You Don't Have To Be A Fundy To Find What's To Love In Leviticus, In Fact A Lot Of Them Can't Find It

POINTING OUT THE RADICAL SOCIAL JUSTICE of the Book of Leviticus yesterday seems to have anticipated an article about The Leviticus Fund posted at the Global Sister's Report this morning.  It's an example of how the economic justice of the Mosaic Books is alive and informing means of making that real in life, today.

"It's faith capital," said Greg Maher, executive director of the fund, which is based in Tarrytown, New York, and takes its name from the call for economic justice in the Book of Leviticus.

It also shows the strength of pulling together resources, Jeffries said. "We can do much more together than we can do alone."

'We can do much more together than we can do alone.'

—Mercy Sr. Rosemary Jeffries

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As one of the nation's first community development financial institutions, or CDFIs (see sidebar), the fund has financed projects including housing, community health work, education and, more recently, access to food in communities with food deserts.

Leviticus' investment model is similar to purchasing certificates of deposit at a fixed interest rate for a specified amount of time. The investment, in turn, allows Leviticus to lend money to groups like The Bridge.

But now, Leviticus is further strengthening its work through a recently announced Legacy Fund — a pool of capital based on donations, not investments. Pooling their support into donations are seven original fund investors. Six are sister congregations: the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, New York; Franciscan Sisters of Peace; Good Shepherd Sisters; Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary; Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York; Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union.

Money from the Legacy Fund, permanently restricted for lending, will be lent and repaid to support future projects, said Colleen Ryan, Leviticus' resource development officer.

It's a far cry from using the holiness code for priests with its severe penalties for this or that sexual act or wearing polyester cotton mix that are the sum total of so many peoples' view of Leviticus.  The non-reading, non-thinking, "proof-texting" use of it.  

Busy day.  I may get around to writing something later but I wanted to share this with you.