Nuns on the Bus

Thanks to all who joined Sr. Carla Kovack and Sr. Simone Campbell as the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael hosted the Northern California Network Lobby Nuns on the Bus event on Sunday, October 11. With nearly 100 spirit-filled voters signing in for the virtual town hall, we enjoyed an engaging time together.

San Rafael Prioress Sister Carla Kovack, OP offered the following welcome and opening prayer:

In the name of so many religious leaders, I welcome all of you who have journeyed west to the Bay Area to be part of this gathering. If you have ever physically flown in or out of the Bay Area and have enjoyed a window seat, you look down and see that it is water that touches each location surrounding our beautiful Bay. One hundred and seventy years ago this December, Archbishop Alemany arrived in this very place to establish a local church after a two-month journey from Europe. Today, we got here with a click of a mouse! Today, the many cities that sprung up on the edges of this large body of water are connected by bridges; the Golden Gate Bridge being the most notable. In Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, he calls us to build bridges— “bridges of dialogue, bridges of encounter.” May our time together be an opportunity to do so.

Opening Prayer:
This day we gather in Your Presence, Mysterious Power of Love.
Deepen our awareness that Your energy permeates the Universe, binding all that exists in profound kinship, weaving a sacred web of relation.
May our time of dialogue and encounter deepen our awareness of this interconnection that all human beings and our mother earth are created equal in dignity.
Open our eyes as we look upon each other,
that we may not only look but also see Love in the other.
Open our ears to not only hear words,
but listen to possible layers of meaning in these words and
Open our hearts to respond with awe, gratitude, and love to all those who have made the Town Hall gathering possible.
Let the people say Amen!

If you missed the bus . . . there are other opportunities to hop on(line)! View the calendar here: https://networklobby.org/bus2020/virtualevents