Pinoy clergyman named bishop of Sandhurst in Australia

Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Filipino clergyman as bishop of the Diocese of Sandhurst in Australia.

According to a CBCP News report on Saturday, Auxiliary Bishop Rene Ramirez of the Archdiocese of Melbourne was named to the post just a year after his episcopal ordination.

He succeeds Archbishop Shane Anthony Mackinlay, who led the diocese from 2019 until his transfer to the Archdiocese of Brisbane in September 2025.

Prior to his role in Melbourne, Ramirez was appointed auxiliary bishop by Pope Francis, serving in the largest archdiocese in Oceania.

In a social media post, the Diocese of Sandhurst welcomed Ramirez’s appointment.

“The Diocese of Sandhurst congratulates Bishop René Ramirez RCJ, whom Pope Leo XIV has appointed as the ninth Bishop of Sandhurst. We are thrilled to welcome Bishop René back to our diocese,” it said.

The 57-year-old prelate hails from Nueva Ecija and was ordained a priest of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in 1985.

He served in various roles within his congregation in the Philippines before moving to Rome in 2003 to pursue further studies, earning a licentiate in spirituality and a diploma in social communications from the Pontifical Gregorian University.

In 2006, Ramirez returned to the Philippines, where he served as spiritual director of Rogationist Seminary College and later as superior of the St. Hannibal Rogate Center in Parañaque until his assignment in Australia.

He became pastor of Holy Family Parish in 2015, overseeing Catholic communities in West Footscray, Maidstone, and Braybrook in the Melbourne archdiocese.

In 2023, he was appointed parish priest of St. Mel’s Parish in Shepparton South and St. Malachy’s Parish in Nagambie, and in 2024, he also served as supervising priest in Rushworth.—MCG, GMA News