Fr. Filemon dela Cruz Jr. O.P., begins his second term as 13th prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines during his installation rites at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church on Saturday, Jan. 25. (Photo by James Michael M. Magboo/ The Varsitarian)

FR. FILEMON dela Cruz Jr., O.P. began his second term as prior provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 25, with a vow to build “centers of preaching” and find ways to boost the order’s mission despite its limited numbers.

In an interview with the Varsitarian, Dela Cruz said sustainability is the key for the Filipino Dominican province to serve the faithful under its care.

“[If] na-strengthen ‘yong sense of mission namin, who we are, and ‘yong capabilities ng ng brethren as a person and as a community, na-empower siya. [We are] doing things for sustainability,” he said. “We believe it will benefit those people who have been entrusted to us.”

Dela Cruz, who serves as vice chancellor of the University by virtue of his post as head of the province, outlined his plans in his address of acceptance during the installation rites at the Santisimo Rosario Parish Church. The plan is anchored on four “thrusts” or “directional signs”: 

  • to become preachers of hope in communities and institutions;
  • to cultivate a culture of vocation and promotion;
  • to build communities and institutions as centers of strategic management; and
  • to deepen and expand collaboration between and among fellows, communities, and institutions, both local and international.

Dela Cruz said he plans to develop the centers for preaching in Caleruega in Batangas, Surabaya in Indonesia, and the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties.

“We thrust ourselves to build our communities and institutions as centers of strategic management, stable and sustainable, dealing with the challenges of integrating apostolates, synergizing our efforts, and engaging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,” he said.

UST, he told the Varsitarian, carries a vital role in developing these centers.

“We have identified centers of preaching. Of course, all our communities are preaching communities, but the Ecclesiastical Faculties is an identified center of preaching through teaching because the role of the faculty affects the whole region, the Philippines, and the Church,” Dela Cruz said.

Dela Cruz said collaboration is the most important thrust because it can “create miracles.”

He pointed to how UST Legazpi’s collaboration with the Manila campus helped the former flourish.

“How do we grow, catch up, and move forward? Importante du’n, collaboration. It’s creating miracles. And UST is central to that. Anything that’s connected to UST flourishes,” he said.

Dela Cruz also vowed to tackle a number of challenges such as the need to prepare Indonesian houses to become a separate entity.

“Notably, we shall respond concretely and judiciously to the challenges of our institutions in need of assistance. This same hope raises our vista towards the future, when our houses in Indonesia would become a Provincial Vicariate within the next 10 years,” he said in his address of acceptance. 

“In hope, we commit to the mission of preaching to the ‘existential peripheries,’ to new frontiers in Asia-Pacific, even in Europe, and wherever the Spirit leads us,” he said.

Dela Cruz, the 13th head of Filipino Dominicans, will serve his second four-year term until 2029.

He was reelected during the 13th Provincial Chapter at UST Santa Rosa, hosted by the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican house in UST Manila.

Professed to the Dominican Order in 1987, Dela Cruz said his 40 years of service is the key to attaining his plans.

“The trust of people is very important. Being a provincial is a position of trust. Trust in the sense that you can do things, you can unite the brothers, and talk to each one,” he told the Varsitarian.

“I can create an atmosphere that can bring people together, work together, and even people perhaps who have distanced themselves. Because we are brothers, we can bring them together,” he said.

The Dominican Province of the Philippines was founded on Dec. 8, 1971 and took over the mission territory of the Spanish Holy Rosary Province, including UST.

The Filipino province has missions in Indonesia and Sri Lanka and was recently tapped to serve in the British territory of Gibraltar.

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