On Saturday afternoon, we headed to Providence where we had three events planned for this afternoon and evening.

Our first stop was McAuley Village founded by the Sisters of Mercy. We were privileged to hear the stories of the women in transitional housing who expressed deep gratitude to the staff there for their support, love, patience and help in navigating the educational, housing and service systems.

One person singled out for her kindness was Sr. Joan with phrases like, “If I didn’t have someone like Sr. Joan I don’t know where I’d be…. This woman is so beautiful…. She is so awesome.” One middle school young boy came over and gave Sr. Joan a warm hug before he left the room. The program includes two other sites – McAuley House where meals are served and hospitality offered and the Ward-robe which is a volunteer-supported thrift store offering quality used clothing and household goods.

We had supper at Amos House which is celebrating “Forty Years of Helping People Help Themselves.” Their campus of fourteen buildings includes a restaurant, supportive housing, a mother-child reunification center, a ninety day recovery program, as well as job and literacy training. The sparking new dining area with its entire wall of windows made for a bright and inviting space. We were struck by how grateful those we sat with were for the meal they’d received. Some were residents of one of Amos House’s transitional or supportive housing units and some came in from the streets. Tyler spoke with pride about marking his third month of being clean.  Another man asked me to pray with him since his wife had just died.  As we ended the prayer, one of the other men said, “I think some of that rubbed off on me.”

A big event of our days is a two-hour caucus wherein participants grapple with the NOTB mend the gap issues. When we arrived at St. Michael’s parish in Providence we were greeted by the tune of When the Saints go Marching In by the Extraordinary Rendition Band.  It seems this band shows up at rallies, demonstrations, and events like ours to add some spirit. They successfully managed to bring new energy to us who were showing signs of weariness after a long day.

The caucus of over 100 first talked about areas problematic to Providence and Rhode Island. Among the issues they raised were a recent defending of mental services, poverty in the schools as indicated by a 97% rate of kids eligible for free and reduced lunches, a legislature where too much power is concentrated in the hands of the Speaker of the House, and the list went on. The best part of the caucuses is when small groups are asked to talk about what it would look like if those problems with were addressed. After their visions for a better future are shared, a sense of hope fills the room.

At each of the events those gathered pledge to do their part to create a better reality and are invited to sign the bus. The bus is ready to move on with the nuns and the thousands we take with us that we’ve met and who have signed the bus.

See also:
Slideshow: McAuley Ministries (Providence) Site Visit
Slideshow: Amos House
Slideshow: Providence Caucus

Eileen, enthusiastically announced we just entered her home state of Massachusetts as we crossed the state line this morning. We soon found ourselves warmly welcomed to the rally on the lawn of Boston College High School. “Warmly” is putting it mildly: as the temperature rose into the 90’s the huge crowd that had gathered moved their chairs under the awnings we provided or under the nearby trees.  Although dispersed across the lawn, the crowd of a couple of hundred people was engaged and enthusiastic as we presented our “Close the Gap” program.

As always we begin with some local people sharing the stories of the gaps they experience and the steps they are taking to close them.

Sharon has volunteered for 35 years at Haley House where services include job training and housing done with mutual respect for those they serve. Job training included creating the Bakery House Café, host of the delicious lunch we enjoyed.

Reverend Ellen Fifth, herself disabled, is an untiring advocate for access for those with disabilities.

Peter Buck put a face on Equal Exchange that works to bring products from worker cooperatives in Central America to the global market guaranteeing a profit to farmers thus mending the wage gap for these coop farmers.

The “Fight for $15” campaign shared the story of working for a living wage – and hopefully in the future a $15 an hour wage. We loved the ‘can do’ attitude of Darius and Rita engaged in the ‘Fight for $15.’ Said Darius, “We deserve better than working 3-4 jobs and not seeing our kids.”

We Nuns on the Bus take turns speaking at the various events, and since we were in Eileen’s hometown, she was happy to be one of the speakers, sharing why we ride the bus and what we are learning. In Eileen’s words “It was great to share the event with family, high school classmates, friends and many nuns I knew from my days in Boston.”

We Nuns on the Bus often comment that we receive more than we give. The speakers in Boston gave us hope as they work to be inclusive, creative and loving in their approaches to the work they do.See Also:
Slideshow: Boston Rally

“Mend the Gaps” became so much more than a theme or a slogan when we gathered on the steps of the New York State Capitol Building in Albany and listened to Albany residents share their stories of the gaps they were experiencing and in some cases, the steps they have taken to mend them.

After years of wishing for better public transportation, the citizens of an Albany neighborhood formed and organization called A Village Inc. Willy White, its director, told us that for the residents of his neighborhood, the 1.3 mile steep hill that separated them from the local hospital was without bus service for years.  After collecting thousands of signatures on a petition, they succeeded in pressuring the city transportation authority to provide bus service.  Since its inception a few years ago, it has become the most used bus line in the city.

Eloy, a Mexican farm worker who has been in the US for more than fifteen years works twelve hours a day, six days a week and still struggles to survive. Martha, also from Mexico, came to be with her husband, a farm worker in a similar situation.  She was deeply concerned about his health because of the long hours we works, but coming to the US meant leaving their older daughter back in Mexico.  She struggles daily with the gaps in our immigration laws which don’t allow her to go back to Mexico, or for her daughter to come to NY.

Amanda, who works for minimum wage in the fast food industry, was pregnant with her second child when she was told she was not entitled to any medical leave and would have to quit her job when she gave birth to her child. Similarly, her mother lost a job when she needed to care for Amanda’s grandmother who was critically ill.

Congressman Paul Tanko and Cathy Sheehan, the mayor of Albany, both offered warm words of support for our efforts to encourage people to join in mending the gaps. As Sister Simone often reminds people, these gaps are caused by poor policies – so they can be mended by good policies.  Those who turned out for this rally were thrilled to walk down the block to add their signatures to our bus, and to commit to doing their part to mend the Gap

After a scenic drive to Vermont, we were welcomed to the Catholic Parish in Bennington for a pot luck supper with the local community. This informal gathering at which we mixed with the parishioners gave us opportunities to answer their questions about Nuns on the Bus.  (Do you sleep on the bus? No; Is their air conditioning?  Yes;  Are you exhausted? No:)  We were also able to share some of the stories we heard at other sites about Gaps and challenge these Vermonters to do their part to help mend the gaps.  They too, added their names to the bus as we climbed back on for our trip to New Hampshire.

See also:
Reflection: God continues to Speak through Parables to Us Today
Slideshow: Albany Rally
Slideshow: Bennington Potluck

We were talking with Josh, Heather, Cathy, Curtis and Janee with Moral Monday Connecticut on Day 13 about their efforts to do something about poverty and racism on the local level in Hartford. After many years of talking without resulting legislative changes and in the face of racial incidents nationally, they realized that something different had to happen. That’s when United Church of Christ Bishop Selders, who had been present in Ferguson, offered this insight:

“We’re not going to talk our way out of racism” and income inequality.

They decided to become pro-active and step things up. After engaging in nonviolent disobedience skills training, twice they occupied major intersections in West Hartford to call attention to income inequality. They also stood up and spoke out during a Connecticut forum on racism, setting the conversation on another course.

They acted by “occupying spaces” to call attention to racism and income inequality and to shift the conversation. And by doing so, they were “creating spaces within which transformation can take place,” Josh explained.

The insight of Bishop Selders is echoing in my mind and heart. We need to do things differently, to act to shift the conversation in our local communities, in our nation. We even need to ask ourselves, “Who’s controlling the conversations?” How can we be about intentionally creating spaces for transformation wherever we are so that all can live healthy, dignified lives? Sometimes that’s going to mean disrupting the usual way things go.

On Day 14, we witnessed just such a space created for transformation at Integrity House in Newark, the largest comprehensive addiction treatment facility and program in New Jersey. Robert Budsock, CEO introduced us to the staff and clients, or members of the family as he likes to call them. They have an educational program, outpatient treatment and prevention programs. The most transformative is their therapeutic residential community: the love and care for each other was evident. Indeed, it is a family. Over 50% of the staff had themselves been participants in Integrity House. As one after another told their story of addiction, recovery and future goals, the healing power of relationships shone in their faces and was broadcast in their voices. How important community is! Each radiated a healthy, confident presence. How could we Nuns on the Bus not be touched, changed.

Connections to federal policy became central to our conversation; the need for funding for treatment, especially for residential therapeutic programs under Medicaid. When people are ready to enter treatment, immediate access to services is critical to recovery.

At all our rallies, including the most recent in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Newark we’ve heard testimony from low-income workers and immigrants. At each site visit we’ve met people impacted by policies: We’ve heard and seen the effect of these policies.

As Nuns on the Bus travels from place to place, we are amazed at the enthusiasm of those who greet us. What is it about the Bus that generates so much energy, we ask ourselves. Last year I described it as The Multiplication of Energies.

Is the Bus a visible vehicle of hope, of our desire for change, for a future when all are one?

Each morning before we get on the Bus, we gather in prayer. The scripture reading for Day 14 was incredibly appropriate and captured what we have been experiencing:

We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
2 Cor. 4:7

We also wonder what happens once we leave the places we have visited. Through the rallies, site visits and caucuses, have we shifted any conversations? Have we inserted ourselves to call attention to the impact of policies? Are we helping gather a community to work for change?

And now, I’m beginning to wonder, are we a rolling space for transformation?