The Secretariat of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) joined faithful members of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic communities for the first Interfaith Walk for Creation on September 5, 2026, at the Maybunga Rainforest Park in Pasig City.
Despite the heavy rain, participants gathered to pray, sing, and reflect on the role of water in giving life and nourishment to the oikoumene—the whole inhabited earth.
In her message on behalf of the NCCP, General Secretary Ms. Minnie Anne Mata-Calub said that our Christian faith should move us toward caring for one another and the environment.
“It commissions us to stand with farmers and fisherfolk who depend on water and everything in it for their work; with our indigenous peoples and rural communities asserting their rights to their ancestral lands and waters,” said Ms. Calub. “And with creation and the families that reside within, who are often ignored and stripped of dignity in the name of economic and political interests.”
Along with the NCCP delegation were clergy from the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, as well as seminarians from Saint Andrew’s Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary (UTS). Foreign delegates from the Training in Mission Program of UTS and the Council for World Mission were also present. The NCCP’s ecumenical partners—including the Rizal Ecumenical Movement, the Romblon-Mindoro Ecumenical Council, and the Promotion of Church People’s Response—also joined the procession.
Led by the Laudato Si’ Movement Pilipinas in partnership with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the Walk for Creation is part of the global observance of the Season of Creation. Globally, the season runs from September 1—coinciding with the NCCP-initiated National Day of Prayer for JustPeace in the Philippines—through October 4. In the Philippines, the celebration extends to the second Sunday of October to include National Indigenous Peoples’ Sunday.
Guided by this year’s theme, “Living Waters” (inspired by Ezekiel 47:9–12), the gathering marked a significant milestone. This year’s event intentionally expanded for the first time to include interfaith partners across non-Christian traditions.
The NCCP has served on the ecumenical steering committee and participated in the previous Ecumenical Walks for Creation since 2023. Following this gathering, the NCCP will host the Third Ecumenical Season of Creation Service as its culminating activity for the season. It encourages its member churches and partners to enjoin their local congregations and networks to take part in this gathering. #
