Bishop B. D. Prasada Rao ''(born 13.8.1952)'' is Bishop Emeritus - in - Rayalaseema Diocese of the Church of South India and past ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' member of the

Church of South India Synod Church of South India Synod is the highest administrative body of the Church of South India. The Synod (CSI Synod) governs the whole church and convenes the annual general meeting of CSI. The Moderator of the Synod is a Bishop who is a presiding o ...

for the period 2013-2019. He retired on attaining superannuation on 13 August 2019.

Ministerial formation

After early scholastic and collegiate studies leading to degrees in

Sciences Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

, Prasad Rao discerned his avocation towards priesthood.

Graduate

Prasada Rao had his ministerial formation at the

Andhra Christian Theological College Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) is a seminary in Telangana which was founded in 1964. It is affiliated with India's first university, the Senate of Serampore College (University) (a university under section 2(f) of the University Gr ...

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

, affiliated to the nation's firstUNESCO Structures of University Education in India, 1952
/ref> University, the

Senate of Serampore College (University) The Senate of Serampore College (University) is an ecumenical regulatory and affiliating body for Christian theological education, which works in partnership with Bible colleges, seminaries and theological research institutes in the Indian subco ...

, where he studied

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

during the years 1976-1979 under learned faculty, notably,

Victor Premasagar Victor Premasagar (1927–2005) was the fourth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop in Medak. He was an Indian churchman and Old Testament scholar who made major contributions to research on the Old Testament and to the field of theology. Prem ...

H. S. Wilson H. S. Wilson ''(born 1946)'' is the Executive Director of Foundation for Theological Education in the Southeast Asia based in Philadelphia. Wilson is widely known in India for his contribution to theological education as the Director (1980 thro ...

(Edited), ''The Church on the Move: Essays in honour of

'', Christian Literature Society,

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

, 1988, p.vi

/ref> Church of South India, CSI, G. Solomon, STBC and G. Babu Rao, CBCNC then

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

Scholars at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in

after which the

awarded him a graduate degree under the Registrarship of

D. S. Satyaranjan D. S. Satyaranjan (19 January 1939 – 13 June 2022) was a Silver Jubilee Pastor, a New Testament Scholar, and an AdministratorSamson Prabhakar (Edited), ''Together with People: Essays in honour of Rev. D. S. Satyaranjan'', BTESSC / SA ...

IPC IPC may refer to: Businesses and organizations Arts and media * Intellectual Property Committee, a coalition of US corporations with intellectual property interests * International Panorama Council, an international network of specialists in ...

Post graduate

After serving in parishes in

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema (IAST: ''Rāyalasīma'') is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises four southern districts of the State, from prior to the districts reorganisation in 2022, namely Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa, and ...

, Prasad Rao was sent for postgraduate studies to the

United Theological College, Bangalore United Theological College (UTC) is an ecumenical Mainline Protestant, mainline seminary founded in 1910. It is situated in the southern city of Bangalore in the state of Karnataka in South India and affiliated to India's first Theological Unive ...

, where he studied

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

degree from 1987-1989K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910-1997'',

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, 1997. pp.127 during the Principalship of E. C. John, a leading

Scholar. Rao worked out a dissertation entitled ''The socio-cultural approach to Christian education: Guidelines for a curriculum for youth in Rayalaseema diocese of the Church of South India'' During the successive convocation of the University, Prasad Rao was awarded a degree again during the Registrarship of

. In 1999, Prasad Rao's article, ''Pastoral Care to the Pastors'' appeared in the '' National Council of Churches Review''.J. N. Manokaran, ''Christ and missional leaders'', Mission Educational Books, Chennai, 2007, pp.210-211.

/ref>

Bishopric

On 5 May 2013, the Most Reverend G. Devakadasham, Moderator principally consecrated Prasad Rao with other co-consecrator, the Right Reverend G. Dyvasirvadam, Deputy Moderator at the CSI-Christ Church/Cathedral, Kadapa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prasada Rao, Boyineni Deva Christian clergy from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Anglican bishops in India Anglican bishops of Rayalaseema Indian Christian theologians Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni Living people 1952 births 21st-century Indian bishops Indian Christians