Fifteen generations of Filipino Christians faced with crisis upon crisis have sought to find meaning to suffering and pain. The social imaginary of a “Catholic nationâ€1 has served the common good by promoting human development, by fighting against oppression, and by standing up for injustice.2 However, a “poverty of poverty discoursesâ€3 a lack of a comprehensive response to poverty alleviation,4 and a lack of concerted attention to many pivotal events in the Philippine scene show this gap between the institutional church and the poor.5