View source for Romulo T. de la Cruz

{{Short description|Filipino archbishop (1947–2021)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Philippine name|Tolentino|de la Cruz}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| honorific-prefix = [[Most Reverend|The Most Reverend]]
| name = Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz
| honorific-suffix =
| bishop_of = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga|Archbishop of Zamboanga]]
| image = Archbishop Romulo T. Dela Cruz, DD.jpg
| caption = Portrait of Archbishop Romulo T. de la Cruz taken at the seminary chapel of Pastor Bonus Seminary.
| province =
| diocese =
| see = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga|Zamboanga]]
| enthroned = March 15, 2014
| ended = December 10, 2021
| predecessor = [[Romulo Valles]]
| successor = [[Julius Tonel]]
| ordination = December 8, 1972
| consecration = March 16, 1988
| previous_post = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan|Bishop of Kidapawan]]
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1947|06|24}}
| birth_place = [[Balasan]], Philippines
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|12|10|1947|06|24}}
| death_place = [[Zamboanga City]], Philippines<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 11, 2021 |title=Zamboanga's Archbishop De la Cruz dies at 74 |url=https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/zamboangas-archbishop-de-la-cruz-dies-at-74 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |website=CBCP News}}</ref>
| buried =
| nationality = Filipino
| religion = Roman Catholic
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation =
| profession =
| alma_mater =
| signature =
| coat_of_arms = Coat of arms of Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz.svg
}}
'''Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz''' (June 24, 1947 – December 10, 2021), was a [[prelate]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in the Philippines. He was the [[Roman Catholic Archbishop of Zamboanga]] in the Philippines.
{{infobox bishopstyles |
name=Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz |
dipstyle=[[Most Reverend|The Most Reverend]] |
offstyle=[[Excellency|Your Excellency]] |
relstyle=[[Archbishop]] |
deathstyle=not applicable |
|image=Coat of arms of Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz.svg|image_size=200px}}
==Life and ministry==
Romulo T. de la Cruz was born on June 24, 1947 in [[Balasan|Balasan, Iloilo]], being the eighth of ten children of Vicente Dela Cruz and Lucia Tolentino. Romulo was ordained to the priesthood on December 8, 1972, after having completed his seminary studies in Notre Dame Seminary (Nuling, Sultan Kudarat, 1964) and the Saint Francis Xavier Regional Major Seminary – REMASE (Davao City, 1969), respectively.<ref>"Profile of Romulo Tolentino Dela Cruz", ''The Rite of Liturgical Reception and Canonical Installation of His Excellency the Most Reverend Romulo T. Dela Cruz, Archbishop of Zamboanga.'' Zamboanga City: Centro Pastoral, 2014, p. 3.</ref>
As a priest of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan|Diocese of Kidapawan]], Father Dela Cruz was designated several times as a formator of the Notre Dame Seminary and as the Parish Priest of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Parish in [[Tacurong|Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat]] (1985-1987). He also completed his Graduate Studies in Theology at REMASE (1973) and with his Special Studies at the Institute on Religious Formation (IRF) in St. Louis, Missouri, USA (1982).<ref>"Profile of Romulo Tolentino Dela Cruz", ''ibid.'', p. 3.</ref>
On December 17, 1988, [[Pope John Paul II]] appointed Father Romulo Dela Cruz as [[Coadjutor bishop|Coadjutor Bishop]] of the [[Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Isabela|Prelature of Isabela de Basilan]]. The following year he was ordained to the [[Bishop|episcopacy]] on March 16, 1988, with the then [[Nuncio|Apostolic Nuncio]] to the [[Catholic Church in the Philippines|Philippines]], Archbishop [[Bruno Torpigliani]], as the principal consecrator, and assisted by Archbishop Philip Francis Smith, [[Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate|OMI]] ([[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cotabato|Cotabato]]) and Bishop-Emeritus José María Querejeta Mendizábal, [[Claretians|CMF]] ([[Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Isabela|Isabela de Basilan]]) as co-consecrators. Bishop Dela Cruz was appointed [[Coadjutor bishop|Coadjutor]] of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose de Antique|San Jose de Antique]] on Jan. 8, 2001 and installed on April 3, 2001. He then became Bishop of San Jose de Antique (as its third bishop) on March 16, 2002, as the successor to Bishop Raul José Quimpo Martirez. [[Pope Benedict XVI]] appointed him Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan|Kidapawan]], Cotabato, (as its fifth bishop) on May 14, 2008.<ref>"Profile of Romulo Tolentino Dela Cruz", ''ibid.'', p. 3.</ref>
On March 15, 2014, [[Pope Francis]] appointed Bishop Dela Cruz as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Zamboanga,<ref>"Latis drecretis a Congregatione pro Episcopis, Sanctissimus Dominus Franciscus Pp., per Apostolicas sub plumbo Litteras, iis quae sequuntur Ecclesiis sacros praefecit Praesules... — Metropolitanae Ecclesiae Zamboangensi, Exc.mum D. Romulum T. De la Cruz, hactenus Episcopum Kidapavanensem." Congregatio Pro Episcopis, Provisio Ecclesiarum, ''Acta Apostolicae Sedis, Commentarium Officiale,'' An. et vol. CVI, 4 Aprilis 2014, N. 4'','' p. 320.</ref> taking over his predecessor Archbishop [[Romulo Valles]] who was appointed to the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Davao|See of Davao]] in 2011; he is the sixth to take office as the Metropolitan Ordinary of Zamboanga since Archbishop Del Rosario in 1958. He was installed into office on May 14, 2014 by Archbishop [[Giuseppe Pinto]], the then Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines. Archbishop Dela Cruz was a member of the Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media and Vice Chairman of the Episcopal Office on Women of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ([[Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines|CBCP]]).<ref>"Profile of Romulo Tolentino Dela Cruz", ''ibid.'', p. 3.</ref>
Archbishop Romulo De la Cruz died on December 10, 2021, at the age of 74, two days after celebrating the forty-ninth year of his priestly ordination.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-11 |title=Zamboanga’s Archbishop De la Cruz dies at 74 |url=https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/zamboangas-archbishop-de-la-cruz-dies-at-74/ |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=CBCPNews |language=en-US}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote|Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz}}
{{commonscat}}
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bcrur.html Archbishop Romulo Tolentino de la Cruz] [[Wikipedia:SPS|{{sup|[''self-published'']}}]]
*[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dzamb.html Archdiocese of Zamboanga] [[Wikipedia:SPS|{{sup|[''self-published'']}}]]
{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|ca}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Romulo Valles]]}}
{{s-ttl| title=Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan|Kidapawan]] | years=2006&ndash;2014}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jose Colin Bagaforo]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga|Zamboanga]]|years=2014&ndash;2021}}
{{s-vac}}
{{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zamboanga}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Kidapawan}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose de Antique}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Catholicism |portal3= Philippines}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:de la Cruz, Romulo T.}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Iloilo]]
[[Category:People from Cotabato]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Zamboanga]]