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Cisco Shareholders Vote Down Oblate-Proposed Plan for Tax Transparency December 14th, 2022
Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI, Director, OMIUSA JPIC, OIP
“While payment of taxes does not rank high on anybody’s wish list, they are the contributions that individuals, organizations and institutions make at all levels so that governments can function and fulfill their responsibilities. Many corporations seek to hide from the public how much they pay in the different countries in which that they operate around the world. As shareholders and citizens, we believe that access to this information allows us to verify for ourselves if they are compliant in these matters and paying their fair share to support 
the common good, relieve the dire poverty and suffering of many and help to build a sustainable future for all. The OIP and the OMI USP have been leading proponents of this request with Cisco, Amazon and Microsoft, three of the largest companies resisting this proposal”. “This resolution with CISCO was supported by 27% of the shareholders last week, a vote total that is considered very acceptable for the first year that a resolution is presented, and allows us to present the resolution again in 2023”
Click here to see a report on Cisco’s action by Kevin Pinner for Law 360
“Aligning Faith and Finance: A Missionary Priority” December 2nd, 2022
Vatican Tells Catholics How to Make ‘Faith-Consistent’ Investments
New guidelines discourage investment in mining, contraceptives and violent videogames
By Fr. Séamus P. Finn, OMI, Director, OMIUSA JPIC, OIP
Shareholder democracy is essentially about every shareholder taking responsibility for their stock ownership positions and acting on them. In Catholic Social Teaching ownership is anchored on the cornerstones of rights and responsibilities. The Vatican Guidelines referenced in this WSJ article took 6 years to produce and will be a very helpful to both institutional and individual shareholders who want to make this a part of their missionary vocation. It was a special opportunity for me to be able to share our OMI decades of experience in faith aligned investing with the members of the committee that produced these guidelines.
For a link to the Wall Street Journal article visit Omiusa.org
OMI US JPIC Staff, Advisory Committee Meet in Godfrey, Illinois November 18th, 2022
From November 10 to 11 the OMI JPIC Committee had its first hybrid meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic. The in-person venue was the historic Immaculate Heart of Mary Novitiate in Godfrey, IL.
- Dr. Victor Carmona, Chair, Assistant professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego
- Ms. Patti Radle, Co-Director, Inner City Development
- Fr. Daniel LeBlanc, OMI, Associate, International JPIC Office and Oblate UN Representative
- Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director, La Vista Ecological Learning Center
- Mr. Gary Huelsmann, Chief Executive Officer, Caritas Family Solutions
- Mrs. Mary O’Herron, Former OMI JPIC Staff & Honorary Oblate of Mary Immaculate
- Fr Emmanuel Mulenga, OMI, Pastor, St. Augustine Church
- Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI, Director, OMI JPIC & Chief of Faith Consistent Investing – OIP Investment Trust
- George Ngolwe, Associate Director, OMI JPIC
- Rowena Gono, Communications Coordinator, OMI JPIC
Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI Speaks at Harvard Islamic Finance Conference October 21st, 2022
Cambridge, Massachusetts
– October 21 & 22, 2022 –
La Vista Ecological Learning Center’s Outreach Ministry October 5th, 2022
Photo courtesy of Philippe Oursel, Unsplash
By Maxine Pohlman, SSND
As part of the outreach ministry of La Vista Ecological Learning Center, I recently offered a four-day retreat to the retired School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) at the Sarah Community in Bridgeton, Missouri. The theme for the retreat was Laudato Si and SSND, during which I explored with the Sisters how our SSND charism aligns with and is challenged by Pope Francis’ encyclical. The hope for the retreat was that Sisters would learn more about the urgency of the ecological crisis along with ways to be more integral to the solution than the cause.
Each day I addressed one concept from the encyclical, showing how Pope Francis’s words revealed new ways to live and express SSND’s charism of unity. Themes included universal communion, ecological spirituality, ecological conversion, and ecological education. Along with the morning presentation, each Sister received a handout with quotes from the SSND Constitution, Laudato Si, and a prayer experience that gave flesh to the theme of the day. The retreat had a unique hybrid form, offering morning presentations and the option of individual direction in the afternoon with SSND spiritual companions.
Not wanting to overly burden the Sisters with facts about our crisis, I embraced Pope Francis’ attitude and ended each morning with one of my favorite quotes:
Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope. (244)
