Bastiampillai Anthonipillai Thomas was a Catholic priest of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, born in 1886 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Despite facing lifelong physical frailty, he pursued extensive academic studies at the University of Cambridge and focused on Thomism and Hindu literature. He is primarily recognized for establishing the Rosarians, the first contemplative religious order in Asia, which followed the Rule of St. Benedict while incorporating local cultural elements. His efforts to create a classless community based on monastic principles led to significant social shifts in his region.