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Oblates Daily Prayer December 20th, 2024

Every day the Oblate Community and Family in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales publish a short reflective morning prayer video, created by members. Please join in daily from where you are.

Visit their Youtube channel for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheOblates

Jubilee USA Network: End of Year Report December 19th, 2024

Jubilee USA as a coalition of religious, development and advocacy groups has won more than $130 billion in debt relief for the world’s poorest economies. Because of the global agreements Jubilee won, that $130 billion is invested in schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, 54 million kids have gone to‎ school who never would have seen the inside of a classroom.

In recent years, Jubilee USA won debt relief in Haiti and the three Ebola-impacted West African countries, ‎super bankruptcy legislation for Puerto Rico‎, three international agreements to promote responsible lending and stop predatory lending, two victories to keep student loan interest rates low, G7 and G20 agreements to curb tax evasion and corruption and promoted trade agreements‎ that help end poverty.

To this day, across the United States and around our world, Jubilee USA works on debt, tax, trade and transparency policies that help end poverty

To this day, across the United States and around our world, Jubilee USA works on debt, tax, trade and transparency policies that help end poverty.

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate – JPIC is a founding member of Jubilee USA.

READ THE ANNUAL REPORT

Frs. Daniel LeBlanc, OMI & Valentine Talang, OMI Attend UN FFD Preparatory Meeting December 9th, 2024

Contributed by Fr. Valentine Talang, OMI

Recently, Fr. Daniel LeBlanc, OMI and I were at the UN in New York City, participating in a Preparatory Committee Meeting for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. The Financing for Development conference will take place in June 2025 (Spain).

Fr. Daniel spoke at a side event, “How FfD4 Can Strengthen Funding for Social Protection and Healthcare,” organized by the NGO Committee on Financing for Development (a substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN).

Other speakers at this event were Robert Powell (IMF, special representative to the UN), Umberto Cattaneo (ILO, public finance, Actuarial and Statistics Unit Social Protection Department), Lena Simet (Human Rights Watch) and Barry Herman (Social Justice in Global Development).

Introducing a Champion Tree at the Missionary Oblates Novitiate November 26th, 2024

In September there was buzz around a special champion tree recently discovered on the property at the Missionary Oblates Novitiate.

The Basswood tree was recently nominated as one of Illinois’ largest native trees.

In this video, Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director of La Vista Ecological Learning Center introduces us to the tree and explains the selection process.

Visit the National Register of Champion Trees to find one in your area: https://www.americanforests.org/champion-trees/

Church Leaders, Financial Experts Meet to Discuss Ways to Make Investments More Ethical & Effective November 12th, 2024

Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI is among church leaders and financial experts meeting from November 11-12 at a London, England summit organized by the head of the Vatican Bank on making investments more ethical and more effective.

The starting point for the summit is Mensuram Bonam (Of good measure), a guide on faith consistent investing published by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Science in 2022.

(Pictured L to R) Archbishop Miguel Maury Buendia, Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James: Alan Smith, First Church Estates Commissioner; Cardinal Peter Turkson, President of the Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences; Cardinal Reinhold Marx, President of the Vatican Council for the Economy, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; (Back row) Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, President of the Institute of the Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican Bank; Sr Helen Alford, OP, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Bishop David Urquhart, Advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury; Rev. Séamus P. Finn OMI, Chief Faith Consistent Investment, OIP Trust