Canada: business leaders begin Spiritual Exercises
Can faith and fortune mix? A Jesuit priest working in Western Canada believes so. Fr Max Oliva SJ who works in Calgary, Alberta, home to many national and multinational corporations, has become a 'spiritual coach' to many local business owners, talking with them about the role spirituality and social responsibility plays in their corporate lives. In the wake of recent corporate scandals which have shaken investor confidence and sent shock-waves through North-American stock markets Fr Oliva says he is being asked a great deal about ethics. Once a month, he offers a 'Commuter Retreat' for small groups of business leaders, both Catholic and of other denominations, using key meditations from the Spiritual Exercises. Sensing a huge workload ahead of him, he is now planning to team up with a Catholic management professor and a Lutheran international consultant to host business discussion groups. "I hope to help people see how they can better integrate their faith with their work," says Fr Oliva. "This would have an effect not only on them individually, but also on the company they work for and ultimately on the community at large." Contact: George Max Oliva SJ on: goliva@calprov.org source: SJS headlines