PATCHOGUE, NY – FEBRUARY 15, 2006 – St. Joseph’s College is proud to welcome best-selling author and renowned death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, to present the lecture “Our Capital Punishment System: Challenging the Way We Look at the Death Penalty in America” on Friday, March 3, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. in the D’Ecclesiis Auditorium located in O’Connor Hall. A question and answer session, book signing and reception will follow her talk. The lecture is free and open to the public.

One of the best-known voices speaking out against the death penalty in the United States and worldwide, Sister Helen Prejean travels extensively and frequently lectures nationwide, seeking to encourage and stimulate public discourse on the issue. She is the author of the best-selling book Dead Man Walking, which was nominated for a 1993 Pulitzer Prize and made the 1994 American Library Associates Notable Book List. Internationally recognized, Dead Man Walking was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for 31 weeks and has been translated into ten different languages. Sister Helen’s most recent book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in December 2004.

A Roman Catholic nun, Sister Helen began her prison ministry in 1981 when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans. During that time, she befriended convicted killer Patrick Sonnier who was sentenced to death by electrocution. Her experiences with Sonnier opened her eyes to the Louisiana execution process and were later translated into the book Dead Man Walking.

Sister Helen and Dead Man Walking have been subject to frequent media stories and reviews. She has been featured in numerous print media outlets, including the New York Times Magazine, Chicago Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle to name a few. In addition, her broadcast appearances have included 60 Minutes, NBC’s Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, CNBC, NPR and Larry King Live among others.

Sister Helen has received numerous accolades in recognition of her continued efforts to widen the discourse on capital punishment. When she is not lecturing, Sister Helen spends her time working at the Death Penalty Discourse Center in New Orleans. She is also founder of the Moratorium Campaign, which actively seeks to expand and strengthen the discourse around the death penalty and to bring about moratoria across the United States.

A stage version of Dead Man Walking, written by Academy Award winning actor/director Tim Robbins, will also be performed at 8:00 p.m. in the Clare Rose Playhouse at St. Joseph’s College following the reception. Seating is limited and tickets should be purchased in advance. General admission tickets cost $14 each with a reduced rate of $12 for students and senior citizens. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Playhouse box office at (631) 654-0199.

Additional performances will take place February 23, 24, 25 and March 4, 10 and 11 at 8:00 p.m. and March 5 and 12 at 3:00 p.m.

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in over 21 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Professional and Graduate Studies. Graduate degrees are also offered including an Executive MBA, a Master of Science in Management, a Master of Science Degree with a Major in Nursing, a Master of Arts in Literacy/Cognition and a Master of Arts in Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education.