José María Delgado

Dr. José María Delgado (June 20, 1887, Malolos - December 24, 1978) was the first Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican. He was the cousin of Francisco Afan Delgado, descendant of General Martín Teófilo Delgado.

Delgado was born on 20 June 1887 in the Philippine city of Malolos. He was the fourth child of Juan Fausto Delgado and Eustaquia Salcedo y Concepción. He married Felisa Concepción by whom he has four boys: Jose, Jesus, Francisco, Antonio and four girls: Milagros, Pilar, Filomena, Teresita.

He attended and received the Award of Excellence (Valedictorian) from the Ateneo de Manila University and Magna Cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas for his Doctor in Medicine and Surgery. Graduating in 1912, Dr. Delgado joined the San Juan de Dios hospital for a brief period before putting up his own clinic in San Pablo. In 1917, Dr. Delgado founded Council 1900 of the Knights of Columbus. This was the first Filipino council of the K of C and he would eventually hold the position of Grand Knight.

In 1923, he returned to Manila and resumed his practice with old friends and classmates, establishing his own clinic in the city. It was during this period of his life that he began teaching obstetrics, pediatrics and gynecology at the University of Santo Tomas, while lecturing on medical ethics, sociology, anthropology, apologetics and religion. This would be a career path that would continue for 27 years and would earn him the distinction of being the only layman teaching theology.

Delgado was appointed as the first resident ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Holy See in 1957. A post that his son Antonio C. Delgado would also hold. Written about Ambassador Delgado in a special issue of the Manila Chronicle, January 31, 1969 by Francisco De Leon:

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