By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
September 16, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Sometimes, you have to let the people talk. And with talk, hopefully springs change.

Last Friday, outside St. Anthony’s Church in the Northeast, NETWORK’s fourth national “Nuns on the Bus” tour, themed “Bridge the Divides: Transform Politics,” parked and informed the roughly 100 people who attended about national issues that they believe need to be changed. NETWORK is a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation.

The stop at St. Anthony’s Church was just one of 33 events led by more than a dozen Catholic sisters, including Sister Simone Campbell. The group has traveled over 2,000 miles to meet with individuals, families, and communities in seven states and 12 cities during a 13-day bus tour ending on Sept. 22 in Washington, D.C. The group is traveling the country in response to Pope Francis’s U.S. visit.

Area activist groups such as Missouri Home Care Union, Mercy for Justice and Stand Up KC were in attendance. Members from a few of these groups even spoke during the rally, telling tales of hardships and pleading with the crowd to speak up and demand change. Along the tour, the sisters are focusing on policy changes that include politics of inclusion, “that foster economic justice, prioritizes the common good, and builds community where everyone’s voice is heard.” Their goal in this bus trip is to transform politics by listening and learning from the people, and returning to Washington D.C. to lobby for a faithful federal budget, and to expand and make permanent key improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. The rally was followed by a town hall meeting later in the evening.

Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of NETWORK, said so far, the crowds and turnout along the route have been amazing.

“These people are hungry to change the direction of the country,” Campbell said.

Although the group is considered a lobbying group, there were no local political representation at Friday’s rally. Campbell said that is done by design because some politicians might be inclined to push their own agendas when they want people to speak freely.

“These people are sharing a lot of heartbreaking stories that we hope motivate people,” Campbell said.

John Winkels, a former Northeast resident who now resides in the Northland, attended the rally because he supports the Nuns on the Bus. He attended their town hall meeting when they stopped in Kansas City a couple years ago and thinks Campbell is an amazing public speaker.

“She’s really good at interacting with folks,” Winkels said.