by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
“Nuns on a Bus,” a traveling group fighting for social-justice issues, will make a stop from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 at the St. Benedict Monastery in St. Joseph.
The nuns will meet with people in the monastery dining room.
They are calling their meeting “A Town Hall for the 100 Percent.”
For four years, Nuns on a Bus have made coast-to-coast national news because of their vocal opposition to politicians who have threatened to cut or do away with safety-net programs for the poor and the working poor. Such cuts include food stamps, Social Service block grants, child tax credits and many other efforts to help the less privileged. They are also rallying for the Affordable Care Act and immigration reform.
The nuns on their bus would make stops at churches, schools, health-care facilities, and homeless shelters to share their message that Jesus Christ was a strong advocate for helping the poor and the disadvantaged.
The group is led by Sr. Simone Campbell, who is a lawyer, lobbyist and outspoken advocate for social-justice issues. Nuns on a Bus is sponsored by NETWORK, which is a national Catholic Social Justice Lobbying organization. Campbell is the executive director of that group.
Campbell is a member of Sisters for Social Service, an international Catholic organization that is rooted in the Benedictine tradition.
Born in Santa Monica, Calif., Campbell earned a degree in law, then founded the Community Law Center in Oakland, Calif. She has worked with the poor in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan and the Philippines. Her specialty was family law and helping the poor with legal matters.
Campbell is the author of the book A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change and Community.
website photo
Sr. Simone Campbell (center) speaks during a Nuns on the Bus rally in Manhattan. The group, dedicated to social justice, will make a stop Sept. 22 at the St. Benedict Monastery.
