Australia’s first Filipino bishop serves in Melbourne diocese

February 6, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Rene Ramirez became the first Filipino bishop in Australia and will serve in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, the largest Catholic diocese in Oceania.

According to CBCPNews, the official news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the 55-year-old Ramirez was ordained bishop last Feb. 1 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with Vietnamese-born Bishop Thinh Nguyen.

Pope Francis appointed Ramirez and Nguyen as auxiliary bishops of Melbourne last Nov. 8.

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

In his homily, Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli reflected on the deep responsibility of episcopal ministry, describing it as “first and foremost a gift from God, to be fanned into a flame.”

He reminded the new bishops that their role is to be “a witness to the Lord in his death and resurrection” and referred to it as a call to holiness, urging them to be “willing heralds, faithful apostles and sound teachers.”

He also addressed the two new bishops and encouraged them to embrace their new roles with confidence and faith, despite the challenges they would 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 added.

At the close of the ceremony, Ramirez admitted 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.

A native of Gapan, Nueva Ecija, Ramirez was ordained priest for the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in 1985 and served in various roles for his congregation in the Philippines. In 2003, he went to Rome to complete his licentiate studies in Spirituality and earn a diploma in Social Communications from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He returned to the Philippines in 2006 and held several key positions, including as spiritual director at Rogationist Seminary College in Parañaque City and superior of St. Hannibal Rogate Center in Parañaque until his assignment in Australia in 2015.

While in Australia, Ramirez became the pastor of Holy Family Parish in October 2015, overseeing the Catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone and Braybrook within the Melbourne archdiocese.

In November 2023, he was assigned by his congregation to establish a new presence in the Diocese of Sandhurst as the parish priest of St. Mel’s Parish in Shepparton South and St. Malachy’s Parish in Nagambie.

In January last year, he was tasked by the Bishop of Sandhurst to be the supervising priest in Rushworth, which includes four mass centers.