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Oblate Parish in Roma, Texas Celebrates National Immigration Week January 18th, 2012
Parishioners at Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Roma, Texas commemorated National Immigration Week (Jan 8-14) with a homily on immigration and prayers for refugees and immigrants. The parish staff also used the bulletin insert provided by the USCCB and encouraged everyone to take it home and use it in prayer all week. The issue of immigration is a story close to home for many of the parishioners at Our Lady of Refuge. The parish is very close the Rio Grande River and members include large landowners, local government officials and immigrant families whose relatives may have faced detention and deportation issues before. Thanks to Fr. Bob Wright OMI for leading the parish into celebrating National Immigration Week.
Catholics and Faith-Consistent Investing January 8th, 2012
Learn about the possibilities available to help individuals develop a “faith-consistent” stock portfolio. In an article in Our Sunday Visitor, titled Investing with a clear conscience: Catholics don’t have to sacrifice big financial returns to invest in line with their ideals, Scott Alessi interviews Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI and others about the importance of active, faith-consistent investing.
“Church teaching clearly emphasizes the importance of placing one’s faith above financial gain. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that economic success should never come at the expense of human dignity and that “a theory that makes profit the exclusive norm and ultimate end of economic activity is morally unacceptable” (No. 2424).”
Reflections on Business and Human Rights January 1st, 2012
Read Fr. Seamus Finn’s latest Huffington Post blog on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights recently endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council. The principles were developed to offer guidance for the implementation of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework, first introduced by Special Representative John Ruggie in 2008. They provide very practical and concrete recommendations on how to operationalize the framework, which was built around the following three central pillars:
- States have a responsibility to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including corporations;
- Companies have a responsibility to respect human rights;
- Victims of human rights abuses must be free to access effective remedies.
Investors Urge Senate Leadership to Allow Implementation of Clean Air Act Rules December 19th, 2011
Photo Credits: Likely Impact Congress Blocks Pollution Limit Updates
The Missionary Oblates joined thirty-two faith-based and socially responsible investors in a letter to the Senate leadership urging timely implementation of Clean Air Act rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most notably, the Cross State Air Pollution rule (CSAPR) and Mercury and Air Toxics rule (Utility MACT). Arguing that the proposed rules would create jobs and save lives, the investors added that, based on their discussions with electric utilities, the proposed rules would not threaten the reliability of the electric system.
Read the letter (Download PDF)…
Oblates Join Broad Coalition in support of Massachusetts Congo Conflict Mineral Bill December 7th, 2011
The Missionary Oblate JPIC has joined a broad coalition supporting the Massachusetts Congo Conflict Minerals bill. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts introduced a bill that could make a significant difference in the lives of the people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
State Representative Martin J. Walsh (D) introduced the bill titled “An Act Relative to Congo Conflict Minerals”, (HD 04065). If passed, the Massachusetts Congo conflict minerals law would prohibit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from contracting with companies that do not comply with federal regulations for the certification of minerals originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
