After 14 years of ministry in regional Victoria, Fr Junray Rayna has officially made Sandhurst home — and he did so with two words that needed no translation.

Daghang salamat — "thank you very much" in Cebuano — were the final words of Fr Junray’s heartfelt reflection during a special Mass at St Kilian’s Church in Bendigo, where his formal incardination into the Diocese of Sandhurst was celebrated.

The phrase landed with weight. Spoken in his native tongue, it drew applause from a congregation that has come to know and love the hiking, surfing, ute-driving priest from the Philippines, who’s served as Parish Administrator of St Kilian’s since 2019.

The 12:10 p.m. Mass on Friday 12 July marked a formal handover: Fr Junray was excardinated from the Archdiocese of Cebu and incardinated into Sandhurst. The ritual was led by Bishop Shane Mackinlay and witnessed by clergy, parishioners and friends.

In his homily, Bishop Shane praised Fr Junray’s ministry as one marked by faithfulness to tradition and a deep capacity to “point to God.”

“He clearly looks to God himself, and he helps us to look to God as well,” Bishop Shane said, noting Fr Junray’s rich use of Christian mystics and theologians in preaching. “We are enriched by your presence amongst us, and we assure you of our support in your ministry.”

Fr DJ Suguitan read the Decree of Excardination from Cebu’s Archbishop José Palma, while Mons Frank Marriott read the Decree of Incardination “with great delight.” After Bishop Shane made it official, the church erupted in applause.

It’s a significant milestone for Fr Junray, who was ordained in Cebu in 2015 and came to Australia to serve first in Wodonga, then Bendigo. He says he requested incardination because he saw the need — and felt called to stay.

“I realise this is where I belong now,” he said.

That sense of belonging didn’t come overnight. Fr Junray remembers being drawn to Australia by a vocational promotion: Come to Australia as a missionary. “I thought, it will be a great experience; a real adventure,” he said.

But what began as an adventure has become a vocation firmly rooted in country Victoria.

“It takes a lot of growth and a lot of courage to listen to where the need is and then act on it,” he said, reflecting on his journey from Toledo City in Cebu to the sandstone churches of the Sandhurst Diocese.

The decision to stay wasn’t easy. “I’m very close to my family,” he said. “The thought of living abroad for such a long time was too scary to even entertain.” But his family, including his widowed mother and three younger siblings, are supportive — and well-informed. “My Mum watched the livestream of my incardination,” he said proudly. “She was so happy.”

While he’s not leaving his Filipino roots behind — “I’m bringing my heritage, my story, all of my background with me” — he says his home is now here.

The Bishop joked that Fr Junray has “parked his ute” in Sandhurst. Locals know it’s a fitting image for the down-to-earth priest who has brought as much energy and good humour as he has pastoral care.

True to form, Fr Junray finished with a quip. His name, Junray, means “little light.” “I’m living up to at least half of it,” he laughed. “Because I’m only five feet tall.”

And to that, his community might say: Daghang Salamat, Fr Junray.

If you would like to read Fr Junray’s reflection shared with the congregation (to a heartfelt round of applause), please click pdf here (324 KB) .