Fr. Arun, from the Society of the Holy Spirit (SHS), brings with him the charism of his order, which was founded in India to focus on spiritual renewal and pastoral care, particularly in rural and underserved communities. The Society of the Holy Spirit emphasizes deep spiritual life and active ministry, and Fr Arun’s work in the Diocese will undoubtedly reflect these values.

Fr Arun commenced seminary formation with the three Holy Spirit priests (ALCP/OSS) who are currently serving in the Diocese, (Fr Vijay Bandanadam, Fr Jophin Joy and Fr Uday Marneni) and was eventually ordained in 2018 for a new congregation called the Society of the Holy Spirit.  Before coming to Australia he served as Parish Priest of a village in the Hyderabad region of India.

Father Arun Kumar Korlakanti SHS, arrived in Australia August  2024. In the Diocese of Sandhurst he has served I Benalla and then as a member of  the Ministry Team in Wangaratta.

Fr Arun was born into a farming family in Tanikella, a village of some 5000 people, 210 km east of Hyderabad in the Khammam District of India.  As was customary in India, Fr Arun was baptised at the age of seven, when he was old enough to understand his commitment.  He attended Mass every morning and evening and was an altar server for many years.   Fr Arun always dreamed of becoming a priest and was encouraged to do so by his older sister, who became a Holy Spirit Sister.

After completing elementary and high school studies, Fr Arun attained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Andhra University in 2008 and a Bachelor of Theology at Jnana Deepa Institute, Pune in 2013. While becoming a priest in India takes almost eleven years in formation, Fr Arun spent fourteen years training as a priest because he moved from one order of priests and finally settled with the ‘Society of the Holy Spirit’  and was ordained in Chennai in 2018.

After speaking with Fr Vijay Bandanadam, Parish Priest of Benalla and meeting Bishop Shane Mackinlay in India, Fr Arun decided to “not let the grass grow under his feet” and embarked on a journey to serve in Australia.   Within weeks of arriving in Australia in August 2024, Fr Arun had purchased a car, joined the Magpies Cricket Club, and began learning about Australian culture and language. He speaks four languages and recently celebrated Mass in Italian.

New cultures pique his interest, and he is learning about the ways of Australians with gusto. Fr Arun’s impressions of us are quite positive. We are very polite and say ‘thankyou’ and ‘sorry’ a lot e.g., “Sorry I missed your call”. This is not common in India. People here are also generally very loving and willing to help out.

Fr Arun is passionate about Scripture, preaching and the charismatic movement. He is chaplain of the local Catholic Charismatic Renewal. His personal motto is “Knowing Jesus to make Jesus known,” inspired by St John Chrysostom (c. 349-407 AD), the Archbishop of Constantinople, who was a gifted preacher and biblical interpreter known as the ‘golden tongue’.

Through his leadership, we look forward to growing and being transformed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the Church.