Social Justice: Answering the Call

One day in December of 1971, Sister Marjorie Tuite, OP, stopped in the Chicago Urban Apostolate to visit with Sister Teresina
“Terri” Grasso, SP. “You’re interested in social justice,” she said. “You need to get yourself to our meeting in Washington, D.C.” 

What was this meeting? Pope Paul VI had just issued A Call to Action, a call for the Church to become involved in the political process as a way to effect change. Monsignor Geno Baroni, along with Jerry Ernst, had worked with those who suffered the effects of injustices because of political policies.

Baroni had no success with his desire to form a priests’ group to lobby Washington. So he turned to Sister Marjorie and the women religious who had spent their lives working with the victims of injustice. The story of what happened next, told in Mary Rutten’s book Called to Action, is echoed in Sister Terri’s account.

Sister Terri recalls how on December 7, 1971, an invitation to meet and discuss public policy went out to Catholic sisters who were interested in social justice. The hope was to have at least 25 participants. 

But on Friday, December 17, 47 women nationwide assembled at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. There, Baroni spoke about addressing the causes rather than the effects of public policies.

“The first day was stimulating,” Sister Terri said, as they listened to Father Geno and Jerry Ernst talk about how the sisters might become involved in influencing legislation. They were asked, “Where is the voice of the poor, the voices of workers?”

Sister Terri recalled the most game-changing moment was when a sister stood up and asked why a discussion about organizing women religious was being led by males. So Father Baroni and Jerry Ernst went to the back of the room and the sisters took charge. A motion was made to “form a political action network,” and the seeds were sown for a nationwide NETWORK of women religious to engage in political activism at the federal level.

A small group from the original participants took up residence in D.C. and learned from experienced lobbyists and politicians the skills they needed to speak for the voiceless.

As for Sister Terri, she returned to Chicago to report what happened in Washington and to encourage sisters to become involved. She also served for a number of years on the board of NETWORK. “Probably the most exciting thing we did,” she says, “was holding week-long workshops in Washington D.C. Participants would go up to Capitol Hill and visit their representatives and have a taste of what was needed to be an effective advocate for those who had no voice.”

NETWORK grew into an important force for systemic change. In 2012, it was suggested that taking their message on the road, which became known as Nuns on the Bus, would be a way to focus attention on the moral choices facing the country.

The first tour was a success, drawing crowds of people, providing opportunities to meet with legislators and giving NETWORK the chance to stage events all over the Midwest. Yearly tours of Nuns on the Bus followed. 

In 2016, a young woman named Emily TeKolste was in Terre Haute when Nuns on the Bus made a stop. At Xavier University, Emily had been involved in working for justice in organizations like the Dorothy Day Center for Faith & Justice, and was interested in the Sisters of Providence. Chatting with Emily, one of the sisters on the bus suggested  she consider religious life. Emily replied, “I’m on it.” 

Emily soon entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence. In 2019, when Sister Emily applied to be a NETWORK Associate, she was asked to consider a role that would last longer than a year.

As Providence would have it, the Sisters of Providence are again an integral part of the organization pioneered by sisters like Sister Terri some 53 years ago. Sister Emily is now a Grassroots Mobilization Specialist for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.

Coordinating meetings with lawmakers, speaking about issues like food insecurity, Sister Emily also uses her skills to convey the message of NETWORK.

Like Sister Terri and the many Sisters of Providence who have heard the call to action, Sister Emily is on it.

Originally published in the summer 2026 issue of HOPE magazine.