Inspiring Men and
Women
Sister Helen Prejean
Jean Vanier
Fr Damien
Mother Teresa
Fr Damien de Veuster
Damien was a Belgian priest,
who volunteered to serve the
lepers on the Hawaiian island
of Molokai, where they were
herded into isolation.
1840 - 1889
Damien was shocked to
discover that the lepers
were literally left to rot.
Molokai was a place of
humiliation, suffering and
death.
But Damien treated them with
respect and gave them back their
dignity.
He worked to improve
conditions and helped the lepers
to get medical assistance.
Damien set up work
groups that built
roads, cottages and
clinics.
He organised sports
events and set up a
choir and a band.
He treated the lepers
not as victims, but as
human beings.
He restored the
dilapidated church and
held prayer services and
masses. The church still
stands today.
He worked tirelessly for the people. Eventually
he caught leprosy himself and died on Molokai at
the age of 49.
In the grounds of the
church stands a statue
of Fr Damien to show
how beloved he still is
by the people of
Molokai.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Agnes Bojaxhu was
born in Yugoslavia
in 1910. She
entered the
convent at the age
of 18, taking the
name of Sr Teresa.
She sailed for India
and for years,
taught at a girls’
Catholic school.
Most of the
students were from
wealthy families.
While on a train returning from her annual retreat,
Sister Teresa felt the call of God to leave the security
of her convent life.
She believed God was calling her to minister to the
poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta.
She responded to this call, and left the convent in 1948.
She lived very simply, and spent her days picking up
dying people from the streets.
In 1950 she opened the first Home for the Dying, where
the outcasts of Calcutta could die with dignity.
Many girls she had taught at the Loretto convent school
joined her in her work. They too, dedicated their lives
to Jesus in serving the very poor. In 1950, Sr Teresa’s
order became known as the Missionaries of Charity.
She taught her nuns to
live very simple lives, to
pray constantly and to see
the face of Jesus in every
person, especially the
poorest of the poor.
She and her sisters
set up homes not only
in third world
countries, but also in
New York and Rome.
She saw spiritual
poverty as the worst
poverty of all.
Mother Teresa won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
for her service of love to
the world. She accepted
the award –
..”in the name of the
hungry, the naked, the
homeless, the crippled,
the blind, the lepers, of all
those people who feel
unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout
society, people who have
become a burden to the
society and are shunned
by everyone.”
- Mother Teresa’s Acceptance Speech
Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age
of 87.
Her Missionaries of Charity continue to grow and
serve the poorest of the poor.
Her Order is currently going through the process of
having Mother Teresa declared a saint.
Jean Vanier
Jean Vanier began his
special mission to the
intellectually disabled
when, in 1963, he visited a
number of institutions. He
was shocked by the poor
conditions in which these
people lived.
In one of them he met two
men, Philippe and Rafael.
Born in Switzerland in 1928
He knew that
intellectually disabled
people deserved better.
With the help of a
psychiatrist, Jean set up
a home where he was
joined by Philippe and
Raphael.
This was the birth of
L’Arche, named after
Noah’s Ark, the
symbol of life, hope
and covenant
between God and
humankind.
Jean began to understand the needs of Philippe and
Rafael.
This life of simplicity attracted many friends who
helped in practical ways, and little by little a small
Christian community was built around them.
Jean began to understand the spiritual needs of the
intellectually disabled people who joined the
community. Jean shared the conviction with his
friend, Fr Thomas Philippe, that God had called
them together to accomplish something.
Jean was inspired by the life of Jesus. He
realised that our society has much to learn
from the intellectually disabled.
In our society which places so much value on
production and competition, Jean says we have much
to learn about sharing, acceptance and joy from
people with a mental disability.
To date, L’Arche has
more than 120
communities in over
thirty countries,
including New
Zealand.
L’Arche has been
called one of the
most signifiicant
Christian ministries
of the 20th century,
and a living sign of
the civilisation of
love.
Sister Helen Prejean
When Helen Prejean, a
Sister of St Joseph, left her
teaching job to live in a
housing project, her life
changed.
She became pen pals with
Patrick Sonnier, a convicted
killer of two teenagers, who
was on Death Row.
Sonnier was sentenced to die in the electric chair of
Louisiana’s Angola State Prison.
Sonnier invited Helen to visit him regularly as his
spiritual advisor.
On the night of April
5, 1984, she
accompanied him to
his execution.
Sister Helen’s last words to Patrick Sonnier -
“You look at me, you
look at my face. I
can’t bear the
thought that you
would die without
seeing one loving
face. I will be the
face of Christ for
you.”
Sr Helen was greatly affected by the experience of
watching another human being be executed. She
said: “I couldn’t watch someone be killed and walk
away. Like a sacrament, the execution left an
indelible mark on my soul.”
She wrote about her
experiences in a
book called Dead
Man Walking, which
was made into a
major motion
picture.
She has
educated the
public about
the death
penalty by
lecturing,
writing and
speaking all
over the
USA.
She is outspoken in her oppostion to the death
penalty as an inhuman and immoral act.
Sr Helen
continues to
counsel
inmates on
Death Row
and
accompany
them to
their
execution.
Sr Helen also works with the
families of both the
murderers and their victims.
She says that prayer and
dedication drive her. When
she’s in the right place at the
right time, Sr Helen says she
is aware if God’s presence.
Although the
Catholic Church
teaches that the
death penalty is
almost never
morally acceptable
in modern society,
there are around
3,000 people
awaiting execution
in the United States.
The End
By Zita Smith
This Powerpoint Presentation fits
with the RE Curriculum Unit:
Inspiring Men and Women
(Christian Lives – Part 2)