Every election year, the Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice takes to the road with Nuns on the Bus, a cross-country tour that educates voters on multi-issue voting. (GSR photo/Carol Zimmermann)
by Rhina Guidos
The sister-founded Catholic social justice lobby Network said July 7 it has appointed a human rights lawyer with experience in helping unaccompanied migrant children as its next executive director.
Laurie Carafone, who most recently served as vice president for legal programs for the Washington-based Kids in Need of Defense, joins the organization July 14, Network said in a press release.
The sister-founded Catholic social justice lobby Network announced July 7 Laurie Carafone as its next executive director. Carafone is a human rights lawyer who has helped unaccompanied migrant children. (Courtesy of Network)
"Laurie is deeply aligned with the values of Catholic social teaching and has spent her career working for racial, economic and social justice," said Sr. Catherine Ferguson, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, in the press release.
Ferguson, who is chair of Network's board, said Carafone is "skilled at building coalitions, navigating tough political landscapes and bringing people together."
"She's an effective communicator and fundraiser, and she also brings an ecumenical spirit that aligns beautifully with Network's values and vision," Ferguson said. "Her wisdom, integrity, and gift for building bridges are exactly what's needed for the road ahead."
Her appointment comes at a time when Network, founded by women religious in the early 1970s as a Catholic social justice lobby, has been vocal in opposing cuts to food and health benefits to the poor in the Big Beautiful Bill Act approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in early July.
Dozens of congregations of women religious from around the country gathered in Washington June 24 to voice their opposition. Since then, organizations related to their religious orders, including the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, have spoken against the bill and the harm they say it will do to vulnerable populations.
"Our legislators made a choice to value tax cuts for a few at the expense of those on the margins and the earth. Has our nation lost its way?" asked Fran Eskin-Royer, the center's executive director in a July 8 press release.
Advertisement
Its consequences will be devastating and dire, Eskin-Royer said, as it will cut food from the tables of the hungry, critical health care from those who can't afford it, and increase immigration fears. The bill also allocates $45 billion for new detention centers and $14 billion for deportation operations, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
The Good Shepherd center will continue to look for dialogue and understanding with those with opposing viewpoints, however, Eskin-Royer said.
"In this time of division and pain, let's use the power and energy we have to construct solutions, rather than tear down, to build peace and justice, and to seek reconciliation," she said. "Let's continue to engage with our elected officials and make clear our dismay, our grave concerns, and our resolute commitment to the common good."
