Bishop René Ramirez RCJ, the ninth Bishop of Sandhurst, is proud to be a priest of the Rogationists of the Heart of Jesus (RCJ), a Catholic religious congregation founded in Italy in 1897 by St Hannibal Mary Di Francia, a priest dedicated to caring for children, young people and people experiencing poverty.
”I hold the RCJ postnominal very dearly, as it reflects my identity and vocation as a Rogationist,” he says. “ I take every appropriate opportunity to use the post-nominals RCJ and generally prefer to be referred to as Bishop René RCJ rather than Bishop René Ramirez.
“While I am grateful for the family name that I received from my parents, the initials RCJ represent the religious family and charism that have shaped my priesthood and episcopal ministry. It is a small detail, but one that carries significant meaning for me".
Rogationists are priests and religious brothers who dedicate their lives to prayer, promoting vocations, educating young people and serving communities in need. Their mission is centred on helping people discover their gifts and encouraging them to use those gifts in service of others.
Today, Rogationists serve in more than thirty countries, working in parishes, schools, youth programs, formation centres, disability services and charitable works.
For Bishop René Ramirez RCJ, being a Rogationist has shaped his approach to ministry: a commitment to education, the formation of young people, care for vulnerable communities and building a culture where people are encouraged to recognise and share their God-given gifts.
The Rogationists' focus on service and formation has been a consistent thread throughout Bishop René's priesthood, including his leadership in Catholic education and pastoral ministry in the Philippines, Rome, the United States and Australia.
There is a small Rogationist community in Shepparton in the Diocese of Sandhurst which Bishop René helped to establish.
The name "Rogationist" comes from the Latin word rogare, meaning "to pray" or "to ask". The congregation takes its inspiration from Jesus' words in the Gospel: "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest," [Matthew 9:38].
