Bishop Dominic Kokkat Passes Away

Gorakhpur, 25 January 2026: Mar Dominic Kokkat, C.S.T. (93), the first Bishop of the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, passed away on Sunday, 25 January 2026, at 10.58 a.m. at Fatima Hospital, Gorakhpur. Funeral details are awaited.

He served as the Bishop of Gorakhpur for 22 years, from 1984 to 2006.

Bishop Dominic was admitted to hospital on 14 December 2025 for the treatment of pneumonia. He was administered the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on Sunday, 21 December 2025.

He was born on 23 February 1932 at Vaikom in Kerala. He became a professed member of the Little Flower Congregation in 1953 and took the name Dominic. His major seminary formation and theological studies were at the Papal Seminary, Kandy (Sri Lanka), and in Pune. He was ordained a priest on 4 October 1960.

He served his congregation in various roles, including Vice Rector of the C.S.T. Philosophical Seminary, Alwaye; Principal of the Technical School, Alwaye; and Mission Superior of the C.S.T. Mission in Punjab.

He was the Associate Deputy Secretary General of the CBCI from 1978 to 1982. On 4 October 1984, he was ordained the first Bishop of the newly established Diocese of Gorakhpur and was installed as its first Bishop on 14 October 1984.

He held a Diploma in Social Work from the Coady International Institute, Canada. In 1988, he founded the Congregation of the Little Sisters of St. Therese (LST).

In 2006, he became Bishop Emeritus after faithfully nurturing the local Church of Gorakhpur.

By Dr. Stephen Alathara