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Our guest this week is Sister Helen Prejean, a spiritual powerhouse and one of the world's leading voices against the death penalty. Sister Helen’s journey into activism began in the shadows of death row, and her relentless pursuit of justice has captured hearts around the globe. Sister Helen is a Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille, and is one of the most well-known Catholic leaders in the modern era.
You may know her as the author of the best-selling book Dead Man Walking, which not only became an Oscar-winning movie starring Susan Sarandon (as Sr Prejean) and Sean Penn but also inspired a powerful opera recently performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
Her courageous and compassionate work has been shared through other critically acclaimed books, including the best-sellers The Death of Innocents and River of Fire: A Spiritual Memoir.
Through her incredible life and ministry, Sister Helen has accompanied eight men to their executions, bearing witness to the dignity of every human being—even in the darkest moments.
Today, she joins us from her home in New Orleans to share her wisdom, her faith, and her enduring hope for a world without the death penalty.
So, sit back, take a deep breath, and prepare to be inspired by one of the world’s most compassionate and courageous voices for justice.
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This week’s guest is Dr. Bernard Lafayette, one of the great heroes and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement who was also Dr. Martin Luther King’s assistant.
He is an activist and organizer who was part of the Nashville student movement with Rev. Jim Lawson, John Lewis and Diane Nash; one of the Freedom Riders; played a leading role in the Selma voting rights movement; and then served as Dr. King’s assistant until his death.
He worked closely with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. An ordained Baptist minister, Bernard Lafayette later founded the Center for Peace and Nonviolence studies at the Univ. of Rhode Island which has offered thousands of workshops and talks on Kingian nonviolence and continues to offer a wonderful summer institute each year.
Listen as John and Dr. Bernard Lafayette discuss Dr. King’s 100th birthday and the basics of Kingian nonviolence, and Dr. Bernard recalls his experiences and impressions during his ground breaking work with Dr. King and his own personal hopes for us today.
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Manglende episoder?
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This week’s guest is actor and activist Martin Sheen, one of our most celebrated, award-winning actors from movies such as “Apocalypse Now,” “Gandhi,” “Selma,” “The American President,” “Gettysburg,” “The Way,” “Badlands,” and many more, and the star of the TV series, “The West Wing,” where he played President Bartlett.
Martin is perhaps the most committed activist celebrity, who has been speaking out against war, injustice, homelessness, and nuclear weapons and advocating for justice, disarmament, and peace for over 4 decades.
Fr. John will ask Martin about his activism, his understanding of Gospel nonviolence, and how his movies and activism have shaped his life and his peacemaking faith journey.
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What does it mean to practice ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ in a world often ruled by violence?
The Beatitudes aren’t just ancient sayings—they’re a bold, countercultural call to action. In this episode, we’ll explore how nonviolence isn’t just the absence of conflict—it’s the presence of love in action and creative activism.
We can create real change, stand up to injustice, and find the courage to choose peace every single day. Together, let’s uncover how these timeless words can guide us to heal wounds, build bridges, and create a more peaceful world.
John reads from the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (from Matthew 5:1-11), and reflects on them not as an impossible ideal, but rather as a practical way to transform societal systems of power, justice, and relationships through Jesus’ vision of living a nonviolent life and working for a more just, more peaceful, more nonviolent world.
He will invite us to live out the Beatitudes and become people of Gospel nonviolence, peacemakers, the beloved sons and daughters of the God of peace.
Fr. John Dear is a priest, activist, and author of 40 books including The Beatitudes of Peace and The Gospel of Peace: Reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence, and the founder and director of www.beatitudescenter.org
See www.johndear.org
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What if the key to a more peaceful world is following the path of the nonviolent Jesus?
Join Fr. John Dear—priest, author, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee—for The Nonviolent Jesus, a weekly 30-minute podcast. Each episode reflects on the radical teachings of Jesus through the lens of active nonviolence, inspired by the traditions of Gandhi and Dr. King.
Featuring compelling conversations with spiritual teachers, authors, and activists like Martin Sheen, Joan Baez, Rev. Richard Rohr, Sister Helen Prejean, Dolores Huerta, Shane Claiborne, and many others, John dives deep into the practice of nonviolence to address critical issues. Together, they explore the practice of nonviolence and its power to end war, racism, poverty, nuclear weapons, and environmental destruction—all while embracing Jesus’ call to universal love, compassion, and peace.
Be inspired to reclaim the radical nonviolence of Jesus and work toward a more just and peaceful world and discover how universal love and compassion can transform our lives and the world.
Subscribe now and join us as we follow The Nonviolent Jesus!
