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Tantepudi George Cornelious (born 18 April 1961) is the current Bishop - in - Krishna Godavari Diocese of the Church of South India with the Bishop's Cathedra housed in CSI-St. Andrew's Cathedral in Machilipatnam. However, for administrative purposes, the Office of the Bishopric is located in Vijayawada with its ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompassing the civil districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

George Cornelious has the responsibility of overseeing a Church that comprises faithful who are spread across the Northern Circars of Andhra Pradesh, which owes its existence to then mission societies comprising the London Missionary Society and the Church Missionary Society which grounded their mission stations in Visakhapatnam and Machilipatnam, respectively, in the 19th century, that since got unionized into the Church of South India in 1947. The geographical area also comprises the Roman Catholics, the other Protestants and a host of new and indigenous Churches and the Bishop also has the additional burden of fostering ecumenism.

Spiritual formation

After initial studies leading to sciences, George Cornelious discerned his avocation in the 1990s and chose to become a Priest and then Bishop, T. B. D. Prakasa Rao, CSI, became his Spiritual Confessor and guided his spiritual formation and sent him to the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad which had been known for its scholarship in Biblical studies with past faculty of the 1970s that comprised Victor Premasagar, CSI, K. David, CBCNC, Gaddala Solomon, STBC and Suppogu Joseph, STBC.

George Cornelious began his theological studies studying for a Bachelor of Divinity for the period 1990-1993 as a ministerial candidate of the Krishna Godavari diocese and began his spiritual formation at the Protestant Regional Theologiate - the near-ecumenical Andhra Christian Theological College in Secunderabad, affiliated to India's first University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) {a University under Section 2 (f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956} with degree-granting authority validated by a Danish Charter and ratified by the Government of West Bengal.

Cornelious studied at the Seminary under Spiritual Formators comprising M. Victor Paul, AELC, Regunta Yesurathnam, CSI, G. T. Abraham, CSI and others. The Old Testament faculty comprised G. Babu Rao, CBCNC and N. V. Luther Paul, AELC. There were also international scholars available at the Seminary from Germany and Canada consisting Klaus Schäfer, Dr. Theol. (Hamburg) and Ray Waldock, Ph. D. (Montreal).

After a three-year study period, George Cornelious was awarded a B. D. in the ensuing convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) by then Registrar, D. S. Satyaranjan, IPC.

Ordination and ministry

After spiritual formation in Secunderabad, then Bishop, T. B. D. Prakasa Rao, CSI, ordained George Cornelious as Deacon on 16 June 1998 after which he began his ministry in the Krishna Godavari Diocese and after a gap of one year, he was finally ordained as a Priest on 30 November 1999.

Bishopric

In early 2018 when G. Dyvasirvadam relinquished the Cathedra on attaining extended superannuation, the Diocese was left Sede vacante following which the Church of South India Synod supervised elections to the Diocese and George Cornelious who was in the fray for the bishopric was elected and consecrated on 29 May 2018 at CSI-St. Andrews's Cathedral, Machilipatnam by Moderator Thomas K Oommen, CSI the Principal Consecrator and V. Prasada Rao, CSI, Co-consecrator in the presence of Bishops of the other diocese and a host of clergy comprising Daniel Sadananda, CSI, General Secretary of the Synod.

Further reading

• Suvaartha TV (2018). "CSI bishop : Rt. Rev. T. George Cornelious : Hrudayaantarangam". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
• P. Swarnalatha (2005). The World of the Weaver in Northern Coromandel, C.1750-c.1850. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 8125028684.
• K. M. George (1999). Church of South India: Life in Union, 1947-1997. Jointly published by Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Christava Sahitya Samithi, Tiruvalla. ISBN 8172145128. OCLC 1039224320.

References

1. ^ Church of South India Synod, Krishna-Godavari ministerial roll.
2. ^ Suvaartha TV, CSI bishop : Rt. Rev. T. George Cornelious | Hrudayaantarangam, 19 July 2018.
3. ^ Anglican Communion, Member Churches - Krishna Godavari Diocese.
4. P. Swarnalatha, The World of the Weaver in Northern Coromandel, C.1750-c.1850, Orient Longman, Hyderabad, 2005, pp.43-44.
5. K. David, The development of the concept of salvation in the Qumran Community and its significance for our understanding of salvation in the NT, Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 30, Issue 3-4, July–December 1981, pp.131-137.
6. Sankar Ray, The Hindu (Business Line), 11 April 2008 Almost a century later, the charter was endorsed officially under the Bengal Govt Act IV of 1918. Internet, accessed 30 November 2008.
7. The Senate of Serampore College (University) 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 recoginsed 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. Archived 12 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine
8. G. Babu Rao, Content Analysis of Theological Syllabi – Old Testament in Religion and Society, Volume XXXII, Number 3, September 1985.
9. K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), The United Theological College, Directory 1910–1997, Bengaluru, 1997.
10. International Bulletin, 1995
11. Yearbook 1991, Baptist Union of Western Canada, 1991, p.170
12. The Reverend La Verne Waldock 1932-2017
13. von Detlev Knoche, Farewell to Bishop Dr. Dyvasirvadam and his wife Ramani, 27 August 2017. Archived 4 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine
14. B. Kolappan, CSI plans to raise Bishops’ retirement age, The Hindu, Chennai, 7 April 2015.
15. ^ CSI Synod, Communications: News, 29 May 2018

• 1961 births
• 21st-century Anglican bishops in India
• Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni
• Living people
• Anglican bishops of Krishna-Godavari
• Indian Christians