Gone Benjamin Devasahayam

Bishop G. B. Devasahayam (born 23 August 1925; died 20 August 1996)^[2] was the second^[1] elected CSI-Bishop - in - Karimnagar Diocese of the Church of South India who occupied the Cathedra from 1982 through 1987^[1] placed in the CSI-Wesley Cathedral in Karimnagar Town in Telangana, India

Devasahayam hailed from the Protestant CSI-Diocese of Medak which was predominantly a Wesleyan Methodist congregation initiated by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society^[6] which unionized itself into the Church of South India that was inaugurated on 20 September 1947^[7] at the CSI-St. George's Cathedral, Chennai. After Devasahayam discerned his avocation towards priesthood, then Bishop, Frank Whittaker sent him to the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Bangalore 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 Frank Whittaker, 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 resulting in his appointment as the second^[1] CSI-Bishop - in - Karimnagar where he began his bishopric from 1982^[1] and continued to build up the ministry and evangelism^[8] in the diocese following the precedent set by his predecessor B. Prabhudass.^[8]

In 1987,^[1] 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 Cathedra resulting in sede vacante. The sudden turn of events took the ecclesiastical circles by storm making the Church of South India Synod led by Moderator I. Jesudason^[1] and Deputy Moderator P. Victor Premasagar^[1] to huddle and take steps to fill the sede vacante caused by the resignation of Devasahayam.