Archbishop Samineni Arulappa (28 August 1924 – 13 February 2005), also known as S Arulappa, was an Indian Catholic clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Hyderabad from December 1971 through January 2000. The youngest priest to be consecrated to such a high office, he was also the longest-serving Catholic archbishop in India. He was also the first archbishop who had the honour of being consecrated by Pope Paul VI in Rome.Showrayya, B.F., ''Archbishop S. Arulappa as I know him'', in silver jubilee souvenir published by Archdiocese of Hyderabad (1997), Archbishop's House, 9-1-17/1, Sardar Patel Road, Secunderabad 500 003, Andhra Pradesh, India. ''"Love and Serve"'' was his motto.Ecclesiastical Units 2008, Archdiocese of Hyderabad, Archbishop's House, 9-1-17/1, Sardar Patel Road, Secunderabad 500 003, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Early years

Arulappa was born on 28 August 1924 to Rajamma and Chinnaiah in Kilacheri in present day Tamil Nadu, then British India. He was the last born in a family of four sisters, two of whom are

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

, and two brothers.Arulappa S., Archbishop, ''Love and Serve'', Archdiocese of Hyderabad, Archbishop's House, 9-1-17/1, Sardar Patel Road, Secunderabad 500 003, Andhra Pradesh, India He was brought up in an atmosphere of strict discipline by his mother, who wanted to see her only son become a priest. The Archbishop reminisces that her mother looked forward to the day when she could see him as a priest, but both his parents died before he was ordained a priest. He was since supported by his brother Samineni Anthaiah.

Divinity and pastorship

Seminary studies

Arulappa evinced keen interest in pursuing the vocation of priesthood and also assisted the priests as an altar boy during his childhood. He was sent to the Kandy Pontifical College (known as the Papal Seminary) in Kandy,

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, to pursue theological studies.Papal Seminary, Pune
The Papal Seminary awarded Arulappa licentiate degrees in philosophy and theology ( L. Ph. & L. Th.) on successfully completing his studies there.

Ordination and professorship

Arulappa was ordained as a priest on 6 May 1950 by Bishop Ignatius Glennie, ''S.J.'', the then Bishop of Trincomalee.Catholic Hierarchy, Archbishop Arulappa
/ref> He joined the faculty of the Archdiocesan Minor & Major Seminaries in Madras and taught Latin and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

besides being the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the seminary. Arulappa also served as a parish priest in two parishes and was principal of St. Joseph's Anglo-Indian Boys' High School in Madras. He was sent to Oxford University, the oldest university in England, for post-graduate studies in public and social administration. Later, Arulappa was appointed the rector of Christ Hall Seminary, a philosophate in Karumathur in Madurai, and served as its rector.

Archbishopric

* Archdiocese of Hyderabad

Background

G. Joseph Mark was the fifth bishop of Hyderabad and later became archbishop when the diocese of Hyderabad was elevated to an archdiocese on 19 September 1953. With his death on 28 February 1971, the office of the archbishop fell vacant.

Appointment

Fr. S. Arulappa of the archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore was brought in and nominated to the archbishopric of Hyderabad. On 6 December 1971, he was appointed the archbishop of Hyderabad. He was consecrated principally by Pope Paul VI and co-consecrators Cardinals Alfrink and Conway on 13 February 1972 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He was installed as the archbishop of Hyderabad on 19 March 1972 in the All Saints' School Grounds in Abids, Hyderabad. Arulappa recollected that on 12 December 1971, he received a letter from the Apostolic Nunciature stating that he had been nominated as the archbishop of Hyderabad and all that he could do was just kneel down and pray like never before.

Works

Parishes

When the Archbishop took over the reins of the archdiocese, there were 18 parishes. At the time of his retirement, there were 60 parishes, which speaks about the work he undertook. About 85 priests were ordained in the archdiocese during his archbishopric.

Arrival of the religious congregations

Altogether, 37 religious congregations were invited to work in the archdiocese.

Educational institutions

Apart from the formation of the Hyderabad Archdiocese Education Society (HAES), 35 high schools and 14 junior and degree colleges were opened.

Structures

* Arulappa was instrumental in founding the Hyderabad Archdiocese Social Service Society (HASSS) in 1973 which is involved in diverse developmental activities cutting across religious lines. * Pastoral centre * Hyderabad Archdiocese Education Society (HAES) * Amruthavani communications centre * Andhra Pradesh Social Service Society

Missionaries of Charity

In 1974, the Archbishop visited Calcutta for a CBCI meeting and proceeded to invite Blessed Mother Teresa to work in the archdiocese of Hyderabad. In 1978, the Missionaries of Charity started arriving in

Secunderabad Secunderabad, also spelled as Sikandarabad (, ), 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 ...

, and on 15 August 1978, the work of the Missionaries of Charity was inaugurated. In January 1979, when

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatura ...

Mother Teresa arrived in Hyderabad for the first time, the Archbishop was there to receive her and later took her to the residence of the then-Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy, who offered a part of a hospital in new Bhoiguda in Secunderabad for establishing a home for the dying destitute.

Erection of new dioceses

During the archbishopric of Arulappa, the region of Andhra Pradesh saw the erection of five new dioceses.

Relations with the government

Archbishop Arulappa did maintain good relations with the government. But when it came to laxity on the part of the government, he used to take them to task through the media. Secunderabad hosts the Presidents of India annually. Rashtrapati Nilayam in Secunderabad is home to the Presidents during summers. The Archbishop used to call on them during the President's sojourn to Secunderabad. In 1982, President Giani Zail Singh visited St. Mary's Church in Secunderabad on invitation by the Archbishop.

On secularism

The Archbishop was known for his secular outlook. He remarked that one should have respect for other religions and used to maintain cordial relations with leaders of other religious affiliations and was even invited to various ''fora''. He spoke at spiritual conferences organised by

Swami Ranganathananda Swami Ranganathananda (15 December 1908 – 25 April 2005) was a Hindu swami of the Ramakrishna Math order. He served as the 13th president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Biography Swami Ranganathananda, (pre-monastic name Shankaran Kutt ...

of the

Ramakrishna Mission Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the ''Ramakrishna Movement'' or the ''Vedanta Movement''. The mission is named after and inspired by th ...

and Swami Chidananda Saraswati of the Divine Life Society. He organised a number of inter-religious dialogues with various faiths, according to his grand nephew P.L. Arulraj, state youth wing general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Andhra Pradesh.

On ecumenism and unity of the Church

In 1973, Arulappa took part in the inauguration of the new campus of the Andhra Christian Theological College, formed in 1964, which consisted of the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

, Baptist, Congregational, Lutheran, Methodist and Wesleyan Societies and involved the seminarians from

St. John's Regional Seminary St. John's Regional Seminary is the theologate of the Catholic Church of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It is a major seminary training students to become priests. St. John's Regional Seminary is situated in Ramanthapur in Hyderabad. Affiliat ...

to take part in the inaugural cultural programme.ACTC web site. ''Milestones''
/ref> In 1977, he shared a dais with the global evangelist Rev. Dr. Billy Graham and his associate Rev. Dr. Akbar Abdul Haqq during their conventions in Secunderabad. At another convention, he proposed common Eucharist among the Catholic and Protestant churches. The Archbishop never turned down any invitation extended by the different church societies belonging to either Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant backgrounds. He considered himself as a father to all. The yearly United Christmas Celebrations organised by laymen of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant backgrounds was the brainchild of the lay Methodists of Hyderabad.Roy, Raja Mohan, ''History of the United Christmas Celebrations'', 1990, Hyderabad Together, they approached the three bishops resident in Hyderabad, namely, Archbishop S. Arulappa, Bishop Victor Premasagar ( CSI Bishop-in-Medak), and Bishop Elia Peter ( Methodist Bishop of Hyderabad Regional Conference) who gave their nod, and thus was born the United Christmas Celebrations, a yearly event to which either the Governor or Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh are invited with participation by all the churches of Hyderabad.

Membership

'' ex-officio'' * Catholic Bishop's Conference of India * Andhra Pradesh Bishop's Council * Chairman of the CBCI Commission of Education

Honours

Episcopal silver jubilee

On 8 February 1997, the Archbishop celebrated his episcopal silver jubilee in the grounds of St. Mary's High School in Secunderabad. Eight regional bishops were also present. The book ''Want to be a Hero'' authored by the Archbishop was also released. A Silver Jubilee Souvenir describing the achievements of Archbishop Arulappa was released by the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, entitled ''Archbishop Arulappa completes a Quarter Century'', with articles by: * Msgr. B. Julian *

Rev. The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

Fr. J. Studen * Dr. B. F. Showrayya * Sri. B. S. Innaiah * Smt. Evonne Maria * Ms. Corinne Campos * Ms. Christina Andrews * Ms. Nirmala Nair

Priestly golden jubilee

On 6 May 2000, the Archbishop celebrated his priestly golden jubilee.

Retirement

On 29 January 2000, Arulappa retired from his position as the Archbishop on reaching 75 years of age but continued to live in the Archbishop's House at

and was Archbishop Emeritus. On his retirement, the Archdiocese of Hyderabad released a book ''Love and Serve'', a brief memoir authored by Archbishop Arulappa himself.

Appraisal

* Dr.

J. A. Oliver Jetti Alfred Oliver (J. A. Oliver) is the present chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences (SHUATS), Allahabad '', which is a Govt. Aided Private (Minority) University under section 2 (f) of the University ...

of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Council of Churches:''The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh'', Monday, 14 February 2005 "Arulappa's services will be remembered, says YSR"
/ref> * Sri L. K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister of India: * Dr.

Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy (8 July 1949 – 2 September 2009), popularly known as YSR, was the 14th chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, serving from 2004 to 2009. Reddy was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12t ...

, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh: * Sri K. R. Suresh Reddy, Speaker of the Legislature of Andhra Pradesh: * Martin Michael and James Sylvester of the Catholic Association of Hyderabad

Writings

* ''Want to be a Hero - Anecdotes with a message'', 1999, Amruthavani Publications, Secunderabad. * ''The Ethics of Religious Conversions'', (with Dr. David Frawley), Pragna Bharathi, Hyderabad. * Quoted in ''B. K. Kiran's Education in Human Values for the Twenty-first Century'', a NCERT publication

Ordination of women

The eminent Catholic scholar and theologian Father John Wijngaards, MHM, L.S.S. ( Rome), D. Th. ( Rome) served as a lecturer in St. John's Regional Seminary, Hyderabad from 1964-1976 during the archbishopric of Arulappa. He espoused the cause of women priests. Although Archbishop Arulappa expressed his respect for women, he remained faithful to the stance taken by Rome regarding women's ordination. Speaking at the plenary of the Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI), held at the Auditorium of Stanley Girls High School, Chapel Road, Hyderabad, in 1999, he said that women in the Catholic Church were given duties like Bible reading, offering communion, etc., and were also holding independent positions in religious orders and managing institutions. Once, while addressing the Catholic Family Movement, he jocularly remarked that "God created man and rested. He created woman and neither God or man rested. That is the problem of all married people." On another occasion, he remarked that "Women are only asking for equality. I am one of those who say that women are actually superior to men!" Were the Archbishop's remarks veiled references to his upbringing in a family of four sisters and a mother?

Death

Archbishop Arulappa died in Hyderabad at the age of 80.''The Hindu, Andhra Pradesh'', Monday, 14 February 2005 "Archbishop Arulappa passes away"
/ref> In accordance to his wishes stated in a will, he was buried in the altar in St. Mary's Church,

, on 14 February 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arulappa, Samineni People from Tamil Nadu Telugu people 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in India 1924 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Indian Roman Catholic theologians Alumni of the University of Oxford Loyola College, Chennai alumni