*Article* **The Environmental Activism of a Filipino Catholic Faith Community: Re-Imagining Ecological Care for the Flourishing of All**

**Jeane C. Peracullo 1,\* and Rosa Bella M. Quindoza 2**

> 1 Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University, Manila 2401, Philippines

2 Department of Communication Research, Polytechnic University of the Philippines,

Manila 01008, Philippines; rbmquindoza@pup.edu.ph

**\*** Correspondence: jeane.peracullo@dlsu.edu.ph

**Abstract:** Extensive open-pit mining activities in the Philippines since the 1970s up to the present confront the meaning of the "Church of the Poor", a description that the Catholic Church in the Philippines uses to visualize its prophetic mission. Alongside mining, many more environmentally destructive industries are present in the poorest areas in the country, even though the Philippines is disaster-prone and one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the devastating effects of the climate crisis. The environmental degradation has prompted many Filipino Catholic organizations and communities to act together through various campaigns to address the problem. The article examines a case of a faith-based community that rose to the challenge to address various environmental issues their community has encountered and continues to experience. The community's environmental activism presents a viable model for a re-imagined ecological care towards the "flourishing of all" as a response to Pamela McCarroll's call to action to continue conversations on the many ways practical theology can move beyond anthropocentrism while focusing on social justice.

**Keywords:** ecological activism; practical theology and environmental crisis; ecological care; action research
