Dominic Kokkat

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]