- Born:
- October 22, 1945, Santa Monica, California, U.S. (age 81)
- Awards And Honors:
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022)
Sister Simone Campbell
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Who is Sister Simone Campbell?
Sister Simone Campbell (born in Santa Monica, California, on October 22, 1945) is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate for social justice.
After joining the Sisters of Social Service in 1964, she took her religious vows and later earned a law doctorate from the University of California, Davis. Campbell founded the Community Law Center in Oakland, California, and directed the Sisters of Social Service. She gained national attention as executive director of Jericho, an interfaith group, and of Network, a Catholic social justice group. Campbell led Nuns on the Bus, criticizing Republican budget proposals, and addressed the Democratic National Convention in 2012. She published her autobiography, A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community, in 2014 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
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What religious order is Sister Simone Campbell a part of?
Sister Simone Campbell is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate for social justice. She is a member of the Sisters of Social Service, an international Roman Catholic community rooted in the Benedictine tradition. Campbell took her first religious vows in 1967 and her final vows in 1973. As general director of the Sisters of Social Service (1995–2000), she oversaw the activities of her religious community in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. She gained national exposure as the executive director of Jericho (2002–04), an interfaith interest group advocating on behalf of the poor, and of Network (2004–21), a Roman Catholic group promoting social justice in public policy.
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What kind of work does she do as an attorney?
Sister Simone Campbell is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate for social justice. She founded and served as the lead attorney for the Community Law Center in Oakland, California, from 1978 to 1995. As general director of the Sisters of Social Service (1995–2000), she oversaw her religious community's activities in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. She gained national exposure as the executive director of Jericho (2002–04), an interfaith interest group advocating on behalf of the poor, and of Network (2004–21), a Roman Catholic group promoting social justice in public policy.
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Why is Sister Simone Campbell known for social activism?
Sister Simone Campbell is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate for social justice. She gained national exposure as executive director of Jericho, an interfaith interest group advocating for the poor, and of Network, a Roman Catholic group promoting social justice in public policy.
In 2012, when the Vatican investigated the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), Campbell became a main public figure among American sisters in their disagreement with the Roman Catholic Church’s hierarchy. She led Nuns on the Bus, a tour criticizing the Republican federal budget proposal as unpatriotic and immoral. Campbell denounced the Republican budget proposal for failing to acknowledge mutual responsibility as a moral duty and characterized her support of health care reform as part of her pro-life stance.
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What is 'Nuns on the Bus,' and how is Sister Simone Campbell involved?
"Nuns on the Bus" is a tour across the United States led by Sister Simone Campbell and organized by Network, a Roman Catholic social justice group.
In 2012, the tour gained prominence when the sisters voiced strong criticism of the Republican federal budget proposal for the years 2012–2013, deeming it unpatriotic and immoral. Campbell has been an outspoken advocate for social justice, often challenging established norms within the Catholic Church. She has characterized her support of health care reform as part of her pro-life stance.
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Sister Simone Campbell (born October 22, 1945, Santa Monica, California, U.S.) is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate for social justice.
Campbell took her religious vows (first vows 1967; final vows 1973) after joining the Sisters of Social Service (1964), an international Roman Catholic community rooted in the Benedictine tradition. She received a bachelor’s degree (1969) from Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in law (1977) from the University of California, Davis, where she was the editor of the UC Davis Law Review. She was the founder and lead attorney for the Community Law Center in Oakland, California (1978–95). As general director of the Sisters of Social Service (1995–2000), she oversaw the activities of her religious community in the United States, Mexico, Taiwan, and the Philippines. She gained national exposure as the executive director of Jericho (2002–04), an interfaith interest group advocating on behalf of the poor, and of Network (2004–21), a Roman Catholic group promoting social justice in public policy. In that capacity Campbell took an active though informal role in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a coalition representing the majority of American sisters. Campbell was also active on international issues and took part in religious delegations to Chiapas, Mexico (1996), Iraq (2002), Syria (2008), and Lebanon (2008).
In 2012 when the Vatican announced that it was investigating the LCWR regarding its respect for or departure from established Catholic teaching, Campbell became one of the main public figures among American sisters in their disagreement with the Roman Catholic Church’s hierarchy. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office responsible for upholding doctrinal discipline within the church, released a report that found discrepancies between basic Catholic doctrine and the teaching and actions of the LCWR, particularly on the issues of same-sex marriage and abortion, and ordered the LCWR to revise its statutes. Campbell rejected the report and argued that the sisters’ work for social justice actually manifested their fidelity to the gospel. She characterized the disagreement between the Vatican and the sisters as a divergence of political culture rather than of faith.
In the summer of 2012, Campbell led Nuns on the Bus, a two-week tour across the United States organized by Network. During that tour the sisters criticized the Republican federal budget proposal for 2012–13 as unpatriotic and immoral. In September 2012 Campbell addressed the Democratic National Convention. She denounced the Republican budget proposal for failing to acknowledge mutual responsibility as a moral duty and characterized her support of health care reform as part of her pro-life stance. In 2017 she also spoke out against the Republican tax plan, arguing that it would cause wealth inequality to widen.
Campbell’s autobiography, A Nun on the Bus: How All of Us Can Create Hope, Change, and Community, was published in 2014. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.