During Sister Helen’s time in St. Thomas Housing Project she learned the reality of poverty, “African American’s in the projects became my teachers, because I had grown up privileged” she had learned so much from her experience there she claimed that the poor people were the most privileged ones, they deserve our love and our care. Later she received an invitation from somebody from the coalition prison office stating if she would like to be a pen pal for someone who was on death row.

Sister Helen had no idea they were going to execute this person, for the reason they had not executed anyone in Louisiana in 20 years. That’s where her amazing journey began, the letters went back and forth, they discussed things they would do throughout the day, that’s when she realized he was all-alone. While reading her letters she then realized there was a comparison on Jesus words and the words from the letters of Pat. Pat then asked her to be his spiritual advisor, sister Helen filled out the forms with no hesitation. Not knowing two years later he would be executed. No lawyers nor any friends and family could be present during the execution, only Sister Helen “I m going to be with him and he’s going to look at my face while he dies, that moment changed my life forever.”

When we hear brutal stories about innocent people being victimized our outrage we feel that those who hurt them deserve every bit of pain. That’s only in our human nature, its ethical to want or seek revenge. Death penalty? He did that to those innocent people? Yes he deserves the death penalty they need to pay for what they did. Sister Helen has learned in her journey through the eyes of someone who is not only looking at one perspective, but several that two wrongs don't make a right. There are other ways of dealing with punishment, and death is not the right one.

Whether or not you are for or against the death penalty, listen to the words of Sister Helen see it not as right or wrong but the beauty of someone's faith.

(For more information please contact Khloe Torres at khloetorres@dusty.tamiu.edu)