Pictured: Daryl Charron, C.PP.S., Alice Kitchen, Dr. Bob Stuber, Sr. Rose McLarney, Sr. Jean Christensen
Nuns on the Bus are on tour again and spreading a good message. This week they were probably on their way to the University of Minnesota Duluth as the Missouri contingent was on our way to St. Joseph. The “big bus” was visiting the second of ten states, but since Missouri was not one of them, Missouri nuns decided to take their own bus with the encouragement of Network, the tour sponsor. I was the driver again and participated in the discussions with current and aspiring politicians in the St. Joseph area. St. Joseph was not part of our first tour so we decided to make it the sole destination of our second tour. Alice Kitchen organized it and set up the appointments with six politicians throughout the day on Sept. 23rd. The last three were at Hales Bar & Grill, which was an interesting place to meet. Evidently, this is a popular place for politicians to meet their constituents to discuss the issues.
Alice Kitchen is a national team member with Network and she did a great job preparing us with a clear, non-partisan, moral-value-based message. We took a stand against big money and showed our concern about the working poor. We held the politicians responsible and urged them to commit to policies promoting the common good. We talked about: mending the wealth gap, enacting a living wage, crafting a faithful budget that benefits everyone, securing healthcare for all, protecting immigrant rights and promoting nonviolent solutions to conflict. It proved to be a day of quality conversations about the issues. I especially enjoyed a tour of the Social Welfare Board and their Patee Market Health Center. They can be proud of 101 years of providing healthcare to the people of Buchanan County.
Daryl Charron, C.PP.S.
