Over 1300 people including priests and nuns on June 8 attended the priestly ordination of four deacons in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, southern India.
Archbishop Prakash Mallavarapu of Visakhapatnam ordained the deacons to the priesthood at St. Peter's Cathedral in Visakhapatnam.
The newly ordained priests are Kacha Velangini Raju from Hamsavaram parish, Gunta Yohan from Vengapuram parish, Yerra Prem Kumar from Alajangi parish, and Therulapu Yesu Ratnam from Uttaravalli Parish.
“I recall the great missionary work of all the priests who served in the Andhra and Telangana Telugu states,” said Mallavarapu.
In his homily, he preached about the importance of Priesthood.
“A priest offers the ministry of Jesus to us today. When a priest offers the Mass, it is Christ who offers it through him. When a priest absolves sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it is Jesus who forgives,” the prelate said.
“When he preaches and teaches and evangelizes, he does so with the power of the Word and the Spirit. When a priest acts as a pastor comforting and supporting people, he does it as Jesus’ image of God,” he added.
After the ordination, new priest Raju thanked God for the gift of priesthood and ordaining prelate.
Father Raju also thanked their parents who led them to the Altar of God. He thanked all the priests, nuns, and people for their blessings and prayers.
Kacha Prakash Rao and Chinna Mariyamma, parents of Father Raju said, “They are happy to offer their son to God to serve in His vineyard.”
“To have four more young and dynamic priests is a blessing,” said Father Jonaada John Prakash, chancellor of the archdiocese.
Another priest Father Rajkumar said, “Parents are to motivate and inspire their children to the priesthood and religious life.”
Archdiocese of Visakhapatnam has nearly 114700 Catholics in 75 parishes. Over 150 priests and 600 nuns work in various pastoral ministries. - Muddada Kranthi Swaroop/RVA Telugu Service
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
