T. B. D. Prakasa Rao

Bishop Emeritus T. B. D. Prakasa Rao was the fourth^[1] Bishop^[2] - in - Krishna-Godavari of the Church of South India who occupied the Cathedra placed at CSI-St. Paul's Cathedral,^[3] Vijayawada. The Bishopric of Prakasa Rao lasted for two decades from 1981 through 2001.

Studies

Prakasa Rao hailed from the Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society^[1] headquartered in Guntur. After graduate studies, Rao discerned his avocation towards priesthood consequent to which then President G. Devasahayam of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society sent him to the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai affiliated to India's first^[4] University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) {a University under Section 2 (f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956}^[5]with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal where Rao studied the graduate degree of Bachelor of Divinity. Rao's other companions included M. Victor Paul, AELC and B. Victor Emmanuel, STBC.

Ecclesiastical ministry

Pastoral

Lutheran

After returning from Chennai, Rao was ordained as a Lutheran^[1] Priest by then President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society. As a Lutheran Priest, Rao began pastoring parishes of the Churches under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society.

After a period of ecclesiastical ministry Prakasa Rao expressed his views on Anglicanism to then President K. Devasahayam who willingly excardinated Rao from the Protestant Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Society consequent to which then Bishop N. D. Ananda Rao Samuel incardinated Rao into the Church of South India.

Anglican

Upon the incardination of Rao into the Church of South India, he was assigned the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Krishna-Godavari Diocese where he began pastoring parishes falling under the purview of the Diocese.

Ecumenical

The Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary is one of the Auxiliaries of the Bible Society of India headquartered in Bangalore and works for the cause of the Bible in an ecumenical environment with the Roman Catholics, the Orthodox and the Protestants. In 1976,^[6][7] when B. G. Prasada Rao, CSI, then Auxiliary Secretary of the Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary was recalled to the Church of South India Society, Prakasa Rao was appointed in his place by the Bible Society of India led by the rural Pastor A. E. Inbanathan, then General Secretary. Subsequently, the Krishna-Godavari Diocese of the Church of South India led by N. D. Ananda Rao Samuel loaned the services of Prakasa Rao to the Bible Society of India enabling Rao to take up the ecumenical work at the Auxiliary which was led by notable predecessors beginning with E. Prakasam, A. B. Masilamani and B. G. Prasada Rao.

After a six-year ecumenical ministry which began in 1976, Prakasa Rao was recalled in 1981 by the Church of South India to resume ecclesiastical work with the Church of South India. Rao was succeeded by L. Prakasam of the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars.

Bishopric

The Krishna-Godavari Diocese of the Church of South India was formed in 1947, the very year of the formation of the Church of South India at the St. George's Cathedral, Chennai. The Diocese was led by pioneer Bishops Y. Muthyalu, A. B. Eliott and N. D. Ananda Rao Samuel.

Prakasa Rao was incardinated into the Church of South India during the Bishopric of N. D. Ananda Rao Samuel who occupied the Cathedra at Eluru from 1961 to 1978. Subsequently, the Krishna-Godavari Diocese came under the purview of the Church of South India Synod led by Deputy Moderator Solomon Doraiswamy who deputed the clergy consisting of H. D. L. Abraham followed by Victor Premasagar to perform the ecclesiastical responsibilities in the Diocese.

During the seventeenth Church of South India Synod held at Chennai in 1980, the Synod elected Solomon Doraiswamy and I. Jesudason as the Moderator and Deputy Moderator for the biennium 1980-1982. It was during this period that the Church of South India Synod pursued the ecclesiastical matters in the Krishna-Godavari Diocese leading to the election of T. B. D. Prakasa Rao as the fourth Bishop - in - Krishna-Godavari.

Rao was consecrated on 18 November 1981^[1] at the CSI-St. Paul's Centenary Church, Vijayawada by Solomon Doraiswamy and I. Jesudason in the presence of other clergy consisting of Victor Premasagar, the General Secretary of the Church of South India. Rao led the Diocese during which two of his Priests, G. D. V. Prasad and G. Dyvasirvadam were involved in teaching in an ecumenical setting at the Bishop’s College, Calcutta and the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad respectively.

In 1992, Prakasa Rao^[8] took part in the consecration of the Old Testament Scholar, S. John Theodore as the fourth Bishop - in - Karimnagar held at the CSI-Wesley Cathedral in Karimnagar in the presence of Moderator Ryder Devapriam and Deputy Moderator Jason Dharmaraj, Bishop Victor Premasagar and other clergy.

In matters of ecclesiastical administration, Prakasa Rao involved Sociologists^[9] for the Clergy retreats. It was Prakasa Rao who dedicated^[10] the J. Sikile School in Narsapur.

After nearly two decades of Bishopric, Rao retired in 2001 on attaining superannuation leading to sede vacante. Consequently, the Church of South India Synod conducted elections as a result of which the Systematic theologian G. Dyvasirvadam was elected unanimously as his companion G. D. V. Prasad refrained from contesting in order to facilitate G. Dyvasirvadam to be appointed as Bishop setting a precedent.

Governor

During the Bishopric of Prakasa Rao from 1981 to 2001, he was ex officio member of the Board of Governors representing the Krishna-Godavari Diocese at the near-ecumenical^[11] Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad comprising the Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans and the Methodists. As a member of the Board of Governors of the College, Prakasa Rao worked together with successive Theologians notable for their research and scholarship setting the College as a notable institution under the Senate of Serampore College (University). Incidentally, the Systematic theologian G. Dyvasirvadam, also hailing from the Krishna-Godavari Diocese was a member of the Faculty of the College.

During the academic year 1995-1996, Prakasa Rao was elected as Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the College during the Principalship of R. Yesuratnam of the Diocese of Medak. After two decades of administration at the College, Rao resigned from the Board of Governors in 2001 due to his retirement from the Church of South India on attaining superannuation.

Honours

In 2001,^[12] the Centre for Religious Studies at the Andhra University, Waltair felicitated Prakasa Rao in his capacity as Bishop - in - Krishna-Godavari.

References

Further reading

• "Religion and society". 49 and 50 (1). 2004. 
• Susan Billington Harper (2000). "In the shadow of the Mahatma: Bishop V.S. Azariah and the travails of Christianity in British India (Studies in the history of Christian missions)". 
• "National Council of Churches Review" 113. 1993. 
• "National Council of Churches Review" 107. 1987. 
• Anglican Communion News Service (2000). "Moving Towards Perfection".