Ravela Joseph (1 September 1937 – 12 April 2024)[2] was a Sapphire jubilee-Priest involved in Spiritual formation from the mid-1960s into the early 2000s in the Telugu states.

A Funeral mass was conducted at 14:30 hours[2] on Monday, 15 April 2024 at STBC-Narayanaguda Baptist Church, Hyderabad led by G. Samuel, STBC.

A graveside burial mass held at 16:30 hours, the same day, at Christian Cemetery, Narayanguda, Hyderabad where Joseph's Mortal Remains were buried.

[2] Joseph's academic regimen as a Seminarian in established portals of learning, both in India and the United States shaped his thinking.

Incidentally, it was Joseph who took the onus to compile an exhaustive bibliography[7] of original Christian writings in Telugu language in the eighties[7] during the tenure of D. S. Satyaranjan, IPC at the Senate of Serampore College (University) in the post-Vatican context.

This bibliography[8] became a ready source of reference for Theologians and those with academic interest to peruse material on Telugu Christian Literature.

Joseph's participation in ecumenical gatherings brought him into direct contact with Catholic prelates, Anthony Poola, Addagatla Chinna Innayya, Mallavarapu Prakash, Doraboina Moses Prakasam, Gali Bali and others.

Inter-disciplinary research pursuits in the fields of Church history, Systematic theology, Telugu literature and Ecumenism prompted Joseph to publish his writings, these were spread over five decades, beginning with the 1970s.

[17] Ravela Joseph, a philosopher, poet and Professor Emeritus at Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, assisted me in the collection of the data in relation to which my PhD thesis was written and remained close friend.

R. Joseph evinced interest in pursuing Priesthood as a full-time vocation and underwent Spiritual formation at the historic Baptist Theological Seminary, Ramayapatnam studying under the Principalship of The Rev.

degree and researched the writings of Puroshottam Choudhary[14] under the supervision of Joshua Russell Chandran and Eric J. Lott,[14] his Professors.

The Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches was way ahead of its times both in terms of the academic credentials of its faculty as well as its affiliation with the Senate of Serampore College (University).

This institution was training Catechetists to take up rural evangelism and R. Joseph took responsibility to build up the seminary and stayed in Ramayapatnam until 1997 when he finally moved again to Hyderabad.

[19] While this was so, K. Wilson had by that time left the Office of the Priesthood moving to the State-run Osmania University to take up teaching of the Philosophy as a civilian.