Bishop G. B. Devasahayam ''(born 23 August 1925; died 20 August 1996)''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'', Hyderabad Edition, ''Death Anniversaries'' August 20, 2016, p.4.'' was the second elected

CSI CSI may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media CSI franchise * ''CSI'' (franchise) ** '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', the original ''CSI'' television series, set in Las Vegas ** '' CSI: Miami'', the first spin-off series starring David ...

-Bishop - in -

Karimnagar Diocese of the Church of South India The Diocese of Karimnagar is a diocese of Church of South India in Telangana state of India.The diocese is one among the 22 dioceses of Church of South India, a United Protestant denomination. History of the Diocese The Wesleyan Methodist Mis ...

who occupied the ''

Cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

'' from 1982 through 1987 placed in the

-Wesley Cathedral in

Karimnagar Karimnagar, also informally known as Elagandula, is a city and District Headquarters in the Indian state of Telangana. Karimnagar is a major urban agglomeration in the state. It is third largest City in the state and Municipal Corporation and i ...

Town in

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Devasahayam hailed from the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

- Diocese of Medak which was predominantly a

Wesleyan Methodist The Wesleyan Church is a Methodist Christian denomination aligned with the holiness movement. Wesleyan Church may also refer to: * Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, the Australian branch of the Wesleyan Church Denominations * Allegheny We ...

congregation initiated by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society which unionized itself into the

Church of South India The Church of South India (CSI) is a united Protestant Church in India. It is the result of union of a number of Protestant denominations in South India that occurred after the independence of India. With a membership of over 4.5 million, it ...

that was inaugurated on 20 September 1947 at the

- St. George's Cathedral, Chennai. After Devasahayam discerned his avocation towards priesthood, then Bishop,

Frank Whittaker Frank Whittaker (born 1894;Rajaiah David Paul, ''The First Decade: An Account of the Church of South India'', The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 1958, p.26/ref> died 1961''The Church of South India, The Indian Missionary Society, Madras, ...

sent him to the

Regional Theologiate in

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 ...

for ministerial formation during 1952-1956 after which Devasahayam was ordained and began ministering in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Medak during the successive bishoprics of

, Eber Priestley, H. D. L. Abraham and B. G. Prasada Rao. After nearly 25 years of pastoral ministry, Devasahayam contested the bishopric in the adjoining Diocese of Karimnagar and was declared elected by 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 ...

resulting in his appointment as the second

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

- in -

where he began his bishopric from 1982 and continued to build up the ministry and evangelism P. Surya Prakash, ''Karimnagar Diocese 133 years and Beyond: Church of South India Karimnagar Diocese - A Story of Transformation (1879-2012)'', 2012, p.

/ref> in the diocese following the precedent set by his predecessor B. Prabhudass. In 1987, after shepherding the bishopric for nearly six years, Devasahayam announced his resignation from the ecclesiastical office of the Bishop citing health reasons and vacated the ''

'' resulting in ''

sede vacante In the Catholic Church, ''sede vacante'' is the state during which a diocese or archdiocese is without a prelate installed in office, with the prelate's office being the cathedral. The term is used frequently in reference to a papal interre ...

''. The sudden turn of events took the ecclesiastical circles by storm making the

led by Moderator I. Jesudason and Deputy Moderator P. Victor Premasagar to huddle and take steps to fill the ''

'' caused by the resignation of Devasahayam.

Ministerial formation

Graduate

Devasahayam pursued spiritual studies at 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 ...

affiliated to India's first 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 ...

'' ''The

is a University within the meaning of Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act, 1956 under which a University means a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, and includes any such institution as may, in consultation with the University concerned, be recognised by the Commission in accordance with the regulations made in this behalf under this Act. The UGC took the opinion that the Senate fell under the purview of Section 2 (f) of the said Act since ''The Serampore College Act, 1918'' was passed by the Government of West Bengal. with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal, also known as the West Bengal Government, is the Administrative division, principal administrative authority of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal, created by the Constitution ...

. Devasahayam studied at the seminary for four years from 1952-1956K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910-1997'', Bangalore, 1997. p.26 during the Principalships of Max Hunter Harrison and

Joshua Russell Chandran Joshua Russell Chandran (1918–2000) was an Indian Christian theologian, who served as President of Senate of Serampore College, Bengal (1970–1), and as President of the United Theological College, Bangalore (1954–83), and was for some yea ...

leading to award of

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 annual convocation of the University held in 1957 during the Registrarship of William Stewart.

Postgraduate

After a decade and half of ecclesiastical ministry, the Diocese of Medak led by H. D. L. Abraham sent Devasahayam to the

McCormick Theological Seminary McCormick Theological Seminary is a private Presbyterian seminary in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2023, it shares a campus with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Catholic Theological Union, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. A l ...

,''Minutes of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America'', Part 1, United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. General Assembly Office of the General Assembly, 1972, p.1201.

/ref>

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1971 to upgrade his academics where he enrolled for a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Mar Aprem Mooken, ''Indian Christian Who is Who'', Bombay Parish Church of the East, Bombay, 1983, p.41.

/ref> programme leading to the award of the Master of Arts, M.A. by the seminary.

Ecclesiastical ministry

Pastorate

After a 4-year ministerial formation at the

Regional Theologiate in

during 1952-1956, Devasahayam was ordained as a

Pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

, the first

- in -

Medak Medak, formerly known as Siddapuram, is a town in Medak district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Medak mandal in Medak revenue division. Etymology and History Medak was originally named ''Met ...

following which he began to minister parishes in the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese of Medak pastoring in

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 ...

, Nizamabad, Dudgaon in Telangana region of the erstwhile

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

state.

Bishopric

In 1982 when the first

- in -

, B. Prabhudass vacated the ''

'' on attaining superannuation, the

announced the conduction of fresh elections to fill in the ''

'', following which Devasahayam from the adjoining Diocese of Medak was declared elected and appointed to the bishopric leading to his consecration in 1982 by

I. Jesudasan Bishop I. Jesudasan (1925-2013) was the third Bishop-in- South Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India. Studies Jesudasan studied at seminaries affiliated to India's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University)'' '' wit ...

then Moderator of the

who principally consecrated Devasahayam as

- in -

in the presence of Sundar Clarke, the Deputy Moderator and co-consecrator. As Bishop, Devasahayam took part in the biennial conclaves of the

s of 1984 and 1986 held at

and

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

respectively. In 1987, Devasahayam vacated the Bishopric on account of health reasons resulting in an unexpected ''

'' very much similar to the present papacy of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

who resigned citing health reasons in 2013. The

filled the ''

'' by announcing the appointment of K. E. Swamidass, who incidentally was a companion of Devasahayam during his seminary studies in Bangalore.

Governor

- in -

, Devasahayam was ''

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 Board of Governors of the near-

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

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 ...

, a

Regional Theologiate situated in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

comprising a few

societies, the

Wesleyans Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christian tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significa ...

, Methodists,

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Congregationalists Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

, and the

Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

. Devasahayam represented the Karimnagar Diocese which was again a

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

congregation from 1982 through 1987 on the Board of Governors coinciding with the successive cycle of Principalships held by

Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars The Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) is a Baptist Christian denomination in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The churches are part of the Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language is Telugu. It is affil ...

and the

Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches (STBC) is a Baptist Christian denomination in the three states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu in India. The churches are part of the Telugu Christian community of Southern India. Its language i ...

led by

The Rev. The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style given to certain (primarily Western) Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and chur ...

K. David,

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

(

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

) and

S. Joseph, D.Th. (

Serampore Serampore (also called Serampur, Srirampur, Srirampore, Shreerampur, Shreerampore, Shrirampur or Shrirampore) is a city in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Srirampore subdivision. It is a part ...

) respectively.

Retirement and death

After Devasahayam sought early retirement from the bishopric in 1987 on account of health reasons, he returned to the Diocese of Medak and resided in

. In 1992 Devasahayam took part in the consecration of the

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 ...

Scholar

S. John Theodore Bishop Emeritus Sanki John Theodore was the fourth Bishop-in-Karimnagar Diocese of the Church of South India. Studies John Theodore'sK. M. Hiwale (Compiled), ''Directory of the United Theological College 1910-1997'', Bangalore, 1997. pp.38 an ...

as the fourth

- in -

along with his predecessor B. Prabhudass as well as K. E. Swamidass his successor.''National Council of Churches Review'', Volume 113, National Christian Council of India, 1993, p.193.

/ref> Devasahayam continued to minister in the Diocese of Medak until his death on 20 August 1996.

Ministerial formation

Graduate

Postgraduate

Ecclesiastical ministry

Pastorate

Bishopric

Governor

Retirement and death

References

Further reading