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| Sister Helen Prejean |
Don Bosco Prep
492 N. Franklin Turnpike
Ramsey, NJ 07446
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Release Date: Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Media Contact: Caryl Bixon-Gordon (201) 796-7788
Presentation on Social Justice and Dignity of Life is Free and Open to the Public
RAMSEY, N.J., Jan. 6, 2015 – Sister Helen Prejean, who rose to national prominence with the film version of her book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, will speak at Don Bosco Prep on Monday, February 9 at 7 p.m. Prejean's presentation, part of the Don Bosco Prep Speakers Series, will focus on the death penalty and her work in counseling death row inmates. The evening program, which is free and open to the general public, will be held in the DeSales Hall Auditorium on the school's campus at 492 N. Franklin Turnpike in Ramsey. Prejean will address students at an assembly earlier in the day.
Don Bosco Prep is celebrating its centennial in 2015, and administrators unveiled a new student honor code at the start of the current school year. A monthly series of themed programs has been developed to bring to life each point of the code. To highlight February's "Empathy" theme, the school is focusing on issues of social justice and dignity of life, which align with Prejean's work.
"To have such a pivotal national figure share her insights at Don Bosco Prep is an honor and a privilege," said Father James Heuser, director and president. "Sister Helen's remarkable work with death row prisoners and her unique perspective will provide important teachings for our students and the wider community about cultivating more empathy in our lives."
Prejean is a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, which has taken a public stance against capital punishment. Its Peace and Justice Committee supports and sponsors programs, prayer vigils and actions aimed at abolishing the death penalty; its non-profit Ministry Against the Death Penalty originated through her work. Prejean has been educating the public about the death penalty and counseling death row prisoners since 1984, and has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on the death penalty as well as helping to shape the Catholic Church's opposition to state executions. Her second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was released by Random House in December of 2004. She is currently working on a third book, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.
Don Bosco Prep is a private, Catholic, college preparatory high school for young men, grades 9 through 12. Administered by the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco, a religious order of priests and brothers, Don Bosco Prep offers rigorous academics at the AP, honors and college preparatory levels. Broad offerings are also provided in extracurricular activities, clubs and athletics.
For more information about Don Bosco Prep programs, events or its college preparatory curriculum, call (201) 327-2049 or email advancement@donboscoprep.org.
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