Background
Cantú, Oscar was born on December 5, 1966 in Houston, Texas, United States. Son of Ramiro and Maria de Jesus Cantú.
Cantú, Oscar was born on December 5, 1966 in Houston, Texas, United States. Son of Ramiro and Maria de Jesus Cantú.
He attended Saint Thomas High School and the University of Dallas, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He also earned a Master of Divinity and of Theological Studies from the University of Saint Thomas before traveling to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University, earning his Licentiate of Sacred Theology.
He has been the bishop of the Diocese of Las Cruces, in New Mexico, since 2013. During his 4 1/2 years in San Antonio, because of the appointment of San Antonio Archbishop José Horacio Gómez to Los Angeles, Cantú was named apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until the installation of the new archbishop. At the time of his appointment as auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, he was the youngest bishop in the country.
He is fifth of eight children.
Upon his return to the States, Cantú was ordained a deacon on November 6, 1993 by Bishop James Tamayo. Cantú was ordained a priest by Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza on May 21, 1994.
He then served as parochial vicar of Saint Christopher Church in Houston. In 2003, he began teaching at his alma mater of the University of Saint Thomas.
He was later named pastor of his childhood church of Holy Name in Houston.
On April 10, 2008, Cantú was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio and Titular Bishop of Dardanus by Pope Benedict XVI. He was consecrated on June 2 by Archbishop José Gómez, with Archbishop Fiorenza and Bishop Joe Vásquez serving as co-consecrator. Cantú selected to be his motto: Zelus Domus Tuae Com Maine (Psalms 69:9), meaning, "Zeal for the Lord"s house consumes medical "
In October 2010, Bishop Cantú discontinued a long-standing Mass that was offered for more than 15 years to the gay and lesbian community at a near-downtown parish in San Antonio. The weekly Mass at Saint Ann Church was the subject of complaints.
The decision was made by Bishop Cantú, who served the interim head of the archdiocese until Bishop Gustavo García-Siller was installed as the new archbishop of San Antonio on November 23.
In an October 13 letter to the Saint Ann pastor, Father John Restrepo, Cantú said the Mass conflicted with Catholic teaching because it was offered for Dignity San Antonio, a gay advocacy group. On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Cantú was named the bishop-designate of Las Cruces, New Mexico, by Pope Benedict XVI, slated to succeed the inaugural bishop, Ricardo Ramírez.
At the time of his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio in April 2008 at age 41, he was then the youngest Catholic Bishop in the United States.
Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cantú is a member of the Committee on Catholic Education.