Pope Francis’s 2015 social encyclical, Laudato Si’, emphasizes the importance of caring for our common home. It encourages Catholic educational institutions to incorporate integral ecology and sustainability into their vision and mission through information dissemination, strategic planning, concrete action, and systematic evaluation. Now, ten years later, it is an opportune time to appraise how Catholic universities in Metro Manila, Philippines, have responded to this urgent call. This study examined how five Catholic universities—Adamson University, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, San Beda University, and the University of Santo Tomas—aligned their initiatives and practices with the seven goals outlined in Laudato Si’. The research employed qualitative analysis to examine action plans and institutional reports available on the official websites of the universities involved, as well as credible online publications. This analysis employed Appreciative Inquiry as the primary methodology, guided by the Laudato Si’ Schools Framework and enhanced by Xiang’s “usefulness” paradigm. The analysis examined how these universities implemented initiatives and practices related to integral ecology and sustainability, which included curricular integration, research projects, ecological spirituality, and social engagement. Since the study employed Appreciative Inquiry, it adopted a celebratory approach that focused on unique innovations and shared strengths, rather than comparing various educational institutions. Using publicly available data, the study made a significant contribution to the field of socio-ecological practice by confirming that Catholic universities in Metro Manila play a vital role in promoting ecological awareness and campaigns, encouraging environmental stewardship, fostering sustainability, and nurturing solidarity with the poor, in accordance with the principles of integral ecology emphasized in Laudato Si’. Moreover, it provided a framework that educational institutions—local and international, sectarian and secular—could adapt to their specific settings.
