In a spirit of synodality and shared discernment, a group of indigenous youth from Upper Pulangi gathered at Balay Laudato Si’ in Bendum, Bukidnon, Philippines on 12 to 13 July 2025 with the visiting sisters of the religious congregation Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ACI Sisters) for a weekend of encounter, reflection, and communal prayer.
Anchored in the life of the Church and the lived experiences of the community, the sessions focused on listening to the signs of the times and seeking a deeply rooted response to the challenges raised by COP30, considering the pastoral guidance of Church leaders.
The gathering opened with words of welcome and personal sharing from participants. Many of the youth were returning scholars and graduates of the Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC), who spoke of the significance of coming home to the land, to community, and to a place where they could remember and renew their calling.
They shared how their formation in Bendum shaped their identity and values, and how that grounding continues to guide them as they navigate studies, work, and growing responsibilities. The tone was intimate and reflective, characterized by mutual trust and the desire to continue walking together as people of faith.
Central to the reflections were three recent pastoral and ecclesial documents that guided conversations:
- May Pag-asa Pa Ba? (Is There Still Hope?) Pastoral Letter on the Jubilee 2025: A Pilgrimage of Hope by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
- To the Local Churches in Asia on the Care of Creation: A Call to Ecological Conversion, FABC Pastoral Letter
- A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological conversion, transformation, and resistance to false solutions, Statement of the Churches of the Global South
Reflecting on the CBCP’s call for inner renewal and accountability, the young people of Upper Pulangi recognized their own life stories in the bishops’ words:
“As we reflect on these situations, we realize that the first thing we need to do is to examine ourselves and pursue the path of personal, institutional, and ecclesial conversion in order to rediscover hope. This is the opportunity that the Jubilee Year provides us. Thus, we too make ourselves accountable before the Lord.”
This invitation to conversion resonated deeply with the participants, many of whom shared experiences of coming home to their communities after years away at school or work, seeking how to serve more meaningfully and with integrity.
The group also engaged the FABC Pastoral Letter on the Care of Creation which spoke directly to the urgency of ecological action:
“We call on our dioceses to contribute by raising awareness, supporting climate advocacy, and engaging with decision-makers to push for ambitious and equitable climate solutions. Let us ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable are heard and that the call for justice resonates strongly, especially in the context of our shared Christian responsibility to care for the earth and all its inhabitants.”
The youth reflected on how their communities, often among the most affected by climate impacts, also carry deep knowledge and resilience—resources the broader Church must listen to and learn from.
This call to live responsibly with creation was echoed in the Global South Churches’ statement, A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home:
“It is about living a productive and supportive life, in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters and with ecosystems. Good Living proposes a new form of human society that recognizes and respects its interdependence with the web of life, promoting solidarity, mutual respect and new alternatives for living, free from the logic of accumulation and prejudice.”
For the indigenous youth, this articulation of “Good Living” affirms a way of life their elders passed down – a life rooted not in consumerism, but in balance, respect, and the wellbeing of both people and place.
These texts invited the participants to reflect on their own life stories and community realities in light of the Church’s call to ecological conversion, renewal of hope, and deeper participation in the life of the Church. The conversations wove together scriptural reflection, the wisdom of indigenous way of life, and personal experience, revealing how faith, land, and culture are deeply interconnected.
Expressions of community life and joy enriched the discussions of the pastoral letters. The ACI sisters led a bread-making session with the youth – kneading, shaping, and baking as a form of shared labor and hospitality. The sisters also read stories to the younger kids of the dalēpaan, drawing from scripture and lived experience, inviting deeper reflection and opening spaces for dialogue. Choir practice in preparation for the Sunday Mass created another space for collaboration and spiritual preparation, with the youth offering their voices to serve the liturgy and renew their role in the community.
There was time for play and recreation with table tennis and volleyball, drawing laughter and energy. These activities, though simple, became moments of connection and kinship, breaking down barriers and building up the sense of being one body. In all these interactions – whether in study, silence, sport, or song – the spirit of synodality was alive: listening to one another, discerning together, and making space for every voice.
Pedro Walpole SJ celebrated the morning Sunday Mass at the community chapel, with community members from Bendum joining the youth and the Sisters in a Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) session afterwards at Balay Laudato Si’.
This provided the space for participants to listen to the Word, to one another, and to the stirrings of the Spirit. The youth spoke of how their early experiences in BECs formed their understanding of Church as community, as dialogue, and as service. They reflected on the importance of walking with others, of being a presence of hope in their sitios, and of witnessing to a faith that is not abstract but lived and embodied in the land and in daily life.
The presence of the ACI Sisters added depth to the gathering. Sister Ellie from Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte shared her admiration for the landscape and the life she witnessed in the community. She spoke of the contrast between urban and rural religious life, observing how a house without walls – like that of the lawig which is a small nipa hut – can reflect a heart that is open, simple, and truly free.
Sister Eunice, a missionary from the Congo now assigned in Quezon City, shared her joy and admiration for the youth’s strong sense of identity and commitment. She encouraged them to continue caring for their community and to let their light shine by passing on what they have received.
Participants gathered around a bonfire beneath the stars and encircled by the forest as the weekend ended. Songs and prayers of thanksgiving were offered, and the bonfire became a symbol of kinship, warmth, and the enduring light of faith. It was a quiet yet powerful moment, a reminder that even small gatherings rooted in relationship and grounded in the land can become places of renewal and discernment for the Church.
As the universal Church celebrates the Jubilee of Hope 2025 and the global community looks ahead to the climate change gathering at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, this gathering in Bendum stands as a local expression of the Church listening, learning, and accompanying.
The witness of the indigenous youth, together with the ACI Sisters, is a path of integral ecology, cultural rootedness, and synodal engagement that is vital, not only for the margins, but for the Church as a whole.