Structure and Intentionality
For more than four decades, CBIS has worked at the intersection of faith and finance. Guided by the principles outlined in Mensuram Bonum and grounded in the values of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, we have built a Catholic Responsible Investments (CRI) framework designed to support both financial stewardship and positive social impact.
We often describe this framework as a tree.
Like a healthy, thriving tree, every part of our structure serves a distinct purpose. Our roots provide grounding and nourishment. Our trunk provides strength and stability. Our branches and leaves bring the mission to life. Together, they help ensure that Catholic social teaching remains at the center of our investment approach.
The Roots
CBIS Charisms Council
The roots of a tree provide stability, nourishment, and connection to what lies beneath the surface.
In the same way, the CBIS Charisms Council helps ensure our investment activities remain firmly grounded in Catholic social teaching. Composed of respected leaders in faith-consistent investing, theology, ethics, and Church leadership, the Council serves as a source of guidance and perspective on matters related to Catholic Responsible Investments.
The Council provides review and input on key initiatives that support the integration of Catholic social teaching into CBIS investment strategies.
Council Members
Sister Patricia Boss, OP
Retired Chief Financial Officer
Sisters of St. Dominic
San Rafael, California, USA
John Dalla Costa
Founding Director
Center for Ethical Orientation
Sansepolcro, Italy
Rev. Father
Seamus Finn, OMI
Chief of Faith Consistent Investing
Oblate International Pastoral
Investment Trust
Washington, DC, USA
Rev. Dariusz
Garbaciak, SVD
General Treasurer
Society of the Divine Word
Rome, Italy
Brother Daniel
Gardner, FSC
Director of Advancement
District of Eastern North America
New Jersey, USA
Deacon Jeff Trumps
Retired Chief Financial Officer
Diocese of Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
The Trunk
Impact & Justice Steering Committee
The trunk gives a tree its structure and strength.
Committee members, representing client-facing and CRI Team, incorporate investor perspectives to help focus our active ownership efforts on the issues that matter most to investors and where meaningful impact can be achieved.
The IJSC regularly reviews, discerns, and approves a broad range of active ownership activities, including:
- Adoption and sunset of focus companies
- Target and goal development
- Accomplishment and progress certification
- Status of the active ownership portfolio
- Shareholder resolutions
- Proxy voting guidelines
- CRI exclusions
Through this work, the committee helps ensure that our advocacy efforts remain intentional, disciplined, and aligned with our mission.
The Branches and Leaves
Catholic Responsible Investments Team
Branches extend the strength of the tree outward. Leaves transform that strength into growth and action.
Our Catholic Responsible Investments Team serves this role within CBIS. Guided by the Charisms Council and supported by the Impact & Justice Steering Committee, the team brings our active ownership approach to life.
The CRI team executes CBIS’s responsibilities to engage, enhance, and exclude through ongoing company engagement, shareholder advocacy, proxy voting, and investment analysis. Their work transforms principles into practical action and allows CBIS to pursue positive change while remaining faithful to Catholic social teaching.
Through a disciplined engagement process built on thoughtful structure and intentionality, the CRI team helps advance CBIS’s mission across the global marketplace.
One Mission. One Structure. One Purpose.
Every part of the tree serves a purpose, but no single part stands alone.
The same is true at CBIS. The Charisms Council, Impact and Injustice Steering Committee, and Catholic Responsible Investments team work together to create a framework that helps integrate faith stewardship and active ownership.
It is a true structure built to support long-term growth, guided by Catholic values and rooted in a commitment to responsible investing.