Sr. Michele Morek, OSU, November 5, 2018
But here's some good news. There are lots of concerned and caring people across our country who are worried about what the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will do in the long run to most U.S. taxpayers, especially the most vulnerable. The people who weren't worried? Well, we even converted a few of them.

November 2, 2018

Sister Mary Howard Johnstone, OP, November 1, 2018
Early this morning, on this feast of all Saints, we gathered near the water for our contemplative prayer.  As always, the prayer time together fueled our journey for the day.

November 1, 2018

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, November 1, 2018
When it came time to get back on the Bus after my hiatus I felt unsure whether a pre-election road-trip about tax justice was appropriate on the heels of the worst anti-Semitic act of violence in our nation’s history. We would be kicking-off the final homestretch to Mar-a-Lago just as families of the victims began sitting shiva. Would a “Fiesta for the Common Good” celebration seem callous and tone-deaf in light of the tragic happenings taking place?

November 1, 2018

November 1, 2018

Sister Mary Ellen Lacy, DC, October 31, 2018
On this beautiful, sunny day, we rolled into Apopka, Florida to visit the Hope CommUnity Center. Hope CommUnity Center is a service learning community dedicated to the empowerment of Central Florida’s immigrant and working poor communities through Education, Advocacy and Spiritual Growth.

October 31, 2018

October 30, 2018

Sister Cathy Bauer, OSB, October 30, 2018
When the rally ended at the State House in Columbia, SC, we boarded the bus to travel to Savannah, GA. On our three hour trip, we had lunch, shared stories, rested, and prepared for our town hall in Savannah. A little after 5pm, we arrived at ConneXion Church and were greeted by Rev. J. Michael Culbreth.

Sister Michele Morek, OSU, October 30, 2018
Coming off a two-week break from the bus, I arrived pretty refreshed, but I was amazed to see Social Service Sr. Simone Campbell and her Network staff still cheerful and full of energy. One of them told me they get new energy from the weekly shifts of new sisters getting on the tour bus.

October 30, 2018

Sister Julie Krahl, CSA, October 29, 2018
Gathering, storing, distributing local-grown and prepared foods; connecting farmers, neighbors, seniors, school children; educating for nutrition, sources of food, food tastes, ecology; remodeling and utilizing vacant neighborhood buildings; securing local and federal (ie. USDA) sources of revenue, employment, community involvement. The result—reliable, consistent access to fresh, diverse food provided and enjoyed by the community through their own ingenuity, efforts, and resources.

NETWORK Staff, October 29, 2018
After a would-be assassin mailed pipe bombs to 14 prominent Democratic figures, including the families of 2 former Presidents; after a gunman tried to enter a Black Church in Kentucky intent on doing harm but was unable to gain access so walked to the nearest Kroger grocery store and killed two people instead; after all of that, there was the terrible mass shooting of Jewish worshippers at a Pennsylvania synagogue. It was a devastating week and we are still reeling from it.

October 29, 2018

October 29, 2018

Sister Michele Morek, OSU, October 28, 2018
As always, I was struck by the hope in the faces of the people present: as if we were a roving team of cheerleaders who nourished their beliefs and values, who gave them a chance to get together with a group of like-minded people, and who provided a group of inspirational speakers from their own area who could speak to issues of concern to them.

October 26, 2018

Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CSJ, October 26, 2018
During the discussion time, it was interesting being with residents of the District because they talked about "taxation without representation." On the road we heard from many constituents who did not feel represented, and these people are in fact not! 

Sister Janet Kinney, CSJ, October 26, 2018
We tried to impress upon Rep. Comstock’s staff that her advocacy in Congress for her constituents and families like Angie’s was critical to their wellbeing. Unfortunately we received only a message that he would pass along our concerns to the Representative. When we shared statistics and data supporting our concerns made public by the Congressional Budget Office with Mr. O’Donoghue, we were questioned on the accuracy of our data!

October 26, 2018

Sister Margaret McGuirk, OP, October 25, 2018
One of the beautiful parts of this tour was to learn how many persons with disabilities have made this place their home.  The event ended with a press conference where Congressman Brendan Boyle joined us. He spoke of his commitment to the common good. His voting record is aligned with NETWORK’s “Mend the Gaps” agenda and we were touched to learn that his vote while he was a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature made a difference in making this project possible.

Sister Andrea Koverman, SC, October 25, 2018
It just so happened that each step backwards brought people closer and closer to the altar in the church we were gathered in. How symbolic of what our faith calls us to recognize. As we let go of our human tendency to look out for ourselves, to take more than we need and more than is just, to blame those less fortunate for their own circumstances and refuse to acknowledge our responsibility for one another, we drift further away from the heart of God.

October 25, 2018

October 25, 2018

October 25, 2018

October 24, 2018

October 24, 2018

October 24, 2018

Saint Joseph's University students, October 24, 2018
Each sister introduced herself to the audience and explained who they are, which order they are a part of, and why they joined the bus. I found it interested that although these women are part of different orders, they come together for the same reason, change that will benefit everyone. The social justice issues each woman stood for were education, immigration, economy, social services, and many more.

Sister Erica Jordan, OP, October 24, 2018
We started the meeting on a positive note by complimenting the Representative’s vote against the Republican health care bill, but noted that he had voted twice for the tax bill. We wondered aloud whether he worries about how this law will affect the working poor and middle class in his district.

Sister Susan McCarthy, RDC, October 24, 2018
First Friends means exactly what it says. It is an organization that reaches out to be the first friends to refugees and asylum seekers left in detention and corrections centers in Essex, Hudson, and Bergen counties in New Jersey.

Sister Erica Jordan, OP, October 24, 2018
The Nuns on the Bus arrived in Philly with some time to spare, so we were able to fit in an eclectic supper of left-overs; some hummus, grape leaves, and olives from yesterday’s birthday celebration; and pizza.

October 23, 2018

Sister Janet Kinney, CSJ, October 23, 2018
Sr. Simone and Sr. Richelle shared moving stories from the road trip, and explained why the Republican tax plan is so devastating to over 60% of the country’s population, encouraging all to get out the vote for the midterms. After the podcast concluded, all gathered were invited to sign pledge cards and move outside to sign the bus. It was a beautiful moonlit night – Rev. Black “signed the bus” with a Church of the Redeemer bumper sticker with this slogan: “supporting the separation of church and hate since 1852.”

October 23, 2018

Sister Jan Cebula, OSF, October 23, 2018
We encountered the openness at every location to learn through our visual town hall human graph experience, releasing more creativity and energy for advocacy.

Sister Betsy Van Deusen, CSJ, October 23, 2018
We pulled into the edge of the Home Depot parking lot in New Hartford, NY (near Utica) where a small crowd was starting to gather. Matt and Nicky, our "Advance Team," had arranged and arrived ahead of us so that everything would be ready when we pulled up in the wrapped tour bus. It is hard to miss us...a 45 foot long, 13 foot high, brightly colored bus!

October 23, 2018

October 22, 2018

Sister Richelle Friedman, PBVM, October 22, 2018
Excitement always mounts inside ‘The Bus’ as we pull up for a town hall, rally, press conference or lobby visit. Hospitality always awaits us. Parishioners at St. Joseph University Parish in Buffalo, NY invited us to come early for a delicious, amazing supper. After supper we arrived at the church to be warmly welcomed by 400 strong who came out on a work night to participate in the town hall.

Sister Linda Werthman, RSM, October 22, 2018
My one-week journey from Omaha to Cleveland as one of the Nuns on the Bus was inspiring and exhausting. Yet if invited to join my Sisters on the bus, I would do it again. Why, I ask myself, would I put myself through 15-hour days of travel on a bus, rallies, town halls and attempts to talk with congressional representatives?

October 22, 2018

October 22, 2018

Sister Andrea Koverman, SC, October 22, 2018
The most important members of the group were Representative Rothfus’s four local constituents. They were disappointed not to be meeting with Rep. Rothfus himself, but Patty explained that that he was an extreme introvert and didn’t meet with his constituents because he was so shy.

October 21, 2018

October 21, 2018

Sister Margaret McGuirk, OP, October 21, 2018
The third leg of the Nuns on the Bus journey began in Cleveland with an orientation for myself and the other newly arrived Sisters. Together we traveled to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron. This church community has a rich history with the memory of Sojourner Truth’s great speech “Ain’t I A Woman?” which she delivered in Akron during the Women’s Convention of 1851. The gathered community reflected this kind of energy, commitment, and a vision for change.

October 20, 2018

Sister Linda Werthman, RSM, October 20, 2018
Our first destination for the day was Cass Community Social Services in Detroit. The visit was all that we could have hoped for and more. 24 years ago Rev. Faith Fowler and the Cass Community Methodist Church began what has become an amazing array of services to people who are experiencing homelessness.

October 20, 2018

Jessica Brock, October 20, 2018
"At times, it can seem like there is nothing we can do. But that’s not true. We can vote. It’s free. It doesn’t matter who you are, each vote counts the same. Your vote is your voice."

Sister Robbie Pentecost, OSF, October 20, 2018
The journey of Nuns on the Bus is all about lifting the stories of real lives, concrete challenges, responsible programs and policies that support them. What we heard at Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry (LMM) in Cleveland broke our hearts but lifted them up to the abundant possibilities for good.

Sister Mary Ellen Gondeck, CSJ, October 19, 2018
When we arrived to our Town Hall for Tax Justice in East Lansing, the gymnasium was full of very enthusiastic supporters of Nuns on the Bus. There were members of a number of congregations in the East Lansing area and a number of denominations. There were some who traveled from as far away as Kalamazoo, and others from near-by communities.

October 19, 2018

October 19, 2018

Sister Mary Ellen Gondeck, CSJ, October 19, 2018
We arrived at the Old Courthouse in South Bend welcomed by a wonderful group of people whose umbrellas were being put to good use because of the rain pouring down. Sister Robbie Pentecost, OSF led the group in a welcoming prayer and message of gratitude for waiting so long for the bus to arrive.

October 19, 2018

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, October 19, 2018
Representative Roskam was one of the architects of last year’s Republican tax law and we had heard it was notoriously difficult to get a visit with his staff, so we looked forward to a robust conversation. We and three constituents from Roskam’s districts were met by a cold and guarded staffer named Emily, along with two other staffers, who showed us into a conference room. We never actually saw the office and Emily quickly made it clear that we would not be having a conversation, informing us that “We’re just here to take notes.”

October 19, 2018

Sister Mumbi Kigutha, CPPS, October 18, 2018
From the outside, St. Sabina’s looks like any other church built early in the century. That, however, quickly changes the minute you walk through the doors. Your eyes are immediately drawn to a huge picture of a Black Jesus with his hands outstretched in welcome behind the altar. This church is all about preaching Christ’s message and living out His gospel values, and anyone who knows St. Sabina’s will attest to that fact.

October 18, 2018

October 18, 2018

October 18, 2018

Sister Mary Ellen Gondeck, CSJ, October 18, 2018
This morning’s visit with Representative Bost’s District Director, David Tanzyus, was mixed. When we walked into the office, he very concerned as he told us about the death of the receptionist’s daughter. He continued by sharing that he was a social worker. It gave me some hope that he was a man of compassion.

October 18, 2018

Sister Jan Cebula, OSF, October 17, 2018
As we pulled up for the morning rally outside Representative Rod Blum’s office (IA-01), we were greeted by a cardboard, life-size cutout of Rep. Blum. After repeated requests for appointments to speak with him or for him to hold town hall meetings to no avail, his constituents began bringing this cutout to their gatherings.

October 17, 2018

Sister Robbie Pentecost, OSF, October 17, 2018
The sight of the St. Louis Arch always brings a feeling of ‘coming home’ as I spent 8 years of my ministry in St. Louis.  Arriving at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church brought back even more wonderful memories of serving this community. 

Laura Peralta-Schulte, October 17, 2018
On December 22, 2017 President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law. The new law significantly rewrites the tax code to make wide-reaching, regressive changes to our federal tax system, largely benefiting corporations and the highest-income households with little relief for middle and lower-income households. The law also permanently eliminates the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act, hurting the viability of our healthcare system.

October 17, 2018

October 17, 2018

October 16, 2018

Sister Ilaria Buonriposi, CMS, October 16, 2018
On a crisp and sunny morning, we stopped by the office of Representative Don Bacon (NE-02) to talk with him about the consequences his vote for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on the majority of Nebraskans. Weeks in advance, NETWORK tried to get a meeting with his office, but his office’s busy schedule did not have any openings.

October 16, 2018

Sister Phyllis Tierney, SSJ , October 16, 2018
My sleep-deprived body is home after an exhilarating and exhausting week with Nuns on the Bus, joining Sister Simone Campbell and NETWORK staff to spread the message that tax justice is not achieved by permanent income tax breaks that benefit the wealthy but deprive people in poverty of programs that help to maintain their health and wellbeing. 

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, October 16, 2018

October 16, 2018

Video by Rodger Routh, October 16, 2018

Sister Jan Cebula, OSF, October 16, 2018
“The kids need us. The community needs us,” said Julie Schneider, interim CEO of the Youth Emergency Services & Shelter (YESS) in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Nuns on the Bus stop there Oct. 16. Julie captured in that one phrase what we all need to be about.

Siena Ruggeri, October 16, 2018
It is too easy to become removed from the realities of the groups we advocate with on the hill. It is tempting to fall in the mindset that you are advocating “for” these groups and stop taking the time to listen to their worries and their hopes. These realities are painful— it is much easier to read a report or a policy briefing than to look someone in the eye and listen to their fears. Even worse, a lot of the time there’s not a satisfying response to alleviate their pain.

Sister Anna Koop, SL, October 15, 2018
At 9am on October 15 a gaggle of folks came together outside of Representative Mike Coffman’s office to speak about NETWORK and Nuns on the Bus's focus on “reasonable revenue for responsible programs." Nuns on the Bus is on the road again to talk to people about tax cuts which primarily benefit wealthy persons and will definitely hurt the most vulnerable people among us.

October 15, 2018

Sister Gwen Hennessey, OSF, October 15, 2018
A reflection and meditation from Sr. Gwen.

October 15, 2018

October 14, 2018

Sister Marilyn Carpenter, OSB, October 14, 2018
Participating in the Nuns on the Bus Town Hall for Justice in Denver was one of my very best learning experiences of the last several months. For two days, I joined with several other sisters who live in Colorado to be “Nuns on the Bus” for two events in Denver and Aurora, Colorado.

Tralonne Shorter and Ashley Wilson, October 12, 2018
So, the so-called “benefit” from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act isn’t exactly distributed with justice in mind. The authors of this law – and those who voted for it – made their decisions based on how they (and their wealthy donors) would personally benefit. And, they attempted to appease their constituents by making a false claim that everyone would receive great benefit.

Sister Michele Morek, OSU, October 12, 2018
We are educating ourselves by site visits and talking with people; that's part of the listening mission of Nuns on the Bus. But we are also determined to educate people about what the tax policy really means for real people and to encourage them to use tax policy as one of the most important norms of who should get their vote.

October 11, 2018

October 11, 2018

October 11, 2018

Sister Michele Morek, OSU, October 11, 2018
The Town Hall attendees loved the exercise we used to demonstrate the impacts of the Republican Tax Law and encouraged us to get the information out there in a form they could share, so attendees could convert their families and teach their children and co-workers. Put it on YouTube, they said! There were some common themes that had arisen the previous night: win trust/make friends, and concern over voter suppression.

Sister Bernadine Karge, OP, October 11, 2018
All of us Nuns on the Bus were truly enthusiastic about this model of service delivery with its blend of public and private funding to serve the common good. It made me think of the four H club: health, housing, humanity and HOPE.

Sr. Phyllis Tierney, SSJ, October 10, 2018
The Phoenix Town Hall meeting on Wednesday evening at Shadow Rock UCC Church was an amazing experience. We arrived about ten minutes before the program was to begin and were greeted by Pastor Ken Heintzelman, the pastor who welcomed us to the beautiful sanctuary with a full view of the desert and mountain landscape in which the church is situated. His congregation is socially active. They have been assisting hundreds of immigrants in transition from detention centers to their various destinations to stay with relatives and friends.

October 10, 2018

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, October 10, 2018
We started our second day in Vegas after a late night of heavy drinking and gambling (I’m joking, of course).  We were warmly greeted by the Culinary Workers Union 226 at their headquarter

Sister Michele Morek, OSU, October 10, 2018
The visit to Homeboy Industries was one of the site visits the Nuns on the Bus are making to listen to people all across the United States — from Los Angeles to West Pam Beach, Florida — to see how U.S. tax policies are affecting them.

October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018

Sister Reg McKillip, OP, October 9, 2018
Our first event took place outside Representative Mimi Walters (CA-45) district office. We originally had a visit scheduled with local constituents to meet with with Representative Walters, however she needed to postpone the meeting.

Sister Dusty Farnan, OP, October 9, 2018
After a five hour drive from Los Angeles, we arrived in Las Vegas at the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. That afternoon, we had the opportunity to be with lead organizers and workers there for an hour and a half long conversation.

Sister Dusty Farnan, OP, October 9, 2018
After a five hour drive from Los Angeles, we arrived in Las Vegas at the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. That afternoon, we had the opportunity to be with lead organizers and workers there for an hour and a half long conversation.

Sister Julie Fertsch, SSJ, October 9, 2018
What an unbelievable first day! Every moment of it was so full--sacred, privileged, and special.

October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018

October 9, 2018

Rabbi Sharon Brous, October 9, 2018
We’re gathered here today because we persist in believing in the Kingdom of God. For me, as a Jew, that looks like a world in which human dignity is real. In which every single person is treated as an image of God, with infinite worth, absolutely unique and precious in the eyes of God and humanity.

October 7, 2018

October 2, 2018