Dominic Kokkat

His Excellency

Dominic Kokkat
Bishop Emeritus of Gorakhpur
ArchdioceseFaridabad
DioceseGorakhpur
Appointed19 June 1984
Term ended15 July 2006
PredecessorPosition established
SuccessorThomas Thuruthimattam
Orders
Ordination4 October 1960
Consecration4 October 1984
by Joseph Parecattil, Antony Padiyara and Patrick Paul D’Souza
Personal details
Born(1932-02-23)23 February 1932
Vaikom, Travancore, India
Died25 January 2026(2026-01-25) (aged 93)
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
MottoGod is my Light and my Salvation[1]

Dominic Kokkat C.S.T. (23 February 1932 – 25 January 2026) was an Indian Syro-Malabar Catholic prelate.

Biography

Kokkat joined the Little Flower Congregation in 1953. He attended seminaries in Kandy, Sri Lanka and in Pune. On 4 October 1960, he received the sacrament of priestly ordination and from then on worked for his order in various positions.[2]

Pope John Paul II appointed him on 19 June 1984 as the first bishop of the eparchy of Gorakhpur. The Archbishop Emeritus of Ernakulam, Cardinal Joseph Parecattil, consecrated him bishop on 4 October of the same year in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Mary in Ernakulam. His co-consecrators were the Archbishop of Changanacherry, Antony Padiyara, and the Bishop of Varanasi, Patrick Paul D'Souza.[3]

Due to his devotion to Therese of Lisieux and his own religious experiences, he founded the Congregation of the Little Sisters of St. Therese (LST) in 1988. On 15 July 2006, Kokkat resigned from his office due to age.[4]

Kokkat died at Fatima Hospital in Gorakhpur, on 25 January 2026, at the age of 93.[5]

References

  1. ^ Bishop Dominic Kokkat CST
  2. ^ "Dominic Kokkat". gcatholic.org. Retrieved 26 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Bishop Dominic Kokkat". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Bishop Dominic Kokkat CST". Catholic Diocese of Gorakhpur. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Little Flower Congregation mourns death of its first bishop". Matters India. 25 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.