Nuns on the Bus

This summer I became a “groupie.” I literally chased down a bus full of people that I wanted to meet.

I am not even sure how I became aware of the Nuns on the Bus – probably on Facebook (as much as that scares me). I became obsessed. I was so inspired by these amazing women – doing God’s work in the world, and also being advocates. It is a balance that I have not been able to find in my own life. I love the work that I do, and I know that we touch people’s lives in very real ways, but… I want to change the world. And, for that reason, these women inspired me.

In case you don’t know them, this is from their website:

“Every hour of each day, Catholic Sisters stand in solidarity with all who live in poverty, and we confront injustice and systems that cause suffering.

We cannot stand by silently when the U.S. Congress considers further enriching the wealthiest Americans at the expense of struggling, impoverished families.

As part of our campaign for budget fairness we are taking a bus trip. Our bus will travel to places in many states where Sisters actively serve people in need. For they are our best witnesses to the suffering our federal government must not ignore.

We ask all who visit this website to join us in prayer and to support our work to defeat government actions that would add to the suffering of already struggling families.

This bus trip has been organized and is sponsored by NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and the NETWORK Education Program. http://nunsonthebus.com/about/”

The bus was coming through a city just half an hour away and I had to go. I had no idea where they were stopping; I just knew they would be there at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning in June. So I drove up there, couldn’t find the park so I decided that if I parked near the interstate highway, I would see the bus come by. That is what I did – once I saw the bus, I followed it to the downtown area. I was there when the nuns got off the bus.

It was such a thrill to meet them, to hear them speak and have a chance to talk – very briefly – with them about the work we do here at the clinic. The point wasn’t really meeting them – the point was to be inspired by them – to have my faith in “religious” people restored. I am not a Catholic – but one of my real life heroes is a Catholic nun, so I have a lot of respect.

This group of women changed my life. Their example gave me hope and a renewed passion for the work I do, as well as a hope that maybe, in some small way, I can change the world!

You can watch their story on Bill Moyers at:

 http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-nuns-faith-and-politics/