Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan (Xavier Ateneo) recognizes that today’s socio-ecological crises are deeply interconnected with human lifestyles and practices—many of which have proven harmful and destructive to the environment. At the same time, every positive act of care for our common home contributes meaningfully to addressing these global challenges.
As a Filipino, Catholic and Jesuit university, Xavier Ateneo’s mission centers on transformative education—an education that helps shift the prevailing worldview from being economy-centered to one that is ecology-centered. Through teaching, research, formation, and community engagement, the University strives to form individuals who live out responsible stewardship and compassionate service for creation and humanity.
Early Commitment to Sustainability
Xavier Ateneo’s commitment to sustainability began as early as the 2010s, when it became the home of the Regional Centre of Expertise-Northern Mindanao on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE). The RCE is a global network of formal, non-formal, and informal education organizations mobilized to deliver education for sustainable development (ESD) in their respective regions. Each RCE works to localize the global objectives of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005–2014) by translating them into concrete initiatives and programs that benefit local communities. By joining this network, Xavier Ateneo affirmed its commitment to advancing the UN’s vision for sustainability through education and community partnership.
Establishing the Green Campus Agenda
Around the same period, Xavier Ateneo established the Green Campus Agenda (GCA) to strengthen the University’s environmental policies and initiatives. The GCA is responsible for conceptualizing, organizing, coordinating, monitoring, and updating the University’s programs related to environmental sustainability. Through the GCA, Xavier Ateneo institutionalized sustainability as a guiding principle in campus operations, ensuring that ecological consciousness is embedded in decision-making and everyday practices.
Responding to the Call of Laudato Si’
Heeding the call of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (2015), Xavier Ateneo deepened its commitment to integral ecology by enrolling as a Laudato Si’ University under the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. This global affiliation places Xavier Ateneo within a worldwide network of Catholic and faith-based institutions united in Pope Francis’ seven-year journey toward integral ecology—a holistic vision that connects care for the Earth, care for the poor, and care for the human spirit.
As a Laudato Si’ University, Xavier Ateneo strives to be an institutional leader in advancing the seven Laudato Si’ Goals.
(chart of the seven Laudato Si’ Goals lifted from https://ssnd.org/)
Through these goals, the University reaffirms its Jesuit mission to form persons for and with others—faithful stewards of creation and compassionate builders of a more just and sustainable world.
Continuing the Journey
Today, Xavier Ateneo continues to strengthen its initiatives on sustainability and integral ecology through its academic programs, campus operations, and community partnerships. Guided by the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the spirit of Laudato Si’, the University envisions a community that embodies ecological conversion—one that seeks harmony with creation and works toward lasting social transformation.
With faith as its foundation and action as its expression, Xavier Ateneo remains steadfast in its commitment to be a university that educates, inspires, and leads the way toward a future where all creation can thrive.