Our Sisters in California participated in advocacy to seek to get people to harness their civic responsibility to vote in the upcoming US election. An organization of women, called Women Rising, provided an opportunity to encourage voting by making available pre-paid postage postcards with labels of registered voters. We received 120 of these postcards and some retired Sisters hand-wrote personal messages to directly encourage people to vote! Of course, the invitation was non-partisan and did not suggest a candidate to elect. Sisters sending these personally addressed postcards simply signed their first name only and their US State.
Nationwide Catholic Sisters from multiple congregations supported the ‘Nuns on the Bus’ campaign which travelled throughout the U.S from September 30th through to Oct 18 encouraging voter registration and participation. As the Nuns on the Bus crisscrossed the States; many sisters followed them online. The power and influence of Catholic sisters in the US elections has been recognized as a strength in the past as President Obama credited Catholic sisters, especially the Catholic Health Association led by Sister Carol Keehan, with playing a pivotal role in passing the Affordable Care Act, recognizing their steadfast advocacy as essential to achieving healthcare reform.
These fearless Sisters then drove into Las Vegas and lit up the city with their passion for justice and raising different issues at stake in the US elections. They promoted their bus tour’s mission to mobilize and empower multi-issue voters. Nuns on a Bus in Las Vegas
Since our Sisters have a fourth vow to serve those made poor and our charism urges us to consider anything that empowers or inhibits people from living a dignified life, we also met in small groups to discuss issues on the Ballot. Some of the proposals and measures would directly take benefits away from the poor and others would provide benefits such as Mental Health assistance for homeless people who have been abandoned. Women religious created guides to voting on these issues clearly listing the impact on the poor if they were to pass. With “election anxiety” abounding, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will host a virtual prayer vigil from November 4–6. In silent solidarity, we pray for peace and transformation. To access the virtual prayer vigil, click here
