Fr Rene Ramirez RCJ. PHOTO: ACBC.
One of the two bishops appointed by Pope Francis to be auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Melbourne belongs to the Rogationist religious congregation.
The two bishops-elect are Fr Thinh Nguyen and Fr Rene Ramirez RCJ.
The Episcopal Ordination for the Bishops-elect is to take place in the morning of 1 February 2025 at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne.
The bishops-elect will join Bishop Martin Ashe and Bishop Tony Ireland in bringing together the leadership of the four regions of the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Bishop-elect Ramirez, who hails from Gapan, Philippines, has been a priest since June 1998, after completing 13 years of seminary formation and joining the Congregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in May 1985. His first assignment as a priest was as the Vocation Director for his congregation in the Philippines.
From 1999 until early 2003, Fr Rene later served as Administrator, Treasurer and Vice Rector at Rogationist College in Cavite City. Following studies in the Philippines and Rome 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.
After moving to Australia, he became the pastor of Holy Family Parish in October 2015, overseeing the Catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone, and Braybrook in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. His most recent ministry has been as the Supervising Priest in Rushworth, in the Diocese of Sandhurst.
Fr Thinh Nguyen. PHOTO ACBC.
Bishop-elect Thinh was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and came to Australia as a teenager.
He entered Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary Carlton in 1999 and was ordained for the priesthood by Archbishop Denis Hart on 16 September 2006 in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne.
Having served in several Melbourne parishes and chaplaincies, he was appointed to oversee clergy formation in the Archdiocese in 2022.
Both Frs Nguyen and Ramirez expressed their surprise at the news of their appointment.
‘I felt overwhelmed at first by the responsibility and the weight of the task ahead,’ said Fr Nguyen. ‘However, I am reminded of the scene where Jesus appeared to the frightened disciples in the boat, saying, “Take heart! It is I! Do not be afraid!” (Matthew 14:27). It is this voice of Jesus that empowered me to say YES to the call. I am grateful to Pope Francis and Archbishop Comensoli for trusting me with the responsibility of watching over the people of God.’
Fr Ramirez, too, shared his reaction to the unexpected news.
‘My first thought was to visit the Blessed Sacrament in prayer, and to ask of the Lord —“Why me?”’
‘I have since been reflecting deeply on St Matthew “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners,” and humbly accept that my pathway and commitment is to serve the community with faith and trust in God’s plan.’
Melbourne Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli said: ”I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for this gift and blessing to our Archdiocese.”
“The Melbourne Archdiocese is the largest in Oceania, and we have waited a long time to have our full complement of Auxiliary Bishops to assist in ministering to God’s people.
“Both Fr Nguyen and Fr Ramirez are men who have a heart for the Gospel and a missionary energy for God’s people.
“They are well known to the Melbourne Archdiocese, and have already made valuable contributions to the life of the local Church. I know that each will continue to share their distinctive gifts and passionate commitment to our faith communities in the years to come.”
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, also welcomed the appointments.
“The leadership and spiritual guidance of the two Bishops-elect will be a source of strength and inspiration for the archdiocese and the wider Church,” Archbishop Costelloe said.
“We look forward to seeing the people of Melbourne grow in faith under their pastoral care and leadership.
“The appointments of Bishops-elect Thinh and Ramirez reflect the multicultural face of the Church in Australia, which is witnessing signs of growth and renewal.”
This article is drawn from an ACBC media release and an article in Melbourne Catholic.