Mercy Investment Services - Socially Responsible Investment (Americas)

In the early 1990s, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas identified climate change as the most significant and critical environmental issue of our time. It impacts water, food and the public health of all Earth’s residents, particularly those who are most poor and vulnerable.

As the state of our planet becomes more serious, there is an urgency for us, as Mercy, to respond to these issues—as the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas committed in the 2011 Chapter Declaration, we must 'act in ways which contribute to a sustainable future for our Institute, the Church, and Earth.'

At his inauguration in 2013, Pope Francis encouraged all “who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life” to “be ‘protectors’ of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment.”

We are in the positions of responsibility that Pope Francis identifies, and we should use our role to protect our planet and those among us who do not have a voice. The Sisters of Mercy have been blessed with resources that allow Mercy Investment Services, the socially responsible investment program for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and its sponsored and co-sponsored ministries, to use our investments in companies as a ministry that can create systemic change.

While our investments support the Sisters and their ministries, they have a greater impact when we use them to also engage in shareholder advocacy. Driven by the mission to care for Earth and to promote systemic change in corporate policies and practices, Mercy Investment Services has made it a priority to engage companies across a range of sectors on how they impact the environment and can positively contribute to creating a sustainable future for our planet. In 2014, we are engaging 60 companies on environmental concerns (e.g., climate, water, extractives), including 25 companies on climate change concerns.

Our mission as the socially responsible investment program of the Sisters of Mercy leads us to continue to advocate for business practices that can alter the course of climate change, pollution problems, access to water and community input on environmental issues. Mercy Investment Services, as a ministry, makes a difference at a corporate level, working with companies to show them the impact they have on our environment and encouraging them to make changes that will create a better Earth for everyone.

Messages to: Amanda LePoire - Communications Manager

Editor: Pat Zerega, Senior Director of Shareholder Advocacy at Mercy Investment Services, presented ‘Using your investments for Social Change and Anti-Trafficking Initiatives’ as the final Soup and Substance Gathering on Wednesday, 9 April. Listen to a recording of Pat speaking and read a report on her talk.