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Missionary Oblates in Solidarity with Homeowners Facing Foreclosures June 14th, 2012
The Missionary Oblates have been working in solidarity with homeowners in Prince William County VA on the mortgage foreclosure issue. On June 3rd Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE) gathered more than 400 people at the First Baptist Church in Manassas to negotiate commitments on foreclosures and community restoration from GE, Bank of America and Chase. The Oblates and other members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility were instrumental in advancing their agenda. Fr. Séamus P. Finn OMI addressed the assembly.
Watch the video:
At the June 3rd action, GE Capital’s General Counsel represented GE CEO Jeffry Immelt, with whom VOICE had met on May 14th. These meetings came about as a result of coordinated action by the interfaith advocacy organization and religious shareholders who gave the group leverage with the company.
The company committed to negotiate with VOICE on their $300-$500 million Reinvestment agenda and restated Mr. Immelt’s commitment to meet with VOICE again in August/early September.
According to VOICE organizers, “All this would not have been possible without the steadfast support of ICCR”. Father Seamus Finn, OMI pledged ICCR’s continuing support for VOICE’s $300-$500 million reinvestment campaign.
Top executives from Bank of America & JP Morgan also came to the June 3rd action. They committed to implementation accountability on the National Mortgage Settlement in a local place, Prince William County – the first time this is known to have been done in the country. They committed to:
- $60 Million in principal write down in PWCO
- 1,000 Loan Modifications in PWCO
- Negotiate and Sign Reinvestment Deal ($300-$500 Million VOICE proposal) at VOICE October 2012 Action during the heat of the elections.
Learn more about this unique and powerful campaign to help people crushed by the mortgage crisis. Read William Greider’s article in the Nation (published April 27, 2012): http://www.thenation.com/blog/167625/predator-ge-we-bring-bad-things-life
The Migration of Our Plastic… May 25th, 2012
Plastic found in the gut of a dead albatross on Midway Island; Photo Credit: Chris Jordan
The MIDWAY media project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of a deeply symbolic environmental tragedy. On an island 2,000 miles from the nearest continent, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. A team of film makers and researchers visiting the island over a period of several years has produced a stunning film that captures both the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. In this process, they have found “an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.”
Watch a trailer for the film….
Take Action: Use less plastic, and recycle what you do use. Never toss bottles into or near storm gutters. And support local efforts to ban polystyrene containers and plastic bags.
Protect the Amazon for the Achuar May 25th, 2012
Two Oblates are working among the Achuar people who live in the Peruvian Amazon. They have been holding meetings with the people to get to know their culture, their traditions and to learn from them about their relationship to the land. The Achuar don’t celebrate Earth Day once a year, every day is EARTH DAY.
Their life is deeply connected to their land and nature. What a sad day it would be to lose all they have learnt from the land and not hear again the sound of the birds and enjoy this lush forest and beautiful waterfall that inspires dreams. Petrol companies would destroy this natural beauty and the ways of life of this peaceful loving people forever.
Corporate Social Responsibility and the Churches May 14th, 2012
Thanks to the European Africa Faith & Justice Network for the following information:
Bishops call for increased corporate transparency
Catholic bishops urge the European Union to legislate on extractive companies
While a group of EU member states, including Germany and the UK, are attempting to water down new EU transparency legislation, Catholic bishops from around the world urge the EU to push forward and require European Union-listed and large unlisted extractive companies to publicly disclose the payments they make to governments worldwide. In a joint statement, they say less stringent laws will fail to turn the curse of resource-rich developing countries into a blessing.
Click here to read more »
Socially Responsible Investment Coalition Celebrates 30th Anniversary! April 20th, 2012
The Socially Responsible Investment Coalition (SRIC) celebrated its 30th anniversary in the new Whitley Theological Center Facility on the campus on the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio recently. Seamus Finn, OMI presented, using a video and powerpoint presentation in a panel titled “Impacting Investments in a Sustainable World.”
SRIC is a non-profit religiously sponsored organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Institutions and individuals belonging to SRIC work to balance their economic policies and practices with their fair and social concerns. As investors and shareholders, members act to influence corporations toward social responsibilty.
