Nuns on the Bus
February 18, 2014鈥擳he public perception of the typical nun is outdated, says , OSF, and she is hoping to raise awareness about the work done by nuns in marginalized communities throughout the United States.
Sister Ilia, who is the director of the university鈥檚 , has invited four women to Georgetown to tell their stories of faith and action. On February 21, 2014, 鈥淣uns on the Bus: Women鈥檚 Leadership After Vatican II,鈥� will feature a panel discussion with Sister Simone Campbell, SSS; Sister Mary Johnson, SND; Sister Camilla Burns, SND; and Sister Helen Amos, RSM. 鈥淎ll four women are action-oriented in [their] own way,鈥� Sister Ilia said. Each will discuss the role of nuns鈥攁lso known as 鈥溾�濃�攊n the areas of social justice, education, leadership, and health care.
Many of these occupations were unavailable to women religious prior to 1962 when Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, or 鈥淰atican II.鈥� 鈥淧ope John XXIII recognized that the Church had become out of touch with the world,鈥� Sister Ilia explained. Before Vatican II, women religious had remained cloistered and separated from the world. As the council ushered in new changes for the Catholic Church, women religious were allowed to become more involved in outside communities.
鈥淎fter Vatican II and the opening of the Church to history and to the changes of the world, that was a huge invitation to women religious to change themselves,鈥� Sister Ilia said. 鈥淲e began to see more women getting graduate degrees and taking on leadership roles in educational facilities and social centers.鈥�
The image of nuns as grade school teachers ignores much of the social justice work done by their religious communities, Sister Ilia says. 鈥淵ou find a lot of women religious working with people who are marginalized,鈥� she explained. These women are not simply working with the poor but have become vocal advocates.
One of the panel鈥檚 speakers, Sister Simone Campbell, is the executive director of , a national Catholic social justice lobby. NETWORK organizes 鈥淣uns on the Bus,鈥� which raises awareness about issues such as economic justice, health care, and immigration reform by touring throughout the United States on a bus. 鈥淲e say here [at NETWORK] that we鈥檙e for the 100 percent, and polices need to reflect the best of who we are as a nation,鈥� Sister Simone said. The Nuns on the Bus tour is part of a long tradition of social justice work by women religious in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
鈥淭here would not be, I think, a social arm of the Church without women religious,鈥� Sister Ilia said.
The 鈥淣uns on the Bus鈥� panel will feature women religious from a variety of fields. Sister Helen Amos is the executive chair of the board of trustees of Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and previously served as the center鈥檚 CEO and president. Sister Camilla Burns and Sister Mary Johnson have established careers in higher education, both serving on the faculty of religious studies and theology at Trinity Washington University.
Sister Ilia hopes 鈥淣uns on the Bus: Women鈥檚 Leadership After Vatican II” will highlight the work done by women religious and present the unique attributes women bring to social justice action. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important to hear the voices of women,鈥� she said. 鈥淲omen have a great openness to keep moving鈥攖hey are not stuck. They are willing to let go of what was and to engage new ways of living in the world.鈥�
As Pope Francis has brought a new focus to the Catholic Church, many women religious wonder about the role of women in the Church. 鈥淲omen religious are still seeking their role in this new open Church,鈥� Sister Ilia said.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important going forward [that] the Church come to a greater level of mutuality [and] that we can share in this Church life together.鈥�
Related Information
鈥淣uns on the Bus: Women鈥檚 Leadership After Vatican II鈥� will be held on February 21, 2014, 4:00鈥�5:30 p.m., in Lohrfink Auditorium. 鈥淣uns on the Bus鈥� is co-sponsored by the Georgetown Women鈥檚 Center and the Biondi-Copeland Family Fund. Please RSVP at .
The event will include:
- Sister RSM, Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees of .
- Sister Camilla Burns, SND, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at
- Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of
- Sister Mary Johnson, SND, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at Trinity Washington University.