03 July - Thomas is a Jew from Galilee and one of Jesus' twelve apostles. He doubts the resurrection of Jesus Christ, making him the symbol of religious unbelief. But it is his disbelief that gives him a unique place in the account of Jesus' apparitions.

Thomas refuses to believe until he sees the marks of the Crucifixion. Eight days later, Jesus' disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. It was there that Thomas answered when he saw the marks: "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you saw me, you believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed." (Jn 20, 24-29).

In the synoptic gospels, Thomas is mentioned no differently than in the apostles' lists. In the Gospel of John, on the other hand, he is given a certain pre-eminence. First of all, he reveals himself to be fiery and generous when he reacts to the words of Jesus who announces his death: "Let us also go and die with him (Jn 11, 16)". His critical spirit can also be seen in the dialogue that follows the Last Supper. To Jesus who says, "As for the place where I am going, you know the way (Jn 14:4)", Thomas responds vividly: "Lord, we do not even know where you are going. How would we know the way?"

Various traditions present him as sent to Adiabene in Nisibe, then to the Indo-Parthe Kingdom of Taxila. He is said to have carried the "Good News" all the way to South India where he is considered the founder of the Church. Arriving in India in 52, he is said to have died there, a martyr, around the 1970s, on the hill that is now called Mount St. Thomas, near Mylapore. His presumed tomb is in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Thomas in Chennai. The apostle Thomas is present in most ancient Christian texts, and two apocrypha are attributed to him: the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Thomas.