Bengaluru: Fr Deepak K J Thomas, OCD will take charge as the Secretary of the CBCI Commission for Youth from 15 August, 2015. Under this responsibility, he will also serve as the National Youth Director of ICYM, YCS/YSM and other youth organisations of Catholic Church in India. The CBCI Standing committee meeting held at Bengaluru from April 22-24, 2015 appointed him to this prestigious position to serve the youth of India.
Fr Deepak K J Thomas was born on 8th March 1978 at Silvergate, Kulshekar, Mangaluru. He belongs to St Joseph the Worker Church, Vamanjoor. He studies basic education at St Joseph’s (Kulshekar), high school studies at the St Raymond’s High School (Vamanjoor), PUC at Sacred Heart College (Madanthyar) and B.Com Degree at Karnataka Open University (Mysore).
He studied Theology at St Joseph’s Inter Diocesan Seminary, Jeppu, Mangaluru. He also holds an M.Th. in Youth Ministry from the Kristu Jyothi College, Bengaluru. He joined the religious life on July 23, 1993 at St Joseph Monastery, Carmel hill, Mangaluru and began professing on December 14, 1997. He was ordained on December 30, 2005. After his ordination, he served as the Asst. Priest at St Joseph’s Church, Mira Road. He was also the in-charge of Youth and SCC Director. He was Asst. Priest at St John the Baptist Church, Vijayanagar, Bengaluru.
At the time of appointment, he was the Parish Priest at St Mary’s Church, Hegdenagar, Bengaluru as well as Director of Carmel Welfare Centre, Geddalahalli, Bengaluru.
The present Secretary Fr Franklin D’Souza from the Diocese of Shivamogga completes his term on 15 August 2015. Fr Deepak will take charge on the same day at New Delhi. Fr Franklin has served the youth tirelessly. He has done a commendable job by blending spirituality with secular leadership. Being a charismatic preacher and trainer, he has done justice to his mission of training the youth of the nation. He credits all his success to Lord Jesus, who inspired him to inspire others.