This is an archive page from a previous bus tour. Not all links may be operational.
Current Nuns on the Bus information can be found at www.nunsonthebus.org.

Lucia Capacchione

Cambria, CA

I studied with Sister Mary Corita at Immaculate Heart College. You may recall that the IHM's got booted out of the church as an order of sisters by the then LA Archdiocesean Cardinal MacIntyre. He perfomed my Confirmation at parochial School in 1950. I learned from the best how women find their voice and I got mine, by doing art posters and making picket signs for Catholics United for Racial Equality (CURE) in the mid 60s. With no car, living in the suburbs, married with 2 little kids, I couldn't picket the chancery office with other members about how the Archdiocese was not fully serving minority groups in L.A. (pre-Watts Riots). I went in Montessori training that summer and the Riots broke out in Aug. To look good after being embarrassed by our picketing efforts (shown on national TV), the Cardinal agreed to offer rooms for the new Head Start Program. Guess what? I got the job directing his HS program although he never knew I was the picket sign maker. We had 12 centers throughout L.A.:  East. L.A. central, south central, Watts and Compton. I went into that job right after the riots. We had the 2nd best program in L.A. County  according to the EYOA. Not bad for a rookie Montessorian and her crew (including some recent Montessori grads). 

My 4 grandkids are black and my great grandson is black, so what do I do? I stop white people who start to make racial jokes (in Texas where I train professionals) and tell them they are talking about MY family and this makes me fear for them. They are black. Stuff like that. Not to mention programs in poverty pockets of TX on the border. I write books and create Creative Journal Programs for children and teens, moslty minority group kids. We are creating passports out of poverty: all along the border: Mission, Edinburg, and elsewhere. Next stop California central coast where I love. Talking to schools now about our program. I'm with you ladies 100%. Corita would be so proud of you. My favorite book about the IHMs is Witness to Integrity by Anita Caspary. We are all standing on their shoulders. Love to you...and to Pope Francis.

Lucia Capacchione, Art Therapist, Author at luciac.com