This fall, NETWORK’s Nuns on the Bus is hitting the road again for the first time in six years, and we are bringing partners with us! On this two-and-a-half-week, nationwide “Vote Our Future Tour,” Nuns on the Bus & Friends will call on Catholics and all people of goodwill to be multi-issue voters. From Philadelphia to San Francisco, we will lift up the freedoms that are essential for a flourishing multiracial, multi-faith democracy and equip and mobilize everyone to exercise their right to vote—and make sure that their friends and families are voting, too!

Mary Novak, Executive Director of NETWORK, speaks at the Nuns on the Bus & Friends press conference announcing the 2024 Vote Our Future tour held on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Washington. (Larry French/AP Content Services for NETWORK Nuns on the Bus and Friends)

“This year, it is important to be reminded that nothing is inevitable, that we actually have to “Vote Our Future.” And as Pope Francis reminds us, ‘The only future worth building includes everyone.” We have taken all of this to heart in creating our 2024 bus tour, and we have decided to have a mix of Catholic sisters, lay leaders like myself, and our interfaith and secular partners on this bus tour: Nuns on the Bus & Friends.”

These were the words of Mary J. Novak, NETWORK’s Executive Director, at a media conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, July 23, to announce that the nuns are hitting the road—this time with their multi-faith and secular partners—for the 2024 Nuns on the Bus & Friends “Vote Our Future” tour! The announcement was met with resounding cheers from the roughly 200 people gathered in person and online—including Catholic sisters, members of Congress, and advocacy partners.

This nationwide, two-and-a-half-week tour is NETWORK’s first in-person bus tour in six years and a cornerstone of NETWORK’s 2024 nonpartisan voter education campaign, “Vote Our Future: Everyone Thrives, No Exceptions!” Traveling from Philadelphia to San Francisco, Nuns on the Bus & Friends will call on Catholics and all people of goodwill to be multi-issue voters and protect the freedoms that promote a future of flourishing for everyone. From September 30 to October 18, bus riders will meet with communities across the country to lift up the vision of an inclusive, multiracial, multi-faith democracy and equip everyone to vote!

Rev. Adam Taylor of Sojourners. Photo: Min. Christian Watkins

The gathering on Tuesday was brimming with energy, urgency, and inspiration. Participants held up bright, colorful signs announcing “Vote Our Future,” “Multi-Issue Voter,” and more—along with a giant cutout of the bus decked out in its Vote Our Future art! — all against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol.

In addition to Novak, Tuesday’s media conference featured remarks from several of the tour’s bus riders as well as members of Congress. Many spoke about the freedoms at stake in the 2024 election – the freedoms to be healthy and safe, to participate in a vibrant democracy, to care for ourselves and our families, and to live on a healthy planet and in a welcoming country. (For more information, see NETWORK’s Equally Sacred Checklist.)

Sr. Eilis McCulloh, HM of NETWORK (Larry French/AP Content Services for NETWORK Nuns on the Bus and Friends)

“I am here because I support Pope Francis’ call for Catholics to be multi-issue voters,” said Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-4). “My social justice values are deeply connected to my faith and upbringing as a Catholic. That’s why I joined Nuns on the Bus & Friends, to reaffirm our commitment to the right to seek asylum, as well as health care, climate, economic, and racial justice.”

“Voting is not just a statement of your values; it’s a way to actualize the changes you want to see in society. How will you discern how your voting practice can support the freedom to live in a welcoming society?” asked Giovana Oaxaca, Program Director for Migration Policy at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America’s Office for Witness in Society, a former associate at NETWORK, and a rider on the 2024 bus tour.

At the multi-faith gathering, many spoke about voting for the common good as central to living out one’s faith.

“There is nothing that says faith in action like Nuns on the Bus. Faith that is just words is not really faith. We have to act. And we act by voting,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5).

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) (Larry French/AP Content Services for NETWORK Nuns on the Bus and Friends)

Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20) said, “Our work in Washington and the legislation we advance are a statement of our values and—to ensure a bright future for all—those values must run the gamut of addressing the climate crisis, protecting voting rights, strengthening health care, and more.”

Others spoke to the power of advocating alongside Catholic Sisters—reflecting the collaborative coalition of Nuns on the Bus & Friends. “Demanding justice and securing freedom is hard, and through NETWORK, I have always found a strong and effective ally in this vital work. The nuns have always shown up, and that is why this time, I’m coming with them!” said Debbie Weinstein of the Coalition on Human Needs.

Rooted in faith and solidarity, every speaker’s remarks included a vision of a future of flourishing. Sojourners President Rev. Adam Taylor summed up this vision: “We can build a country where everyone is equally valued, where diversity is seen as a strength and not a weakness, and where everyone can thrive.”

Sr. Mumbi Kigutha, CPPS president of Friends in Solidarity (Larry French/AP Content Services for NETWORK Nuns on the Bus and Friends)

This vision can be our reality because the future is always open. We can really “vote our future.” Sr. Mūmbi Kīgūtha, CPPS, President of Friends in Solidarity and one of the Catholic sisters joining the bus tour, said: “The Bible tells us that when one part of the whole suffers, we all suffer. We need not choose to remain in suffering because we have agency. We have the power to transcend circumstances. I witnessed that reality when I rode the bus in 2018 and encountered people, together in their communities, doing the good work of building a more just and equitable world.”

Also speaking at the gathering were Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-2), Rep. John Larson (CT-1), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Amelia Kegan, Associate General Secretary for Policy and Advocacy at Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Sr. Eilis McCulloh, HM, NETWORK Grassroots Education & Mobilizing Specialist. See NETWORK’s press release on the event for more notable quotes from all speakers.

Reverend Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of Children’s Defense Fund and CDF Action Council, offers a prayer (Larry French/AP Content Services for NETWORK Nuns on the Bus and Friends)

The gathering concluded with a powerful blessing from Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson of the Children’s Defense Fund, who lifted up the vision of an inclusive, multi-faith, multiracial democracy and called us all to join in the transformative movement of the Spirit.

Together, participants underscored the message at the heart of Nuns on the Bus & Friends: that every single one of us must join in building our future by voting our future. Visit networkadvocates.org/be-a-voter for resources on how you can make a voting plan, be a multi-issue voter, help your friends and family vote, and more.

As Novak said in her concluding words, “Remember, together we can Vote Our Future, so Everyone Thrives – No Exceptions!”

Watch the full media conference here.

Join us! Visit nunsonthebus.org to learn about the tour and our stops.

To learn how you can take action, become a multi-issue voter, and help your loved ones make their voting plans, head to networkadvocates.org/be-a-voter.

For more information on NETWORK’s nonpartisan voter education campaign, visit: networkadvocates.org/election-2024.