See Vellore Residence . Diocese Vellore Denomination Roman Catholic Consecration April 21, 1971 | Nationality Indian Ordination March 28, 1936 Installed 21 April 1971 Name Royappan Muthu Term ended December 19, 1980 | |
Born 7 April 1912 (age 111)
Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India ( 1912-04-07 ) | ||
Rayappan Antony Muthu (1912-1980) was the third Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Vellore.
In an effort to bring the diocesan boundaries in line with the civil district the Taluk of Tiruthani in the District of Chingleput belonging to the Diocese of Vellore was detached from it and added to the Archdiocese of Madras – Mylapore, and the Taluks of Thiruvannamalai and Chengam in the District of North Arcot till then still belonging to the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore were detached from it and added to the Diocese of Vellore.
On March 6, 1971, Rayappan Antony Muthu was nominated as the Bishop of Vellore. He was consecrated Bishop on April 21, 1971. He contacted many congregations of sisters and established 24 convents in the Diocese of Vellore. He established Perpetual Adoration Monastery of Sisters of Poor Clare at Rangapuram, Sathuvachary where prayers are offered 24 hours a day for Diocese. He also erected 17 new parishes. He also saw to the needs of the retired priests in getting a house constructed at Sathuvachary, Vellore.
Mother and Child welfare programme was organized with the help of CRS. It is during his time, by a Decree Prot. No.218/75 dated 20 January 1975, of the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, that the five taluks of the civil district of Chittoor, namely Chittoor, Palmaner, Kuppam, Bangaupalam and Satyavedu belonging to the Diocese of Vellore were detached from it and added to the Diocese of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. From now on the old civil territory of North Arcot district which is now Vellore District and Tiruvannamalai District comprise the Diocese of Vellore. After his work of ten years, Bishop Antony Muthu died on December 19, 1980. The next day the Diocesan Council met and elected S.T. Ignatius, the then Vicar General of the Diocese to the Vicar Capitular. The Diocese was administered by him for seven months.