Inspiring Men and Women

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Inspiring Men and Women
Sister Helen Prejean
Mother Teresa
Fr Damien
Jean Vanier
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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
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Damien was shocked to discover that the lepers
were literally left to rot. Molokai was a place
of humiliation, suffering and death.
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But Damien treated them with respect and gave
them back their dignity.
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He worked to improve conditions and helped the
lepers to get medical assistance.
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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.
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He restored the dilapidated church and held
prayer services and masses. The church still
stands today.
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He worked tirelessly for the people. Eventually
he caught leprosy himself and died on Molokai at
the age of 49.
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In the grounds of the church stands a statue of
Fr Damien to show how beloved he still is by the
people of Molokai.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 Teresas order became
known as the Missionaries of Charity.
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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.
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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.
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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
Teresas Acceptance Speech
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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.
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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
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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.
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This was the birth of LArche, named after Noahs
Ark, the symbol of life, hope and covenant
between God and humankind.
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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.
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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.
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Jean was inspired by the life of Jesus. He
realised that our society has much to learn from
the intellectually disabled.
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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.
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To date, LArche has more than 120 communities in
over thirty countries, including New
Zealand. LArche has been called one of the most
signifiicant Christian ministries of the 20th
century, and a living sign of the civilisation of
love.
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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.
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Sonnier was sentenced to die in the electric
chair of Louisianas 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.
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Sister Helens last words to Patrick Sonnier -
You look at me, you look at my face. I cant
bear the thought that you would die without
seeing one loving face. I will be the face of
Christ for you.
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Sr Helen was greatly affected by the experience
of watching another human being be executed. She
said I couldnt watch someone be killed and
walk away. Like a sacrament, the execution left
an indelible mark on my soul.
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She wrote about her experiences in a book called
Dead Man Walking, which was made into a major
motion picture.
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She has educated the public about the death
penalty by lecturing, writing and speaking all
over the USA.
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She is outspoken in her oppostion to the death
penalty as an inhuman and immoral act.
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Sr Helen continues to counsel inmates on Death
Row and accompany them to their execution.
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Sr Helen also works with the families of both the
murderers and their victims. She says that
prayer and dedication drive her. When shes in
the right place at the right time, Sr Helen says
she is aware if Gods presence.
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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.
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The End
By Zita Smith This Powerpoint Presentation fits
with the RE Curriculum Unit Inspiring Men and
Women (Christian Lives Part 2)