This is an amazing and fascinating book! Not only does it introduce the emergence of Filipina feminist consciousness, and activism by religious women against colonialism and the Marcos dictatorship. On a broader and even more novel scale, it shows how "indigenous" culture and religion are concretely interdependent with natural environments; and how "gender" can include sex-based differences without undermining equal political power. Specifically, traditional lfugao society and religion were centered around rice planting, growing and harvest. The figure of the babaylan, usually a woman, had a deep knowledge of the natural environment and the cosmos, and was a priest, healer, agricultural expert, and a leader in both domestic and political spheres. Toward a Bai Theology explodes customary categories, expanding our imagination of what environmental harmony and gender justice could look like in the churches and societies of tomorrow.

Lisa Sowle Cahill
Professor of Theology Boston College, USA

When forces of reaction are resurging, often threatening to undermine the past gains of progressive movements in the church and the wider society, every significant step in our journey toward a better and colorful tomorrow is a cause for celebration! This time I celebrate with the achievement of Catholic women/feminist/bai theologians in the publication of a collection of essays that challenges hegemonic ways of thinking and dwelling, such as ecocidal-capitalist patriarchy, and advances feminist theo-praxis that excavates vernacular wisdom and promotes the flourishing of all. Let's welcome this historic achievement!

Eleazar S. Fernandez
Professor of Theology
Union Theological Seminary, Philippines

I commend the title of this anthology "Toward a Bai Theology: Catholic Feminism in the Philippines". It fulfills its aim to address the absence of a record of the development of Catholic feminist theology in the Philippines. It is a rich collection of various aspects of Catholic Feminist theology dealing with a wide range of subject matter from indigenous spirituality to colonial domination, popular religiosity, issues of justice and social transformation, civil service, etc. which shows that Catholic feminist theologians can reflect on almost any aspect of life. Although most of the contributions come from a meeting of Filipina Catholic feminist theologians way back in 2011, it has great relevance today since the topics still call for further theological reflections. Theological students can find in it a rich source of information about Catholic feminist theologizing that has been done and can serve as inspiration in their own choices for theological research.

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB
Vice-President for External Affairs St. Scholastica College, Philippines