News Archives » North America
Save Honeybees Now! December 3rd, 2013
|
Texas-Mexico Border Bishops Publish Pastoral Letter on Family Immigration December 3rd, 2013
In a new pastoral letter “Families Beyond Borders,” the Catholic bishops of the border region of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico humanize the immigration debate by placing it in a moral context with specific illustrations of struggling children and families.
“One of the Archbishops spoke emotionally about undocumented immigrant children, some as young as 5 years old, who brave the dangers of the desert and coyotes and hide from authorities as well as human traffickers in an attempt to reach the safety of a new home of hope.”
Video (link) and Pastoral letter available here…
The bishops who worked on “Families Beyond Borders” represented the leadership of these dioceses and archdiocese: (From Texas) Amarillo, Brownsville, El Paso, Lubbock, San Angelo, and San Antonio (From New Mexico) The Diocese of Las Cruces. (From Mexico) Chihuaha, Ciudad Juárez, Cuahteoc-Madera, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras-Catedral Mártir, and Saltillo.
Oblates Visit Fast4Families on the National Mall November 26th, 2013
Fr. Antonio with one of the staff at Fast4Families on the National Mall
As a way to raise public awareness and pressure Members of Congress to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation, Fast4Families has a group of ten people fasting in a tent on the National Mall, just a few yards away from the Capitol. Besides fasting, this group of people is also holding meetings with political leaders and community organizers, and organizing activities to encourage more people to press for immigration reform. “We hunger for an end to the system that brings so much suffering and pain to so many. We are fasting not out of anger or despair, but out of hope”, said Eliseo Medina, one of the ten people who are fasting. On Wednesday, November 20, Fr. Antonio Ponce, OMI and JPIC staff were able to drop by to show support to those who are fasting, and help the staff with some translation.
Learn more about Fast4Families..
Congratulations to Greens of Guadalupe! November 24th, 2013
The Greens of Guadalupe environmental group in Laredo, Texas was awarded “The Green Community Award” for the month of October by Keep Laredo Beautiful and CW (Laredo’s green TV station).
The plaque presented to the Greens of Guadalupe reads:
Community Green Award: Honoring – Greens of GuadalupeFor their continued efforts in “Greening” our Community through Recycling, Community Beautification Improvement and Litter Prevention Education.
Commitment and Dedication of this business is a tribute to our environment and the citizens of our Community.
Thank You for your efforts to Keep Laredo Beautiful!
Greens of Guadalupe was formed in March 2007 after the late Fr. Darrell Rupiper OMI preached a workshop on integrity of creation to parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church Laredo, Texas.
Great work by chairperson Ms. Birdie Torres and the team!!
Top US Banks Disappoint in Investor Study November 22nd, 2013
Five years after the crisis that rocked the financial world, seven leading U.S. banks scored a disappointing 60 or fewer out of 100 possible points in a benchmarking study released today by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), which represents 300 faith-based and socially responsible institutional investors with $100 billion in assets under management. The top banks were evaluated in terms of four key shareholder concerns: executive compensation, risk management, responsible lending and investing, and political contributions.
The financial institutions included in the ICCR report are: Goldman Sachs (60, which scored highest on responsible lending and investment and tied for highest on political contribution practices); Bank of New York (59.02, which scored highest on risk management and tied for highest on political contribution practices); JP Morgan Chase (56.5, which tied for highest on political contribution practices); Morgan Stanley (55.40); Bank of America (55.35); Citi (54.90, which tied for highest on political contribution practices): and Wells Fargo (50.73, which scored highest on executive compensation practices.).
You can find the full report on the ICCR website or download directly here.
Rev. Séamus Finn, director, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and ICCR board vice chair, said: “Five years after the U.S. financial meltdown, some of the banks are beginning to address their risk management protocols, but have much more work to do when it comes to responsible lending and investment. Overall disclosures are also weak, particularly related to both executive compensation and political contributions. What we see in these findings is a somewhat timid group of banks clustered in the average-to-below-average range with no single institution distinguishing itself as a leader for shareholders in the post-financial crisis era.”
Click here to read more »
