Nuns on the Bus Hit the Road Again

You want to get into the habit of hanging with these ladies. (Photo: NETWORK)

They’ve been on buses, ferries, subways and even tractors. You might expect to see the nuns on roller skates next. But NETWORK’s Nuns on the Bus are going back to what they know best and kicking off another bus tour across America next week.

On Wednesday, September 17^th Vice President Joe Biden will join Sister Simone Campbell and the Nuns on the Bus to kick off their 2014 tour at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.

Traveling to 10 states in a bus emblazoned with the words “We the People, We the Voters,” the Catholic sisters, led by Sister Simone Campbell*, will engage thousands of people with the goal of greatly expanding voter engagement this November.

Related: Road Trip—The Nelson Mandela Tour of South Africa

For the next few weeks, the Nuns on the Bus will engage voters and encourage voter registration at 75 events in 36 cities along the 5,252-mile route. For more detailed information about the bus trip, go to www.nunsonthebus.org.

While I was researching my book, “If Nuns Ruled the World,” I rode on the Nun bus back in 2012 when their trip focused on Representative Paul Ryan’s federal budget proposal that would have decimated programs that help people at the economic margins.

Their bus driver that time around was a gentleman named Bill, the owner of a silvery mullet and an ever-present Journey T-shirt. He had actually spent the previous summer driving the remaining members of that very anthem rock band across the country. I wondered how the gig with the nuns compared with driving around a bus full of aging rock stars.

“A little different,” Bill said with a shrug when I asked. “No drugs. And it’s quiet. Other than that, no difference. They are some nice ladies.” 

They are nice and they are doing some incredible work from that bus. If they’re stopping in your city make sure to come out to support them. It’s a great bus to join.