Bangalore, March 8, 2025 (CCBI): Fr. Paul Prakash Saginala has been appointed as the new Bishop of Cuddapah by Pope Francis. The announcement was made public on March 8, 2025. Until now, he has been serving as a professor of Sacred Scripture at Saint John’s Regional Seminary in Hyderabad.
Born on November 28, 1960, in Badvel, Diocese of Cuddapah, Fr. Paul Prakash Saginala pursued his studies in philosophy and theology at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Poonamallee, Chennai. He later earned a diploma in journalism from Delhi University. He was ordained a priest on April 27, 1987, for the Diocese of Cuddapah.
In the early years of his priestly ministry, he served as the assistant parish priest in Chittoor from 1987 to 1988. He then took on the role of correspondent at St. Joseph’s Boarding and High School in Mariapuram, Cuddapah, from 1988 to 1991. From 1991 to 1994, he was the parish priest in Tekurpet.
He pursued higher studies and obtained a doctorate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, where he studied from 1994 to 1998. Following this, he served as the Vice Rector of Collegio San Paolo in Rome from 1998 to 2004. Upon returning to India, he was appointed parish priest and dean in Proddatur, a position he held until 2008.
His commitment to theological education led him to serve as a professor of Sacred Scripture at Saint John’s Regional Seminary in Hyderabad from 2008 to 2015. He then moved to Masapet, Cuddapah, where he served as chancellor and parish priest from 2015 to 2022. Since 2022, he has been once again a professor of Sacred Scripture at Saint John’s Regional Seminary in Hyderabad.
By Dr. Stephen Alathara