A graduate of the University of Louisiana, Roy Bourgeois received a Purple Heart in Vietnam. He entered the Maryknoll Order, was ordained in 1972 and went to work with the poor of Bolivia. Bourgeois became an outspoken critic of US foreign policy in Latin America and spent four years in prison for his nonviolent protests against the School of the Americas. His work as founder of the SOA Watch led to a nomination of Fr. Bourgeois and SOA Watch for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2008, the Vatican ordered Fr. Bourgeois to recant his support of the ordination of women or face excommunication. He responded to the Vatican saying that, in conscience, he could not recant. In 2009, he started a national tour to raise awareness and broaden the movement for women's equality in the church.
