Prejean's hour-plus speech was also peppered with numerous jokes delivered in her warm Louisiana drawl.
"Nuns are big-time in New Orleans," she said. "Nuns ride free on the buses."
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Audience members said the depth and thoughtfulness of Prejean's speech impressed them. She received a standing ovation.
Fran E. O'Donnell, a librarian at the Divinity School, said Prejean's talk was "amazing."
"She was very personable, and funny, and very down-to-earth," O'Donnell said.
Prejean said a Terence McNally-directed opera of Dead Man Walking in San Francisco is in the works, as well as a series of nationwide dramatic productions of her work led by Tim Robbins.