St Thomas, the Apostle of India, is our Patron. He was probably born in Galilee to a humble Jewish family. Inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus, Thomas became His follower and later on,even laid down his life for Jesus’ sake. In the Holy Bible, though very little is mentioned about this great saint,his dynamic e courageous personality becomes very evident on a few occasions.

One of the outstanding characteristics of St Thomas was his inquisitive nature that sought a clarification for all that was beyond his or understanding. In one of the instances in the Bible, we find Jesus  foretelling his impending death to His closest disciples during the last supper, in a figurative language. Failing to grasp Jesus’ reference to His death and resurrection, when the disciples sat bewildered, it was Thomas’ question – “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how do we know the way?”- that provided Jesus an opportunity to teach one of the most profound truths of His ministry- “I am the way the Truth and the Life.” 

While turning the pages of his life one can easily perceive an untainted loyalty as the distinguishing mark of St. Thomas. He was willing to stand by Jesus in dangerous times. On another occasion when Jesus announced the intention of visiting his recently deceased friend Lazarus in Judea, a few miles from Jerusalem and the worried disciples wanted to keep Jesus from going, for fear that he would be stoned, it was Thomas who boldly rallied the others to stay by their master, saying “Let us also go, that we may die with Him”.

Though Thomas was undoubtedly daring, loyal, dedicated and determined, often he is being condemned as” Doubting Thomas”. The reason for attributing this name to Thomas is precisely because episode in the Bible where Jesus made an appearance to His disc for the first time after the resurrection when Thomas was absent from the group. On his return Thomas dismisses the account of others saying “Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger in to the nail marks of Jesus I will not believe”. Jesus clears his doubt, allowing him to put his finger into His nail marks when he appeared again after eight days, during which he declares his total dependence on Him by saying, “My Lord and my God”.

His ardent desire to proclaim the values of Jesus reached him to India in 72 AD, thus planting the first seeds of Christian faith in the Indian land. He won a number of followers along the Malabar and Western Coast of India but martyred during his prayer by being speared from the back, on the “Big Hill” near Madras.

Today St. Thomas the Patron of our School invites each one, to dare to make a difference by remaining loyal, dedicated and determined in the task of building a better tomorrow, where self centeredness, hatred and disharmony will give way to peace, love, justice and altruism. If we follow the example of our Patron we can serve God and our motherland in a better way.