BONUS episode, Simone Campbell - Hunger for Hope: Contemplation and Political Action

In our time rife with political division and worry about our democracy, the contemplative practice does not allow us to be idle spectators. Rather, our spiritual practice is a gift for the Body as a whole. Let us explore together the demands of a contemplative life to face and heal the world around us. Sister Simone Campbell (Roman Catholic Sister of Social Service) is a religious leader, attorney, author and the recipient of a 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom (the United States' highest civilian honor). She has extensive experience in public advocacy and is currently a leader of "Understanding US," a grassroots program to promote political healing in our nation. She is a member of the Auburn Seminary Senior Fellows. For 17 years she was executive director of NETWORK, Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and leader of Nuns on the Bus. In 2010, she wrote the "nuns' letter" that was seminal in passage of the Affordable Care Act. She has twice spoken at the Democratic National Conventions, appeared on numerous television and radio programs. She has received numerous other awards including the "Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award" and the "Defender of Democracy Award" from the Parliamentarians for Global Action. Prior to Washington, this native Californian led interfaith advocacy in Sacramento and for 18 years was the founder and lead attorney at the Oakland Community Law Center. Her two books, A Nun on the Bus (2014) and Hunger for Hope (2020), are award winning reflections on the substance of her life of justice seeking.