Melbourne Auxiliary Bishop Rene Ramirez RCJ will return to the Diocese of Sandhurst, where he ministered for some years, after being appointed Bishop of the regional Victorian Diocese by Pope Leo XIV.
The Holy See announced the appointment on Saturday evening, ending a 10-month vacancy in the Diocese, following the appointment of Archbishop Shane Mackinlay to Brisbane in June.
Bishop Rene had previously served as a parish priest in Sandhurst before his appointment as an Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne. He had also helped to establish a presence of the Rogationists, the congregation of which he is a member, in the Diocese.
Archbishop Anthony Randazzo, Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Broken Bay said of the appointment: "In a little over a year as an Auxiliary Bishop in Melbourne, Bishop Rene has made a marvellous contribution to the Church in Australia.
"His presence in the ACBC has been welcome and his deep spirituality and wisdom have enriched us and brought life to the Catholic Church in this country. I am confident that his new life and ministry in Sandhurst will be blessed."
Fr Ramirez was born in the Philippines in 1969 and was ordained in 1998 as a member of theCongregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus.
He has largely served in administrative positions within the Congregation but brings a strong academic background to his vocation as well. From 1999 until early 2003, he served as Administrator, Treasurer and Vice Rector at Rogationist College in Cavite City while pursuing a Master’s in Educational Management at De La Salle University in Dasmariñas City. He then moved to Rome in 2003 to complete his Licentiate studies in spirituality and earn a Diploma in Social Communications from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Upon returning to the Philippines in 2006, he was appointed Director of Social Communications and Spiritual Director for the seminary students of philosophy at Rogationist Seminary College in Parañaque City, where he also taught. From 2009 to 2015, he served as the Superior of St Hannibal Rogate Centre, which included the Communications Office, the Provincial House and the House for Rogationist Late Vocation Seminarians.
He came in Australia in 2015 to oversee the communities of West Footscray, Maidstone, and Braybrook within the Archdiocese of Melbourne. In November 2023, he moved to Sandhurst where he served as parish priest of several communities.
On 8 November 2024, Pope Francis announced his appointment of Bishop Rene as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. He was consecrated as a bishop on 1 February 2025 at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne.
The appointment means the Diocese of Broken Bay is now the only Diocese in Australia without a permanent Bishop appointed. Melbourne will now have just two auxiliary bishops, down from four just a year ago, following the appointment of Bishop Rene to Sandhurst and Archbishop Anthony Ireland to Hobart.