Author Description

In 1971, galvanized by the reforms of Vatican II and Catholic social teaching that called for political engagement as “a constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel,” forty-seven Roman Catholic sisters gathered in Washington, D.C. to find a way to build a more just world. The result was the founding of NETWORK, the nation’s first Catholic Social Justice lobby, and the establishment of a new kind of ministry which called for working within the political system to advocate for those on the margins. The sisters who founded NETWORK called their work “political ministry.” This is the story of how the “radical feminists” of NETWORK offered an alternative vision of what it means to be church as it worked to advance the rights and dignity of all peoples, occasionally running afoul of powerful political and church interests. NETWORK’s most recognizable incarnation, the “Nuns on the Bus,” grew from this prophetic interpretation of social teaching and, to the faithful still waiting for the Church to live up to the promises of Vatican II, models the promise of Catholicengagement for a more just world. REVIEWS FOR CALLED TO ACTION "Inspiring and informative, this is a gem of a book. In quick, graceful prose it tells a good story laced with drama, uncertainty, conflicts with the powerful in church and society, some brilliant successes, and deep faith.... Every organization should be so lucky as to have its first half-century written up with such clarity and flair." Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Fordham University "... Highlighting the importance of mutuality, participation, honesty and courage on the journey, Called to Action: NETWORK’s 50 Years of Political Ministry is interesting, engaging and completely authentic, based on my almost 50 years of being inspired by NETWORK, both personally and professionally!" Marie Dennis Senior Program Director of Pax Christi International’s C