If it’s Hopeful, it Must Be Mount Mary

Writer: Sr. Alice Gerdeman, CDP

Sr. Alice Gerdeman, CDP speaks at the Milwaukee Town Hall to Vote Our Future at Mount Mary University.

If this is Monday, it must be day 3 of my time with Nuns on the Bus & Friends. If it is evening, I must be in Milwaukee and in the fourth state of the day (Michigan that morning, followed by a stop in Gary, Indiana, then through Illinois and up to Wisconsin). Thank God the bus is comfortable and the riders congenial and willing to share their life adventures as we roll along.

Tonight we are having a town hall at Mount Mary University.  The bus riders are met by a group of Milwaukee nuns and friends. There’s a group of School Sisters of Notre Dame and two Sisters of St. Agnes who are Nuns on the Bus alums, Sisters Claire Lawlor and Julie Krahl. They are eager to assure me that the ride will change my life – more than I can realize right now.

And it isn’t just people who are delighted to greet us. The earth itself welcomes this  group tired of sitting with a cool breeze, October blue sky, verdant green grass and trees with gently whispering leaves and one glistening red and orange in the evening sun.

Inside, I meet Taniyah, a sophomore at Mount Mary University. She tells me we have come to a tightknit, caring, easy, and friendly place. I think, this is just the community that will welcome the message Nuns on the Bus & Friends carry.

Then comes the formal welcome by Theresa, a Mt. Mary student, and Jonathan, from Marquette University. They are NETWORK Y.A.L.L. (Young Advocates Leadership Lab) Carol Coston Fellows. The tone is set. Bus riders share their thoughts and hopes around the six freedoms on NETWORK’s Equally Sacred Checklist. Nearly 200 people listen, nod in agreement, lean forward to catch a new bit of information, and share their own hopes and dreams for their city, state, and country.

And soon it’s over. As people file out to sign their names to the bus, I hear comments:

“They reminded me that we’ve made progress.”  “It’s hopeful!” “People who live in poverty weren’t forgotten. It’s all well and good to talk about the middle class, but we’re called to change systems and lift up everyone, especially those with little and make sure they are included.” “I think Jesus rolled in on that bus!” “There are lots of things going on that I didn’t know about. I feel informed.” “We have so much enthusiasm for justice tonight!” “My husband and I talk about this all the time. He teaches it. You were so clear. I wish he had come.”

I climb aboard and settle into my seat on the bus. As a Nun on the Bus and as a member of NETWORK Advocates Board of Directors, I feel the power of the people coming together, sharing hope, and catching renewed energy from each other in these last days before election. I give praise to God and trust in Providence. I’m a bit weary, but I’ll be ready to begin again in the morning.

This reflection is from the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends bus rider blog.