He then was the director of the Redemptorist missionary school from 1981 to 1990 and was a parish assistant at the Church of SS. Crocifisso in Torre del Greco. From 1990 to 1999, De Luca served as prefect of the students of philosophy and theology at Colle Sant'Angelo. From 1993 to 1999, he was the superior of the community of Redemptorist students and provincial secretary for formation.[1]
De Luca served as dean of the twelfth deanery of the Archdiocese of Naples and was director and professor of moral theology at the training school for pastoral workers from 1998 to 2003. From 1999 to 2008, he was the provincial superior for the province of Naples and in 2001 became the president of the Italian Conference for Major Superiors. In 2007, he became the episcopal pro-vicar for consecrated life in the Archdiocese of Naples. He was also a member of the college of consultors and the presbyteral council for the Archdiocese of Naples.[1]