Bishop Thomas Thuruthimattam, belonging to the Congregation of St. Therese (C.S.T.) was born in 1947. He made his religious profession on 17th May, 1965, and was ordained priest on 21st December, 1973. He holds the degree of Licentiate in Christology from the University of Leuven. He spent first 4 years of his priestly ministry in the Little Flower Ashram of Mookkannur (Kerala), Sacred Heart Orphanage. After 2 years in the Gorakhpur Mission (1977-1979), he served in Ausburg (Germany) (1979-1982). Subsequently, he became the Rector of the Diocesan Minor Seminary of Gorakhpur (1983-1986) and was appointed Chancellor of Gorakhpur and Secretary of the Bishop, Most Rev. Dominic Kokkat, C.S.T., (1986-1987). After one year Rectorship at the Minor Seminary, C.S.T., Bal Bhavan of Mookkannur, he was appointed General Procurator, Councilor and Provincial Econome, Vicar Provincial of the St. Thomas Province and Counselor General (1989-1994), and, later on, he exercised pastoral ministry in France (1995-2003). Since 2003 he was the Superior General of his Congregation when he was appointed bishop of Gorackpur on 15th July, 2006. He was ordained bishop on 1 October 2006 by His Beatitude Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, the Major Archbishop at Gorakhpur.