“The Resurrection has happened, do not lose hope!”
Fr. Carlos Ronquillo, “Fr. Caloy” as he was fondly called, was born on Saturday, July 23, 1955 at Brgy. Baclaran, Parañaque City, Metro Manila. He was baptized on August 14, 1955 at the Parish of Sra. Rita de Casia. He is the fifth child of Mr. PacificoRonquillo and Ms. Juanita Gabriel. He was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) before he applied to enter the seminary in 1978.
He took his first profession of vows on May 22, 1982 and became a perpetually professed Redemptorist on September 14, 1986. On August 26, 1989, he was ordained to the priesthood by Most Reverend IreneoAmantillo, C.S.s.R, Bishop of Tandag, at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Baclaran, Parañaque City. His first assignment was in the Redemptorist Baclaran Mission Community serving as a member of the Shrine Team from 1989-1990. In 1990, he transferred to Mariposa Community to act as the Perfect of College until 1992.
In 1993, the Vice Province of Manila sent Fr. Caloy to Rome for further studies. He took a doctorate degree on Moral Theology at the Academia Alfonsia until 1996. He graduated Summa Cum Laude. In December 1996, he returned to the Philippines and was appointed to Baclaran Community.
Most of his missionary years were spent in Baclaran and in Formation. He was a member of Baclaran Community from 1999 to 2002, from 2005 to 2008 and from 2015 to 2019. In 2017, he was quadrennium, 2009. Meanwhile, in the formation ministry, he served as Prefect of Students from 1999 to 2002 and 2002 to 2005. He was again assigned in the formation community in 2008 and to Davao City to be the Director of St. Alphonsus Theological and Mission Institute (SATMI). He was in-charge of the academic (theological and mission) formation until 2015.
One of his notable missionary contributions to the congregation is his teaching ministry specifically on Moral Theology. Some of the schools where he taught are De la Salle University (DSLU), Maryhill School of Theology (MST), Inter-Congregational Theological Center (ICTC), Institute of Formation and Religious Studies (IFRS) and SATMI. He also wrote on various topics about Moral Theology and one of which was a booklet entitled “Celebrating the Joy of Forgiveness and Healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”
He also held various offices in the Vice Province. He was the VP Librarian from 1997 to 1999, 1999 to 2002, 2005 to 2008 and 2015 to 2019. He was also the VP Secretary and VP Assistant Bursar from 2011 to 2015. He also led the Secretariat for Formation for many years. He was a member of the Vice Provincial Extra-Ordinary Council from 2008 to 2011 and from 2019 up to present.
After serving for another year (2019-2020) as SATMI Director and as Liason for Davao Students, he applied for a Sabbatical Leave. He resided in Baclaran Community while preparing for his sabbatical program until his untimely death on January 06, 2021. Fr. Caloy died at the age of 65 at the Redemptorist Baclaran Mission Community.
©Bro. Roel Gutierrez, CSsR