JPR Commission 2016 Annual Report
Our efforts this past year have been focused in three areas: immigration, engagement with and support of our sponsored partners, especially here in Milwaukee, and corporate responsibility via shareholder action. We report on these below, along with other advocacy initiatives and collaboration with the Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Justice & Peace Office.
We also reviewed our own mission statement and the JPR director’s job description and came up with a number of proposals and questions for the Provincial Council in a dialogue that took place in September, and are currently following up on directions that came from that meeting, including engaging the laity. We appreciated the chance to dialogue with the Council about how to become more effective in our mission and hope to continue that dialogue .
Although we could not give them priority attention, despite the Holy Father's own appeal in his encyclical Laudato Si in the first instance and current events in the other, we felt strongly that the issues of climate change and racial justice both deserved some special focus as well, which we tried to do in our own discusssion and through the JPR newsletter and website. Both will continue to be part of our focus.
We also reviewed our own mission statement and the JPR director’s job description and came up with a number of proposals and questions for the Provincial Council in a dialogue that took place in September, and are currently following up on directions that came from that meeting, including engaging the laity. We appreciated the chance to dialogue with the Council about how to become more effective in our mission and hope to continue that dialogue .
Although we could not give them priority attention, despite the Holy Father's own appeal in his encyclical Laudato Si in the first instance and current events in the other, we felt strongly that the issues of climate change and racial justice both deserved some special focus as well, which we tried to do in our own discusssion and through the JPR newsletter and website. Both will continue to be part of our focus.
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Support of Migrants and Refugees
Province education, financial support of groups working with migrants in Texas and Wisconsin, work with the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and new involvement in a group fighting for the undocumented were the highlights of this past year. Learn more...
Day Without Immigrants at WI State Capitol
Warehousing the undocumented in TX
Fr. Bob Bossie and Mark Peters also maintain mailing lists of those interested in further reading on social justice issues. To get on either list, contact Fr. Bob at bobbossie@gmail.com or Mark at justdir@usprovince.org.
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Working with our Grant "Partners"
The Province through its social justice grants has continued to support organizations in Milwaukee, Chicago and Houston, and several SCJs and the JPR Director are actively involved in most of them. For a report, click here, and to learn more about any particular group, go to our JPR Commission page and scroll down.
Other Advocacy Efforts
The JPR Commission began the year with Provincial Council approval of its revised policy on public stances. Since then it has signed on to a letter to President Obama in favor of accepting more Syrian refugees, the Catholic Coalition of D.C.'s statement on Islamophobia and the landmark Nonviolence & Just Peace Conference’s consensus document, An Appeal to the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of Gospel nonviolence. At our request, the Provincial Treasurer signed an investor letter in support of the Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act.
The Director attended Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington DC this past spring and helped lobby WI congresspersons on both voting rights and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He’s continued to have a dialogue on free trade issues with WI Rep. and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s point person on the issue. |
Conference of Major Superiors of Men Justice & Peace Office
In addition to passing along CMSM's J&P alerts and other highlights to province members, the JPR Director has participated in the Midwest region JPIC Directors meeting, coordinated the “Lectionary and Justice” project that grew out of that meeting, and this past fall joined a “Peace Team” organized by J&P Office Director Eli McCarthy which went to Cleveland for the Republican National Convention.
Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment
The JPR Director serves as board chair for this corporate responsibility organization based in Milwaukee but with members from across the Midwest. He has become involved in shareholder activism through 7G and this past year had a resolution make it to a vote at a major corporation's Annual General Meeting.
To find out what happened, and to learn more about 7G and its project The Human Thread Campaign, click here. |