By Rita McInerney

Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, is a lobbyist for special interest far removed from the lobbyists for the power and wealthy elite so often targeted by cartoonists and columnists.

Sister Sylvester, in Atlanta this past weekend for a seminar of the Atlanta Conference of Sisters, is national coordinator for Network, a Catholic social justice lobby. In this Washington office, lobbying is a political ministry inspired by Catholic encyclicals and pastoral letters.

“In particular we try to stand with the poor and be biased on behalf of the poor,” she said. In the 15 years of its existence, Network has pushed for changes in tax laws, i.e., the earned income tax credit, that help the poor; for a cooperative bank law that passed during the Carter administration, economic equity for women, full employment, and nutrition programs.

The Reagan administration, the articulate nun said, has been “consciously dismantling” programs for the poor. While many needed review and revision, others, she added, have had their budgets heavily cut over the last several years. Now, with the mandated percentage cuts of Gramm-Rudman, these programs are dysfunctional.

Along with, and because of, its “bias for the poor,” Network works for disarmament and has consistently opposed the first strike principle, advocates negotiations, monitors the military budget and works for civil rights at home.

One of the objectives of Network, Sister Sylvester mentioned, is to work not for stopgap measures but for legislation that will bring about lasting changes, including those discussed in the peace and economic pastorals. The issue agenda is not set in the Washington office until the membership speaks through the referendum process.

It is always a multi-issue lobby guided by principles spelled out in the social justice encyclicals and documents of the Church beginning with the encyclical Rerum Novarum issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 on the conditions of labor, and including Pacem In Terris, the message of Pope John XXIII in 1963 on peace, poverty and human rights as issues that call for committed action by Christians.

Network, Sister Sylvester said, is opposing President Reagan’s request for $100 million in military and humanitarian aid to the contras in Nicaragua expected to be debated in the House this Thursday. Mailings have been sent to members urging them to contact their local legislators. Another level of activity, the telephone chain, is activated.

When measures Network has taken a stand on are in the legislative works the Washington Networkers make personal contacts with the all-important key staff aides of Congress members, and meet directly with the lawmakers. Memos are sent to House and Senate members and to the memberships of all the committees considering the bill. When it reaches the chamber floor, staffers are visible, buttonholing the undecided whose swing votes could mean victory or defeat.

Along with the action levels listed, a tabloid, “Network,” is published every other month. Issue themes last year included the social justice encyclicals, economic alternatives, and the UN decade of women. Of continuing interest to both members and congressmen are the voting records issued by Network twice each session. “Some members (of Congress) love it. And it makes them take us more seriously,” Sister Sylvester said.

Network, Sister Sylvester said, was organized in 1971 by 47 nuns, all of whom were working with the middle class or poor. They felt, she said, “that there had to be a way of leveraging their experience in affecting public policy.” Today, the lobby considers “what kind of values and vision you want to bring to public policy, then coupling that with knowledge of the process and specifics of the bills.”

“It’s a political ministry,” she said, “to continue the policy that Jesus left us.”

“There is no instant gratification. It’s not like a march. Too often those who march are not there tomorrow. We need to be there, to be the constant watchdog.”

As a registered lobby with a No. 50164 tax status, Network must report on its activities and finances four times each year to the government. “Our position is always out there,” Sister Sylvester said. Funding comes from the membership of 8,000 across the country, from donations and workshops. The membership figure, she said, is not entirely clear since a large percentage is from parish and diocese units which circulate Network publications and bulletins within their groups.

There are no distinctions among the Network staff of nine, five nuns and four laity, she emphasized. "We try to do a more participatory style. All are equal at the table with different insights to offer. With that comes ownership of what we do and how we achieve our goals.” There is “equal pay for equal work and all work in Network is equal.”

The IHM member of the Monroe, Mich., congregation, was a high school teacher before joining Network nine years ago. She prepared for teaching at St. Louis University where she majored in philosophy and political science. Her master’s study was in theology and economy. A pivotal experience came while she was teaching adult education in a poor section of St. Louis and found herself forced to contrast her own advantages in education with the determination of a black woman in her 70s who was trying to learn to read.

From St. Louis she went to Detroit where she taught first in a high school in a rich suburb and then in an all-black inner city high school. At the same time she became involved in peace and justice work. She enrolled in a legislative seminar sponsored by Network and was impressed. "I knew I was coming to change.”

Her involvement with Network over the past nine years has made her realize the need for educating the public that “to be a citizen of the United States carries with it the privilege and responsibility of being active beyond the vote.”

“Many don’t even know who their senator is, don’t know what’s going on. We have to be educators and make people see that’s (political participation) a legitimate response in faith.” There is a need, she emphasized, for Network to move into new groups for membership. “As citizens we can all engage in non-threatening participating.”

(Anyone interested in learning more about Network can write to the organization at 806 Rhode Island Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20018 or telephone (202)526-4070)