Australian Church gets its first Filipino bishop

The new Melbourne prelate, a member of Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus, has been working in Australia since 2015.

Feb 07, 2025

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Bishop Rene Ramirez gives the thumbs-up to well-wishers at a celebration at the cathedral hall after his ordination as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne archdiocese, making him the first Filipino to become a bishop in Australia.

By UCA News reporter
A Philippine priest was ordained as the auxiliary bishop of Melbourne to become the first Filipino bishop in Australia.

Bishop Rene Ramirez, who hails from Gapan in Nueva Ecija province in the Philippines, was ordained alongside Vietnamese-born Bishop Thinh Nguyen as auxiliary bishops of Melbourne archdiocese.

Some 3,000 Catholics and more than 200 priests from Australia, Rome, the Philippines, the United States, and Vietnam also joined the Feb. 1 ceremony, the Philippine bishops’ conference’s news website cbcpnews.net reported.

Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne wanted Bishop Ramirez and Bishop Nguyen to embrace their new roles with confidence and faith despite the challenges they will face.

“The marks of death we each carry — of sin, doubt, despondency, tiredness, fearfulness — are, in Christ, transfigured marks of life — of grace, hope, trust, faith, confidence. In Christ, in his death-defying love, servitude gives way to friendship, and burden gives way to joy,” he said.

In his response speech, Ramirez admitted to feeling apprehensive about his new role, saying he was “fully aware of our limitations and shortcomings.”

“However, the courage to accept this calling comes from our complete reliance on God’s love and our trust in His plan, which may still be unfolding for us,” he said.

“We aim to embody compassion, understanding, and dedication as we serve our communities with humility and grace,” Ramirez added.

Pope Francis appointed Ramirez and Nguyen as auxiliary bishops of Melbourne on Nov. 8, 2024.

Melbourne archdiocese, the largest in Oceania, now has four auxiliary bishops, including Martin Ashe and Tony Ireland, who will share leadership duties for the four regions of the ecclesiastical territories.

Ramirez was ordained a priest for the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in 1985 and served in various roles for his congregation in the Philippines until he moved to Rome in 2003 to study.

On his return to the Philippines in 2006, he served as spiritual director at Rogationist Seminary College in Parañaque City and superior of St Hannibal Rogate Center in Parañaque. In 2015, he was assigned to work in Australia.

In October 2015, Ramirez became a parish priest in Australia and served the Catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone, and Braybrook in Melbourne archdiocese.

In November 2023, he was assigned to a parish in the Diocese of Sandhurst. In 2024, its bishop asked him to be the supervising priest in Rushworth, which includes four Mass centers.--ucanews.com