Sister Simone Campbell (b1945)

Sister Simone is an American Roman Catholic Religious Sister, lawyer, lobbyist and executive director of NETWORK.She belongs to the Sisters Social Service (SSS). She is known as as an outspoken advocate for social justice.

Sister Simone was born in Santa Monica, California. She was given the first name of Mary after her paternal grandmother. She was the eldest of 4 siblings.

Sister Simone took her religious vows in 1967 (first) and 1973 (final) after joining the SSS in 1964 and adopted the name Simone.

In 1969 she received a B.A from Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles and a doctorate in law from the University of California, Davis in 1977 where she was editor of the UC Davis Law Review.

Positions held
Founder and lead attorney for the Community Law Center in Oakland, California (1978-95) . She practiced family law and worked on the needs of the working poor of her county in Probate Court.
General director of SSS (1995-2000) and saw activities in the USA, Mexico, Taiwan and the Philippines
Executive director of Jericho (2002-4)
Network (2004- )
Informal role with Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
Took part in religious delegations in Mexico, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon

2010 saw the healthcare reform debate. Sister Simone wrote the ‘nuns’ letter. She was invited by President Obama to the signing ceremony of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Network group were credited for helping to get the law passed. (Read paragraph which starts with* In 2010*)

In 2012 she became one of the main public figures to disagree with the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) hierarchy on the issues of same-sex marriages and abortion. ( Read paragraph which starts * In 2012*)
Pope Francis brought to an abrupt end the Vatican investigation.

The summer of 2012 saw her lead Nuns on the Bus. a 2 week tour across the USA. A small group of nuns travelled on a dedicated bus inside the USA publicizing different issues. The aim was to draw attention to nuns’ work with the poor and to protest against planned cuts.

2013 NETWORK partnered with ‘Faith in Public Life’ to promote the theme of immigration reform.

In 2014 she was the recipient of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom award in recognition of her advocacy work.

2017 she spoke out against the Republican tax plan , arguing that it would cause wealth inequality to widen.

For over 40 years Sister Simone Campbell has been a champion of those seeking social justice.

Sister Simone Campbell memoir * A Nun on the Bus* was published in 2014.

Sources used
Britannica Online Encyclopedia
wikipedia