JPIC REPORTVolume 6, Issue 1

January 2004

Inside this issue:

A publcation of the OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Office

From the DirectorThis is the great newproblem of mankind. We have

inherited a large house, agreat “world house” in which

we have to live together–black and white, Easternerand Westerner, Gentile and

Jew, Catholic and Protestant,Moslem and Hindu–a family

unduly separated in ideas,culture and interest, who,

because we can never againlive apart, must learn some-

how to live with each other inpeace.

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

News & Resources 2

Report from the US/Mexico Border 4Pilgrimage

Strangers No Longer: 6 A View from Both Sides

Secrets to Be Told 8By Darrell Rupiper, OMI

Community Organizing Meeting 9Update

Report back on Meeting 1 0 with the Patriarch

Trip Report: An Update on Pakistan 11

Oblate Ecological Initiative 1 2Grows and Grows

Socially Responsible Investing: 13Proxy Voting

Publications & Transitions 1 4

Since our lastnewsletter the FreeTrade debate has

claimed a lot of attention.There have been intensedebates and discussionsabout the Doha or Devel-opment Round of agree-ments at the World TradeOrganization; efforts toadvance the Free TradeAreas of the AmericasAgreement (FTAA) inMiami; a push to finalizethe Central America FreeTrade Agreement(CAFTA); and evaluationsof the accomplishments ofthe North American FreeTrade Agreement after tenyears.

Market access, jobs andthe environment are threeof the issues that usuallyget a lot of attention innegotiating trade agree-ments from differingconstituencies. It is clearlyrecognized that there aresome winners and somelosers as a result of eachagreement and politicalleaders are constantlytrying to measure theimpact of these agree-ments on their supporters.

One of the many slogansthat have emerged duringthese debates is the call to“make trade fare and notjust free”. This becomes avery significant challengewhen for instance theissue of jobs is on thetable though it is also avery important consider-ation for those advocatingfor the well being ofpeople in poorer regionsof the world.

It is very clear that theU.S. manufacturing sectorand parts of the technol-ogy service sector have avery difficult time remain-ing competitive in the areaof wages and a lot jobsare lost as a result. It isequally important toremember the devastatingimpact that the $500billion agricultural subsi-dies that are supported bythe United States and theEuropean Union have onmillions of farmers andvillages in the developingworld. Behind most ofthese lost jobs there lies astory of personal anxietythat ripples out intofamilies, communities andentire regions.

As we in the U.S. turn ourattention to electing thenext president we arechallenged by our faith tobring the message of theuniversal common goodwhich is at the heart of ourCatholic Social teachinginto our debates anddecision-making. It iscritically important formembers of a churchcommunity with a globalpresence and for membersof an international religiouscongregation to remind ourpolitical leaders of thegreat responsibility andinfluence that our nationcan and does have overthe lives of so manypeople especially the morethan 1 billion who have tosurvive on less than $1 aday.Their commitment todebt cancellation, AIDSFunding and sustainabledevelopment globally canand will make a difference.

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The OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Officecoordinates the advocacy effortsof the Missionary Oblates ofMary Immaculate on behalf of theinterests of the poor andabandoned in the U.S. and in themore than 65 countries where theOblates are in mission. Theseefforts include serving as aresource for province member-ship, supporting the communityorganizing efforts of the Oblatesin the United States, and co-ordinating the Corporate Respon-sibility Program to insist on justpractices and policies bycorporations in their worldwideoperations. Our work alsoincludes advocacy with the UnitedStates government and otherinternational institutions on avariety of justice and peace issues.

U.S. JPIC CommitteeRev. John Cox, OMIRev. Sal DeGeorge, OMIRev. Séamus Finn, OMIRev. Maurice Lange, OMIRev. John Lasseigne, OMIRev. Darrell Rupiper, OMIRev. Thomas Rush, OMIRev. David Ullrich, OMIRev. Bob Wright, OMI

JPIC StaffRev. Séamus Finn, OMIDirector

Rebecca PharesAssociate Director

Mary O’HerronAssociate for GA JPIC Serviceand Corporate Responsibility

JPIC Report is a publication ofthe OMI Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation Office391 Michigan Avenue NEWashington, DC 20017Tel: 202..483.0444Fax: 202.483.0708

Haiti Celebrates 200years of freedom,efforts towards justicecontinue in US and inHaiti

On January 1, 2004 Haiticelebrated the bicentennialof its revolution duringwhich black slaves rose upand defeated Napoleon’sarmy.

The struggle to achievepeace and justice in Haiticontinues. Efforts tostrengthen Haiti’s democ-racy are underway bysome as others call for theundermining of the demo-cratic process in Haiti.For more informationplease seewww.lethaitilive.org.

“I Will Feed Themwith Justice” Ecumenical AdvocacyDays for Global Peacewith Justice March 5-8, 2004

You are invited to partici-pate in the second annualecumenical gathering inWashington, DC, concern-ing urgent global issues. This event expands itsfocus in 2003, Africa andthe Middle East, to includefour regional tracks: Africa, Asia (Korea), Latin

America, and the MiddleEast (Israel and Palestine,Iraq), and two thematictracks: Jubilee and eco-nomic justice, (trade anddebt), and nuclear disarma-ment.

The event will offer chal-lenging speakers, issuebriefings, and advocacytraining workshops. Comprehensive briefingswill help you prepare foreffective visits with yourSenators and Representa-tives, or their key foreignpolicy staff.For further information,please seewww.advocacydays.org,e-mail Anna Rhee atadvocacydays@earthlink.netor call Leon Spencer at202-547-7503.

Victories, Challengesahead in movement toend Death Penalty

There has been more andmore momentum in themovement to end the deathpenalty. The push toestablish a Moratoriumcontinues as activists focuson Pennsylvania and NewJersey. The MarylandAttorney General called fora moratorium. Bills arepending in several statelegislatures. For a state by

state update, please see thewebsite below. To learnmore or to become activeon this issue, visitwww.moratorium2000.org.

Cover the UninsuredWeek announced forMay 10-16, 2004

In conjunction with therelease of new governmentdata on the number ofuninsured Americans, agroup of former U.S.Surgeons General andformer U.S. Secretaries ofHealth and Human Servicesfrom Republican andDemocratic administrationspledged their support for anationwide effort. Thisnational aims to make theissue of the uninsured – andsolutions to the problem – acentral part of nationaldiscussions through publiceducation and communityevents.

The nation’s faith commu-nity is expected to play aleading role in the effort,and will make its collectivevoice heard in declaringhealth care coverage acommon community valueaccording to the teachingsof diverse faith traditions.Many major faith groupsare working together toplan national and localactivities.

News and Advocacy

Volume 6, Issue 1 Page 3

For more information, logon towww.CoverTheUninsuredWeek.org.

Take Action in DC toClose the SOA

The School of theAmericas Protest tookplace in Fort BenningGeorgia in Novemberof this year. Over10,000 people partici-pated in this protestand 23 will be goinginto prison, includingfive men religious, ahigher proportion thanusual.

Make plans to cometo Washington, DCfrom March 27-30,2004 for the SOAWatch Spring 2004Mobilization. Theconvergence willinclude legislativeaction, strategic actiontrainings, street theatre,social time andeducational events.Please write to yourrespective Members ofCongress and set up ameeting for March30th (or March 29th)in DC. A vote on theSchool of the Ameri-cas/ Western Hemi-sphere Institute forSecurity Cooperation iscoming up in the U.S.Congress in the summer of2004!

Seamless GarmentNetwork

The Oblate JPIC Officecontinues to be an activeparticipant in the SeamlessGarment Network. Thefollowing is this Network’s

Vision Statement: “We arecommitted to the protectionof life, which is threatened intoday’s world by war,abortion, poverty, racism, the

arms race, the deathpenalty adn euthanasia.We believe that theseissues are linked under aconsistent ethic of life.We challenge thoseworking on all or some ofthese issues to maintain a

cooperative spirit ofpeace, reconciliation, andrespect in protecting theunprotected.” For moreinformation, please visit

www. seamless-garment.org.

An Invitation to JoinPax Christi USA’sLenten Fast for Peace-Shalom-Salaam

During this season offasting, Pax Christi USAcalls upon its members andpeople of faith everywhereto join together each Fridayin fasting for peace. Fastingis a part of many religioustraditions and it offers asimple, yet profound way ofcombining the spiritual andthe political. Gandhi calledit “the sincerest form ofprayer.”

Many Pax Christi USAmembers have alreadydedicated Fridays as daysduring which they will fastfor peace, and in Islam,Friday is considered a holyday. We are asking that fastparticipants use each Fridayto especially pray forpeace. We encourageparticipants to fast inwhatever way is possiblefor them. Please inviteothers to participate in thisfast. This is a communalfast, and Pax Christi asksparticipants to please letthem know if you arejoining in the fast by con-tacting Phyllis Jepson atpaxwpb@gate.net. Pleaseprovide your first and lastname and your state forposting on the web.

Protestors carry crosses to the gates of the School of theAmericas representing people killed by graduates

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Report from the US/Mexico Border Pilgrimage Rebecca Phares

On November 2,hundreds ofCatholics and

others (including sixbishops from the US andMexico and severalOblates) gathered to prayand pledge to work for anend to the thousands ofdeaths at the US/MexicoBorder of migrants at-tempting to cross into theUS to economically sustaintheir families and them-selves. This was theculminating event of a US/Mexico Border Pilgrimagewhich took place betweenOctober 26 and Novem-ber 2. Many Oblates andothers participated in thePilgrimage in order tocreate a national dialogabout immigration issues inthe United States, and tocall for an end to thecrossing deaths at the US/Mexico border. Over 2000 peoplehave died attempting tocross the US’ southernborder in the last six years.These deaths are the resultof border enforcementpolicies which have closedoff crossings in the citiesand forced people to crossin the far less hospitabledesert and mountain areas.Most of those who crossat this border withoutdocumentation are at-tempting to reach work inthe United States, and

fleeing difficult economicsituations in Mexico,Central America andfurther south. The pilgrimsand bishops also called formore realistic immigrationpolicies so that migrantscan cross legally ratherthan traverse the oftendeadly desert and moun-tainous areas in theSouthwest of the UnitedStates. Two groups embarkedon this pilgrimage andjourneyed from SanDiego, California andBrownsville, Texas into ElPaso, Texas, a trip totalingover 2000 miles. In ElPaso, over 100 pilgrimsfrom out of town joinedthose who had traveled thewhole way and many fromEl Paso joined in as well.

In addition several Oblatesarrived in El Paso to takepart in some or all of theweekend’s events and thento take part in the USProvince Justice Peace &Integrity of Creationmeeting. These includedBob Wright, OMI,Séamus P. Finn, OMI,Maurice Lange, OMI,Tom Rush, OMI, DavidUllrich, OMI, DarrellRupiper, OMI, andJohn Lasseigne, OMI. Between October 27and November 2 I wasable to participate inPilgrimage for Peace andLife as one of the pilgrimson the eastern leg of theBorder Pilgrimage forHope and Life. In thiscapacity talked to severalOblates along the way. In

Brownsville, ArmandMatthews, OMI waspresent at the small kickoff of the pilgrimage whichmany local press sourcesattended. JohnLasseigne, OMI was thecoordinator for the pil-grimage for San Juan,Texas and organized apress conference, a marchattended by severalhundred, and a massfocusing on immigrantrights in the Shrine. Hearranged for talks at twolocal universities and adinner with parishioners ofHoly Spirit Parish in McAllen Texas. In Laredo,the pilgrims participated ina panel discussion at TexasA&M InternationalUniversity and attendedmass in a local Oblate

Oblates at the US/Mexico Border fence just after the liturgy: (l to r) Bob Wright, OMI, SeamusFinn, OMI, Maurice Lange, OMI, Rebecca Phares, Darrell Rupiper, OMI, Tom Rush, OMI, DavidUllrich, OMI

Volume 6, Issue 1 Page 5

parish which was cel-ebrated by EdwardWard, OMI. In Del Rio,the next stop, parishionersand pastors of three localparishes, including JimLoiacono, OMI, pastorof St. Joseph’s Parish inEagle Pass, Texas,celebrated mass and tookpart in a panel anddiscussion about ways thecommunity could betterminister to migrants. The concluding events

in El Paso included aninformational convocationon US/Mexico borderissues, a panel to hear theperspective of migrantsjourneying to find work, anecumenical worshipservice, a strategy sessionto envision responses tothe deaths at the borderand, as previously men-tioned, in a mass at a fenceat the US/Mexico Bordercelebrated by severalhundred on both sides of

Resources forindividuals or

parishes interestedin becoming more

active on theseissues, such as

materials to orga-nize a posadas inyour community,can be found atwww.rtfcam.org.

Several hundred attended the Mass on November 2, 2004 at the US/Mexico Border Fence in honor of those whohave died attempting to reach the United States

the border. The Catholicworld was well repre-sented as many men andwomen religious attendedthe convocation, partici-pants in a US Conferenceof Catholic Bishops’gathering on migrationissues along with severalbishops concelebratedthe Mass at the borderfence. As this group mayplan other events in thefuture,we will keepreaders posted.

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Strangers No Longer: A View from Both Sides By Victor Carmona

Many of the women killed or “disappeared” in Ciudad Juárezwere migrants, lived in marginalized communities, often with

no support structure, and worked in maquiladoras. Thesecases highlight the link between economic globalization and

violence against women.

Smaller group, including Bob Wright, OMI meets to think of responses toborder deaths during the Sunday morning Strategy Meeting.

Victor Carmona hasworked with the Oblatesin several capacities formany years. He had akey role in the draftingof the recent US Bishops’statements on migration.The Oblate JPIC Officeis lucky to have hadVictor represent us inplanning a week ofevents which were partof the Pilgrimage in SanDiego, planned inconjunction withMaryknoll, theAmerican FriendsService Committeeand several otherreligious and secularorganizations .

Last October theOblate Justice, Peaceand Integrity of Cre-ation Office of theMissionary Oblates,supported the organiza-tion of a week-longseries of events as partof a conference titled“Strangers No Longer:A View from Both Sides.”All events were held at theJoan B. Kroc Institute forPeace and Justice. Feelfree to visit theconference’s web site atwww.sandiego.edu/csl/snl.html . The conferencewas held at the Universityof San Diego, in SanDiego, California, and hadthe objective of promoting

a dialogue on migrationand the way it affects theborder community of SanDiego and Tijuana. The conference’ssecond objective was tosupport the disseminationof the US and MexicanCatholic bishops’ first JointPastoral Letter concerningMigration, titled “StrangersNo Longer: Together onthe Journey of Hope”

(2003). The PastoralLetter, published by theUnited States Conferenceof Catholic Bishops andthe Conferencia delEpiscopado Mexicano,gives Catholics on bothsides of the border acommon reading of thehistories of migration toand between our coun-tries, sheds beautiful

reflections in the Light ofthe Word of God andCatholic Social Teaching,identifies common pastoralchallenges and responses,and proposes a sharedpublic policy agenda vs.both countries’ brokenimmigration systems.You may download theJoint Pastoral Letter atwww.usccb.org . The weeklong series of

events began on Monday,October 20, 2003 with ashowing of the movie “TheGatekeeper” and aconversation with itsdirector, John Carlos Frey(a graduate of USD,1986). The movie, madewith a budget of under$200,000 is one of themost centered one hasseen and focuses on the

suffering of migrantsthemselves. It showsviewers the point of viewof the migrants and USBorder Patrol Agents,both of whom appearpowerless against thedemand for undocumentedworkers. The maincharacter, a wayward USBorder Patrol Agent in theSan Diego Sector, decidesto go undercover as an

undocumentedimmigrant for theAmerican BorderPatrol, a white-supremacist hate-group. Things gowrong, however,and the experiencelasts much longerfor the agent. Heends up sufferingthe faith of manyundocumentedmigrants andbecomes forcedlabor for US drugtraffickers. Afterthe movie, thedirector and the

public interacted (over100 people) and sharedtheir perspective on themovie and the way it shedsnew light on undocu-mented migrants and theUS Border Patrol. On Tuesday, October21, 2003, the dialoguewas sponsored by theUniversity’s Center forChristian Spirituality as

Volume 6, Issue 1 Page 7

part of an event titled“US Mexico Border:Cross-Road to Fear orFreedom?” This sessionbrought together a panelmade up by those whoexperience the effects ofundocumented migrationas members of differentorganizations in ourcommunity. They in-cluded a US BorderPatrol Agent, a womanwho was an undocu-mented immigrant herselfand a man who lobbiesfor harder anti-undocu-mented immigrantpolicies. San Diego’sAuxiliary Bishop intro-duced the panel. OnWednesday, October22, Claudia Smith gavea talk titled “Immigra-tion Policy and MigrantDeaths in the BorderRegion.” Smith, arenowned activist andlawyer, is experiencedserving undocumentedimmigrants’ legal needs inthe community anddefended them againstpast abuses such as abeating by teenagers inNorth County against anearly retired-age immi-grant from Mexico.The series of eventsended on Friday, Octo-ber 24, 2004 with adaylong conference titled“Strangers No Longer: AView from Both Sides.”Dr. Lyons, the newPresident of the Univer-sity of San Diego, opened

this event. The day wasorganized according to theBishops’ Pastoral Letter.It started with a presenta-tion by Dr. Olivia Ruiz(Colegio de la FronteraNorte and UCSD) on therecent history of migrantsand the border. Nextcame a presentation onCatholic Social Teaching

and its application to thisissue. The presentation,by Dr. Orlando Espin(USD) was one of themost surprising for theparticipants, many ofwhom were students, sincethe social aspects of theCatholic Faith were new

to many of them. Later inthe afternoon came adebate titled “MigrationPolicy: State Sovereigntyvs. Human Dignity,”between Peter Nuñez(USD) who supports atighter border and morerestrictive immigrationpolicies and KevinAppleby (Director,

Migration and RefugeePolicy, USCCB) whoshared the Bishops’perspective of evaluatingimmigration laws accord-ing to their effects on everyones human dignity,including undocumentedimmigrants. Their counter

points were an insight intothe difficulty of reaching asolution, since one wasconcerned with how manymigrants can the economysupport, while the otherfocused on the violenceand deaths many familiesacross the border areexperiencing.The day and weeklongseries of events ended withecumenical pastoralperspectives from theInterfaith Coalition forWorker Justice, the Centerfor Justice and Reconcilia-tion, Lutheran Ministriesand Survivors of TortureInternational, CatholicMigrant Outreach andCasa del Migrante fromTijuana, Mexico. Allthese panelists presenteddifferent ways their faithsare moving them to takecare of the migrant,including the undocu-mented, as their answerto Jesus’ presence in

these strangers who arereally our brothers andsisters: “For I was hungryand you gave me food, Iwas thirsty and you gaveme drink, a stranger andyou welcomed me, nakedand you clothed me, ill andyou cared for me, in prisonand you visited me….whatever you did for oneof these least brothers ofmine, you did for me. ”(Matthew 26: 35-41).Victor can be reached at:viccarmona@hotmail.com

Rebecca Phares recounts her experiences on the Eastern legof the Border pilgrimage.

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Secrets to be Told Darrell Rupiper, OMI

Isn’t it true that secretswhispered spread quicklyand become knownwhile proclamations oftenremain a secret? Thisseems to be especially trueof papal and episcopalteachings on creation-based spirituality, theenvironment and Earth-keeping. Modern Catholicconcern for the environ-ment traces its beginningsto Vatican II. Since thattime more than a couple ofdozen papal or Vaticandocuments have beenpublished but by and largrethey remain a secret. In these documentsPope John Paul II repeat-edly urges us to take agood look at God’s gift ofcreation and see in it areflection of the ourCreator. Like saintsAugustine and Aquinas hepoints to creation as theprimary revelation of the‘invisible One’ whom ourhearts seek. Again and again ourailing Holy Father warns usas he did so strongly inhis World Peace message14 years ago that we as aspecies have broughtourselves and the entireEarth community of otherspecies to the edge of anabyss. We are faced witha dramatic choice: stop ourdisrespectful and

devastating destruction ofthe Earth or die. “Man(sic) is no longer theCreator’s steward but anautonomous despot who isfinally beginning to

understand that he muststop at the edge of anabyss.” He placed a large partof the responsibility at ourfeet when he said ‘con-sumerism and self-gratifi-cation are the root causesof this degradation. The warning has been

sounded but goes unheededas evidenced by the factthat the fastest growingbusiness in our country isthe construction of self-storage compartments. Our

Oblate brothers in the lessdeveloped countries (ofwhom we spoke at ourconvocation in Nashvilleand with whom we ex-pressed a desire to be insolidarity), work withpeople who will never owna pair of shoes. They lookto us.

They know that our life-styles virtually enslave thepeople with whomthey minister and that theEarth can no longer sup-port our consumptivebehavior. Does what is soobvious and painful to themremain a secret tous? Do we care enough tochange our behavior byliving much more simply? Pope John Paul repeat-edly says that Earth-keeping, caring for creationis a moral issue. It is amatter of life or death notonly for us but for all thespecies endangered anddying because of ourimmoral behavior. Heinsists that it is everyone’sresponsibility and hespeaks of it as an urgentcall to discover one’s‘ecological’ vocation. “Anew ecological awarenessis beginning to emergewhich, rather than beingdownplayed, ought to beencouraged to develop intoconcrete programmes andinitiatives.” The pope broadens thepro-life agenda of theChurch: “Respect for lifeand the dignity of thehuman person extends alsoto the rest of creation,which is called to join manin praising God.” It is important that theseconcepts be preached fromour pulpits, taught in our

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schools and shared in ourconversations. They mustnot remain secrets butshouted from the rooftops. As recently as last yearJohn Paul together withPatriarch Bartholomew Iof Constantinople issued astatement whose title hintsat the bad news of itscontents: “We Are StillBetraying the MandateGod Has Given to Us”.

Throughout the world,bishops have issuedstatements in concert withthe Pope echoing hiswords and punctuating hissense of urgency. Here in the U.S. thebishops have written sometwenty documents onissues ranging from theplight of farmers to globalwarming. They must notgather dust.

The highly respected Fr.Thomas Berry CP put itstarkly: “The failureof Christians to assumetheir responsibility for thefate of the Earth isperhaps their greatestsingle failure in the totalcourse of Christianhistory.” We Oblates and our co-workers are those Chris-tians, we are called to be

leaders and the burden ison us to preach/teach thesecrets....and who knows,maybe save the gift thatGod has given to us.Maybe whispering wouldwork!For more information onbringing Fr. DarrellRupiper, OMIto your parish, pleasecontact him atdrupiper2000@hotmail.com.

Continued from Previous Page...

Community Organizing Meeting: A Report Back Seamus Finn, OMI

Oblate houses and localcommunities be encour-aged to participate whenorganizing efforts aretaking place in their areas.

Participants were encour-aged by recent research,which has documented thesignificant increase in the

(L to R) Jim Loiacono, OMI, —— and Armand Matthew, OMI Participate in a discus-sion at the Community Organizing Gathering

promotion of CommunityOrganizing in the USProvince as a vehicle of ourJPIC ministry is important.It was also suggested that

More than 20 Oblates fromaround the country who areeither involved in Commu-nity Organizing gathered atthe King’s House ofRetreat in Belleville lastSeptember.

The meeting focused on:• Sharing and mining

the experience ofOblates with thisvehicle/tool

• Studying researchwhich has beenrecently completedon CO

• Exploring futuredirections andopportunities foruse/support of CO

• Brainstorming onstrategies for nextsteps

The meeting received verypositive evaluations fromparticipants and it wasdecided that continued Continued on Page 11.

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Report Back on Meeting With the Patriarch Séamus P. Finn, OMI

At the invitation ofPatriarchBartholomew IV I

participated in a three-daymeeting at the Halki monas-tery on a small island justoff the coast of Istanbul inlate October. The meetingwill took place on the islandof Heybiliada (Halki),traditionally a sacred islandfor Orthodox Christians. Itwas attended by represen-tatives of Buddhist, Chris-tian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain,Jewish, Muslim, Sikh andZoroastrian faiths includingrepresentatives of invest-ment and developmentfunds.

Secular observers includedthe World Bank, Citigroup,Rabobank and severalmajor foundations from theUS and Europe. This threeyear project has initiatedand financed by the Allianceof Religions and Conserva-tion in an effort to explorethe common principles andteachings of the world’sreligions about creation andthe ethical imperatives thatought to guide the humanbehaviour including theimpact of those activities onthe earth’s future which isshared by all God’s people.

The “Green Patriarch”, ashe has been called, hasissued a number of jointstatements with John Paul II

on these issues in recentyears and he has beeninstrumental in coordinatingthe involvement of people ofdifferent faiths in the cleanupof the Danube River and theBlack Sea. The 3iG grouphas had a number ofconsultations with the WorldBank and with the private

sector in an effort todevelop a blueprint thatmay be helpful to all faithsthat chose to respond tothis challenge. Advisoryagencies such as Innovest,WWF International, andeconomic think-tankbodies such as MedleyGlobal Advisors have also

offered their assistance andsupport to representativesof the faiths.

More than ever as peopleof faith deepen their appre-ciation of cosmology andrevisit the creation stories inthe Word of God and theirrespective religious tradi-

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Continued from Page 9.. numbers of local parishes,congregations, synagoguesand other religious institu-tions in community organi-zations. The research hasalso documented anincreasing diversity both inthe organizations and intheir leadership as well as awider geographic andregional presence. Forcopies of this researchplease contact the JPICoffice.

An Update on Pakistan Séamus P. Finn, OMI

In late August I had the opportunity to visit the Oblates working inPakistan. In a little more than a week we visited all of the Oblateplaces of ministry and connected also with a number of otherreligious office sand NGO’s who are active in the church’s socialministry. In light of the post 9/11 strategic relationship that the U.s.has promoted with Pakistan it was a particularly opportune time tovisit.

Clearly the first and lasting impression of the country was dedicatedpresence of missionary who are such a small minority (3%) in themidst of a population of some 150 million. The biblical story of theleaven came to mind often as we traveled about. Reviewing thehistory of the Indus river valley and experiencing first hand thefertility and bountiful harvests of the Punjab was also impressive.

The issues of blasphemy, rules against proselytism, the effort toestablish a separate electorate for non Muslims as well as the desireof some to impose the Sharia in certain regions are among theissues which frame the context of the church’s presence. The Na-tional Commission for Justice and Peace and other regional Justiceand Peace commissions continue their dedicated work safeguardinghuman rights, protesting discrimination against Christians, womenand those who do menial manual labor are among their priorities.Responding to the needs of refugees and promoting micro financeare also an important part of their agenda.

Lost often in the constant reporting on the achievements of the Warof Terror are the struggles of the millions of ordinary people incountries like Pakistan who are confronted with so many of the veryordinary challenges that are part of daily life: securing food, waterand clothing, accessing shelter, education and health care. Oftenpeople spoke of the solidarity that they count on from the interna-tional community, their religious colleagues and collaborators inthe larger human rights community. Frequently they wondered outloud about the current direction of U.S. foreign policy and hopedand prayed for an atmosphere of deeper understanding and respect.

tions all are being invited totake seriously our relation-ship to the earth as ourhome and as the source ofso many elements essentialto our daily survival.Coupled with the newinsights which scientificexploration uncovers, thecontinued unfolding of thetruths of our religioustraditions can guide all ofour choices.

In the months ahead the3iG group will be invitinggroups from the differingreligious traditions at localregional and internationallevel to consider a moreformal participation in thisinterfaith collaborative effortwhich offers a very tangibleopportunity for bridging thedifferences and oftenancient animosities whichhave been allowed to dividefollowers of different faithtraditions and destabilizeentire regions. For further details seewww.arcworld.org

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What wasthe lastthing

that you ate? Tryto remember…wasit a candy bar,sandwich, bananaor possibly aTwinkie? Do youknow where thisfood was grown?Or the methodsused for its growth?Do you have arelationship with thefarmer who grewyour food? Well,we may rememberwhat we last atebut more than likelywe would have toanswer “no” to thelast three questions.As a culture wehave grown distantfrom our foodsupply, from thatwhich nourishes us,that which fuels ourwork, our thoughts,our prayers, ourcreativity. And thisalienation has drasticconsequences……fromthose which we know(epidemic cancer andchildhood obesity, madcow disease) to thoseconsequences which wedon’t yet know. And weare not the only onessuffering due to this es-trangement from food. TheEarth itself has borne an

Oblate Ecological Initiative grows and grows Maurice Lange, OMI

industrial agri-businessassault for the last 60 years.This is seen in the life of thesoil becoming dead, waterbeing poisoned, farmanimals made into dairy andmeat producing machinesand now the gene commonsbecoming commodified!

Author, poet and farmerWendell Berry has said

“how we eat determines,to a considerable extent,how the world is used”.Indeed, how we choose toeat makes a difference. AsChristians it would beunthinkable to supportsystems that deal in death.“Choose life!” we are toldby our Scriptures, by ourtradition and by our God.And as Oblates we have

made a beginning tointegrate this call as itrelates to our food.

Part of the Oblate’s newEcological Initiative in theUnited States Province isthe Community SupportedGarden (CSG) at LaVista. The CSG began inearly 2003 and recentlycompleted its first season.

Maurice Lange, OMI near the Community Supported Garden at La Vista

Volume 6, Issue 1 Page 13

This project is located onthe novitiate property onbluffs overlooking theMississippi River inGodfrey, IL. The CSG isinspired by a movementcalled Community Sup-ported Agriculture (CSA).CSA happens when agroup of concerned peopleenter into covenant with afarmer and the land itself inorder to create a mutuallyenhancing human-Earthrelationship.The harvestis purchasedby share-holders thepreviouswinter-before thefirst seed isevenplanted!What adifferentsystem!!This incomeguaranteesthe farmer’ssalary andalso pays forthe seeds,tools andother needs of the farm.Our project had a verysuccessful first year as ourfarmer, Amy Cloud, grewvegetables, herbs andflowers using organicmethods. From May -November 65 local familiescame weekly to La Vista topick up their share of thebounty. At the end of the

season we counted a totalof 29, 000 pounds ofvegetables harvested andwe were able to share2,750 lbs. of this with alocal crisis food center.These shareholders knewwhere their food wascoming from, they knewhow it was grown and theyhad a personal relationshipwith the farmer growing thefood. The Japanese callthis “food with a face on it”.

This familiarity will grow aswe will feed 85 families in2004 and hope to donateeven more food to charity.

The Oblate priority of theIntegrity of Creation hasalso borne fruit in the LaVista Ecological LearningCenter also on the bluffs inGodfrey. Through pro-

grams, retreats and sea-sonal celebrations partici-pants grow in their appre-ciation of the Earth thatsustains us in so manyways. Our desire is thatfolks can return to theircommunities both living andteaching an awareness ofCreation’s Integrity.

One recent highlight wasour weeklong Earth Lit-eracy program in August,

2003 which involved a totalof 17 participants and staff.We journeyed togetherlearning from the story ofthe Universe, as well as2004 and our regularprogram open to all August3-10, 2004. Let us con-tinue our efforts at justiceand peace through adeepened awareness of the

Amy Cloud, farmer for the Community Supported Gardenin front of the garden’s first harvest

integrity of creation!

For more information onthese programs or on ourgarden projectcontactMaurice Lange,OMI at 618-466-5004 orlange@omiusa.org. Finda similar CSA projectnear you atwww.csacenter.org.

Join National CatholicRural Life Conference

for a gather-ing onNovember 7-8 in Albany,New York

The theme ofthis year’sconference willbe “Rural Life:Change andChallenge.”This yearmarks the 80thyear of theNationalCatholic RuralLife Confer-ence. For allof its 80 yearsof existence,

the conference has servedas a prophetic voice forAmerica’s countryside,acted as a catalyst andconvener for social justice,and developed supportservices for rural pastoralministers. Seewww.ncrlc.com or call(515)270-2634 for moreinformation.

Page 14 JPIC REPORT

Socially Responsible Investing: Proxy Voting Seamus P. Finn, OMI

The 2004 proxy seasonhas witnessed a number ofimportant developmentsand additional advocacyefforts. The recentmeltdown of the Italiangiant multinationalParmalat has brought anumber of U.S. financialcorporations to theheadlines and resulted insignificant losses for theirbalance sheet. This justas efforts to recoverfrom troubles atENRON, TYCO,Global Crossing,Vivendi and the recentmutual fund shenaniganshave turned the spotlighton issues of corporategovernance. Transpar-ency, accountability,independence directorsand conflicts of interestare at the top of that list.

Religious and Sociallyresponsible investorshave increased theiractivity to address boththe specifics of corporategovernance while at thesame time continuing toaddress some of the policyissues which we believedeserve the attention ofcorporate management andshareholders. Access tomedicines especially thosemedicines which can treatHIV/AIDS, TB andmalaria in the developing

world is a top priority withpharmaceutical companiesas well as access to medi-cines for those on fixed

incomes especially womenand children. There is still along way to go in providingthe funds and the medicinesto respond to the AIDSpandemic which hauntsmany African countries andis projected to havedevastating effects innumerous other countries.The establishment of asupply chain that is closely

monitored for compliancewith International laborstandards, includingrespect for human rights,

living wage compensationcontinues to be on theagenda with many well-known major multinationalcorporations. In light oftheir far-flung supplychain, which continues tosearch for reliable, cheapraw materials and labor,their operations are still inneed of a continuousreliable independent

monitoring and reportingsystem in which sharehold-ers, consumers and regula-tors can rely.

As the heavy proxyseason continues throughthe middle of Juneindividual investors areoffered the invitation andopportunity to exercisetheir responsible stew-ardship by reviewing theresolutions which arepresented by othershareholders and return-ing their completedballot. The issues pre-sented by religiousinvestors are coordinatedthrough the InterfaithCenter on CorporateResponsibility and aredeveloped from theexperience of ministersand missionaries in theirmany places of ministrythroughout the world.The proponents of theseresolutions are more thanwilling to provide addi-

tional information anddocumentation on the issueswhich are being presented.Our office is always avail-able to assist in this processand to answer any ques-tions, which you may have.The ICCR websitewww.iccr.org would also bea good resource toconsult.

Volume 6, Issue 1 Page 15

Publications and Transitions

Bread For the World:Campaign AgainstHunger

Bread for the World’scampaign this year focuseson reducing poverty andhunger by fully funding theMillenium ChallengeAccount (MCA) and theEmergency Plan for AIDSRelief, without making cutsto other poverty-focuseddevelopment assistance. Itis entitled Keep the Prom-ise on Hunger andHealth. They have pre-pared a video and othermaterials to make this goalachievable through workwith parishes and commu-nities. Their phone numberis 1-800-82-BREAD andtheir web site iswww.bread.org if you needmore information.

Immigration DebateContinues

President Bush made aspeech this winter regard-ing the need for changes inthe US immigration policy.His solution was a limitedguest worker policy, butother have pushed for amore comprehensivesolution that would createways for large numberspeople to enter the countryand eventually have the

option to become citizens.In his speech he mentionedthat many die in the desert.Some wonder if this is aspeech more for thepurposes of winningelections rather than out ofa real intention to createnew responses to immigra-tion which will decrease theristk for migrants.

Together with several otherorganizations, the OblateJPIC office will sponsor apanel this spring withexperts from the borderand from Washingtonwhich continue our effortsto bring the issue of borderdeaths into this discussionwhile also looking towardsbetter solutions. For moreinformation, contactRebecca Phares atRebecca@omiusa.org orby calling the office.

Immigration andBorder Books

The Ecumenical Programon Central America and theCarribean (EPICA) hasrecently released twobooks which may be ofinterest to readers of thisnewsletter. The Power ofLove: My Experience in aUS Immigration Jail byAna Amalia GuzmanMolina provides a powerful

first hand narrative. Span-ish and English versions arebound in the same volume.Borderland Theology byJerry H. Gill is a theologicalmeditation which providesa fresh perspective placingthe reality of bordercrossing at the heart of itsanalysis. Both are availablefrom EPICA:www.epica.org, 202-332-0292

Sixtieth Anniversary ofWorld Bank and IMF

In the summer of 1944 agathering of representativesfrom forty-four countriesmet at Bretton Woods anddecided to found theInternational MonetaryFund and World Bank.This summer marks thesixtieth anniversary of thefounding of these institu-tions. They were formedto stabilize the worldeconomy and did so for atleast two decades, butmany would argue thatsince then they havestrayed from their mission.Many have demonstratedout of frustration with thelack of accountability anddemocratic structureswithin these institutions.We heard tales of hugeloans which funded roadsinto the Amazon, dam

projects which fuel thedestruction of indigenousvillages, and money endingup in the pockets ofcorrupt dictators.Iimpoverished nationswerethen saddled withhuge external debts be-cause of these actions.This anniversary marks atime of increased scrutinyof these institutions. Tofind out about eventsmarking this anniversary orto learn more about whatyou can do, please see the50 Years is Enoughwebsite atwww.50years.org.

New Book on IMF andWorld Bank from thePerspective of Devel-oping Countries

Ariel Buira has edited anew book entitled Chal-lenges to the World Bankand IMF: DevelopingCountry Perspectives.This unique new volumeexamines some of the mostburning issues on theworld’s economic agenda.It examines useful andrealistic alternatives Thebook is published byAnthem Press, and if youwould like a copy but areunable to locate one,please be in touch with ouroffice and we will help youfind one.

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE PAIDWASHINGTON, DCPERMIT NO. 1749UNITED STATES PROVINCE

MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE391 MICHIGAN AVENUE, NEWASHINGTON, DC 20017

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“Preach the Gospel. Use words if necessary.” St. Francis of Assisi

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ACTION ALERTS

VISIT WWW.OMIUSA.ORG

I object to violence becausewhen it appears to do good,the good is only temporary;

the evil it does ispermanent.

Mahatma Gandhi