Sister of Providence Emily TeKolste and Sister of the Humility of Mary, Eilis McCulloh are both based in the Midwest and serve on the Grassroots Mobilization team at the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. In conversation with NETWORK deputy executive director and chief equity officer Joan F. Neal and grassroots outreach and education coordinator Colin Martinez Longmore, they delve into the question of how faith is a necessary force for good in politics.

While there are plenty of examples of how faith and politics can be mixed badly—the democracy-imperiling rise of Christian nationalism chief among them—NETWORK embraces a vision of Catholic Social Justice for educating, organizing, and lobbying to promote the common good.

In this episode, we also hear from Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, a Catholic and the longest-serving woman currently in Congress, on the value of voices of faith in the political process. NETWORK's grassroots mobilization director, Meg Olson, shares her own justice journey into faith-based advocacy. And Laura Peralta-Schulte, senior director of public policy and government relations, offers a survey of the many issues and pieces of legislation where justice-seekers can get involved.

You can find further reading on how politics can serve the common good in the links below:

"Catherine Pinkerton's Sister Spirit Legacy" By Julia Morris https://networklobby.org/catherine-pinkertons-sister-spirt-legacy/

"Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Celebrates NETWORK Lobby's Legacy of Connecting the Common Good to Politics" By Marcy Kaptur https://networklobby.org/congresswoman-marcy-kaptur-celebrates-network-lobbys-legacy-of-connecting-the-common-good-to-politics/

"Pope calls faithful to pray, participate actively in politics" https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/28058/pope-calls-faithful-to-pray-participate-actively-in-politics

"New Agreement Would Advance Healthcare, Tax Justice, and Climate Protections" By Laura Peralta-Schulte https://networklobby.org/new-agreement-would-advance-healthcare-tax-justice-and-climate-protections/

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1065

Closing theme music by SongRise https://songrisedc.org/

Just Politics is sponsored by Loyola Press. https://www.loyolapress.com/