News Archives » faith consistent investing
Faith-based Shareholder Activists Profiled in NY Times November 14th, 2011
Religious groups have worked through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility for 40 years to encourage corporations to ‘do the right thing’ by people and the environment. Sr. Nora Nash, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and active in faith-based shareholder activism since the 1980’s, was profiled in the Sunday edition of the New York Times. She explained their involvement thus: “We’re not here to put corporations down.We’re here to improve their sense of responsibility.”
Seamus Finn, OMI – also deeply involved in the ICCR dialogs with the banks as well as other corporate sectors, was cited in the article: “Companies have learned over time that the issues we’re bringing are not frivolous,” said the Rev. Seamus P. Finn, 61, a Washington-based priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and a board member of the Interfaith Center. “At the end of every transaction, there are people that are either positively or negatively impacted, and we try to explain that to them.”
JPIC Report Fall/Winter Issue Now Available October 21st, 2011
The Fall/Winter Issue of our bi-annual newsletter is now available. (Download the PDF…)
This issue includes articles on the “Books to Prisons” project, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Environmental Justice at Mary Immaculate, Faith and Values in Investing, ICCR’s 40th Anniversary, California legislation Against Slavery and Trafficking, a VIVAT International Workshop in India, Economic Growth vs a Steady State Economy, and the The Foreclosure Crisis.
Faith Based Community Organizers host Public Gathering on Foreclosure Crisis in Virginia October 6th, 2011
On October 30th VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) member institutions will hold a public gathering with more than 1,000 people to celebrate progress on their recent campaigns, especially their work to address the foreclosure crisis in Prince William County, Manassas, & Manassas Park. The Oblates have supported VOICE’s work on foreclosures by having given the organization access to company meetings and connecting them with other faith-based shareholder activists.
The upcoming action will be an opportunity to celebrate successes (in Prince William County and across Northern Virginia) and to announce next steps to address local reinvestment needs.
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and senior bank executives will be in attendance.
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“Values in Finance: Are we ready to learn the lessons?” September 27th, 2011
In a talk given at Trinity College, Dublin on the 15th Anniversary of Clann Credo – The Social Investment Fund, Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI talked about the need for the faith community to engage with business on questions of ethics and to work for more sustainable practices and institutions. He made three main points:
- Faith communities and traditions need to re-engage in the discussion of purpose and operations of the financial systems and their priorities.
- The damage that has been done to the people and the environment for the sake of fat profits and in the name of “progress’ has been tremendous and needs to ne examined.
- Religious communities, institutions and believers have always been willing to dream, innovate and risk new initiatives for the promotion of the common good.
Fr. Finn is active in faith responsible investing through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility where he serves on the Board, and in 3iG, an international, interfaith coalition of institutional investors.
