On November 8, 2024, Pope Francis appointed two new auxiliary bishops for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia.
They are Father Rene Ramirez RCJ and Father Thinh Nguyen.
Bishop-elect Ramirez, who hails from Gapan, Philippines, has been a priest since June 1998.
His first priestly assignment was as vocation director for the Philippines' Congregation of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus.
Bishop-elect Thinh was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and came to Australia as a teenager.
In 1999, he enrolled in Corpus Christi College Regional Seminary Carlton, and on September 16, 2006, Archbishop Denis Hart ordained him for the priesthood at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne.
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, 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.”
Archbishop Costelloe welcomed the bishops-elect into the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
“We are confident they will bring their unique experience and talents to the church's work at a national level.”
The Episcopal Ordination for the Bishops-elect is to take place on 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.
Having studied in the Philippines and Rome, Bishop-elect Ramirez 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.
Having served in several Melbourne parishes and chaplaincies, Bishop-elect Thinh was appointed to oversee clergy formation in the archdiocese in 2022. With input from Melbourne Catholic
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