D. M. Prakasam is the fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nellore, in the state of Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

 in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

St. Joseph's Cathedral in Nellore is the seat of the Bishop of Nellore.

The Bishop is well versed in Latin as well as Telugu

Telugu language

Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

.

Early years

After completing theological studies at St. John's Regional Seminary

St. John's Regional Seminary

St. John's Regional Seminary is the theologiate of the Catholic Church of Andhra Pradesh. It is a major seminary training students to become priests.St. John's Regional Seminary is situated in Ramanthapur in Hyderabad.-Background:...

 in Hyderabad, Prakasam was ordained a Priest of the Diocese of Cuddapah on 7 April 1983.

He also pursued doctoral studies at the Gregorian University, Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. The doctoral thesis submitted in 2001 was entitled John Rawl's Theory of Justice and a Chatolic Conception of Justice: A Comparative Study.

Diocese of Cuddapah

On 26 July 2002, the Holy Father appointed Prakasam as the Bishop of Cuddapah. Later on 7 December 2006, Pope Benedict XVI transferred him to the Diocese of Nellore.

Diocese of Nellore

The diocese of Nellore comprises the civil districts of Prakasam and Nellore where majority of the Christian population is Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

 whereas the clergy are non-Dalits. Caste divisions even among Christians are not uncommon. Christians here have been waiting for long a Bishop who could be identified with them. Hence, the appointment of Bishop Prakasam fulfilled the aspirations of the people here.

Appointment

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Prakasam as the Bishop of Nellore on 7 December 2006 following the resignation of Bishop P. C. Balaswamy.

On 17 January 2007, Bishop Prakasam was principally consecrated by Archbishop M. Joji

M. Joji

Marampudi Joji was the third Archbishop of Hyderabad. He was born in Bhimavaram and died at the Bishop's House, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh...

and co-consecrators Bishop P. C. Balaswamy and Bishop G. Bali.