For Bourgeois, it started in Vietnam, a misunderstood place and period that left an indelible crack on America's psyche. He volunteered out of raw patriotism. I was forced to look at my faith more seriously. People of faith, people of conscience, are called to be peacemakers and healers. It's a moral issue.
Violence separates people.
On his return, he joined anti-war demonstrations. Initially, he worried that someone he knew might see him, but the power of protest soon chased away those fears. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1972 and left to do missionary work in Bolivia. He believes God is loving, not cruel. For organizing the poor, he was arrested, beaten and forced out of Bolivia.