The Family and Medical Leave Act, which NETWORK strongly supported, passes in Congress and is signed into law by President Clinton.

NETWORK coordinates the lobby days for Housing NOW!, a program sponsored by 175 organizations. More than 250,000 people participate in the week of briefings, press conferences, panel discussions, prayer services, benefit concerts, marches, and rallies.

The Vatican’s 1983 Code of Canon Law takes effect, prohibiting religious men and women from serving in public office, affecting members of NETWORK, including foundress Elizabeth Morancy. 

A Difficult Choice

When the Vatican prohibited religious men and women from serving in public office, two NETWORK Board Members were forced to make a painful choice: Elizabeth Morancy, a Rhode Island state Representative, and Arlene Violet, a candidate for Rhode Island State Attorney General. Both resigned from the Sisters of Mercy to serve in those positions. Previously, NETWORK with LCWR and other groups, had issued an Epistle in support of former Mercy Sister Agnes Mary Mansour, who had been forced to choose between her ministry as director of the Michigan Department of Social Services and her community by the Vatican.

The ERA fails to receive the necessary number of states for ratification. 

During Pope John Paul II’s visit to the U.S., LCWR president Theresa Kane, RSM asks the Pope to open all church ministries to women in her welcome speech; fifty-three sisters stand in protest during his remarks.

Three non-Sisters, Marie (Grosso) Dennis, Barbara Ann Stolz, and Josephine Zamora, are elected to NETWORK’s Board for the first time.

Pope Paul VI dies, his successor, John Paul I, dies 33 days later. Archbishop Karol Józef Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland is elected Pope and takes the name John Paul II.

Ann (Sampson) Dunn is hired, NETWORK’s first non-Sister on staff, and the NETWORK Educational Program is incorporated.

NETWORK publishes its first Congressional voting record, reflecting how often each Members of Congress voted in alignment with Catholic Social Justice on key bills. 

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passes the Senate and is sent to the states for ratification. NETWORK will lobby for the ERA’s passage for the next ten years.