Nuns on the Bus collect stories of economic hardship in the Northeast area of Kansas City

The Northeast area of Kansas City was home Friday to the latest tour stop for the Nuns on the Bus.

About 150 supporters greeted the traveling Roman Catholic sisters, who stopped at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church on their way to Washington in preparation of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit and to generate support for his “economy of inclusion.”

The sisters listened to Kansas City residents tell stories of economic hardship and family crisis because of what they called low hourly wages and unfeeling immigration policies.

“We can change this reality,” said Sister Simone Campbell, one of seven nuns who stopped at St. Anthony’s.

“That’s why we are on the road. We hear Pope Francis’ call to all of us to end the exploitation that’s going on.”

Mikela Houston of Kansas City described how she has worked at Taco Bell for 18 months and earns $11.25 an hour.

“Even though it is above the minimum wage, I’m still not able to pay my bills like I want to,” she said. “Instead I rely on government assistance.”

Jeanette Hutchinson of Kansas City described how long she must work each week earning $9 an hour as a caregiver.

“I survive by working 90 hours a week,” she said. “I never have a day off unless I am in the hospital, sick.”

Katherine Meza of Kansas City told how she and her six siblings have been living with their grandmother, Elsa Argueta, since their parents were deported earlier this year.

“All we want is for our parents to be with us,” Meza said. “They are like the roots to a tree, and a tree without roots dies slowly.”

Campbell thanked the speakers for having to the courage to go public with their personal challenges.

“We are on the road to welcome your stories, to have our hearts broken,” she said.

After the 30-minute rally, the nuns fanned out through the crowd, inviting spectators to fill out cards and to sign the side of their bus to symbolize individual commitment.

The 13-day, seven-state bus tour began Thursday in St. Louis. After traveling to Topeka from Kansas City, the nuns are expected to travel through several states before arriving in Washington on Sept. 22 to host a rally welcoming the pope to the United States.

The pope is scheduled to visit the White House on Sept. 23 and address a joint session of Congress the next day.

The sisters’ tour is being coordinated by Network, a Washington-based Catholic social justice lobbying organization.

The Rev. Paul Turner, pastor of St. Anthony’s at 309 Benton Blvd., said Network representatives had contacted him about visiting the parish.

The church has a long history of serving Kansas City immigrants since its origins in the early 20th century. The church currently rents space to Don Bosco Centers, which offers English as a second language to new Americans from all over the world.

Network representatives told Turner they wanted to discuss minimum wage and immigration reform issues.

“They believed this would be a neighborhood where those two issues would have particular resonance,” Turner said.

Campbell, Network’s executive director, urged listeners to overcome the politics of division and polarization.

“We know that we need to bridge divides and, if we are going to have an economy and environment of inclusion, we know we need to transform politics to create a politics of inclusion, where everyone’s voice gets heard,” Campbell said, often switching back and forth from English to Spanish.

“Pope Francis tells us that what we have to do is take the reality into ourselves and claim it as our own and, by knowing that pain and struggle, we will each discover what each of us can do about it.”

The nuns also were scheduled to host a town hall meeting Friday evening at Community Christian Church in Kansas City.

This story was originally published September 11, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Nuns on the Bus collect stories of economic hardship in the Northeast area of Kansas City."