Ninth Bishop of Sandhurst appointed

POPE Leo XIV has appointed Bishop René Ramirez as the ninth Bishop of Sandhurst, succeeding Shane Mackinlay, who became Archbishop of Brisbane in September last year.

Bishop Ramirez, who hails from Gapan in the Philippines, became a priest in June 1998.

His first assignment involved serving as the vocation director for the Congregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus in the Philippines.

After studying in the Philippines and Rome, he became the pastor of Holy Family Parish in 2015, overseeing the Catholic communities of West Footscray, Maidstone and Braybrook in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

He then joined the Diocese of Sandhurst as the parish priest of Shepparton South and Nagambie and the supervising priest in Rushworth.

He was ordained as a Bishop in Melbourne in February last year.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Archbishop Timothy Costelloe welcomed the appointment.

“Bishop Ramirez, in the short time he has been an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne, has served that archdiocese with humility, faith and generosity of spirit,” he said.

“His warm and welcoming approach, which enabled him to quickly draw close to the people of Melbourne, will serve him well in his new ministry of service in the Diocese of Sandhurst.”

The appointment closely follows a busy Easter period where nearly 60 new people joined churches across the diocese, the highest figure in many years.

Sacred Heart Cathedral assistant priest Father Jackson Saunders believes the surge is a consequence of people searching for something to believe in more than ever.

“So much in the world is happening and I have no doubt that what we’re seeing, plain and simple, is God at work,” he said.

“In a sense, we’re struggling to keep up with interest – but, if you have to have problems, it’s a good problem to have.”