Bishop Thomas Dowd was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. After a Bachelor's in commerce and working in the telecom industry, he answered an inner call to become a Catholic priest. He was ordained in 2001. In 2011, at the age of 40, was named by Pope Benedict XVI to become Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal. At 40 years old he was Canada's youngest Catholic bishop, and second youngest in the world. Holding degrees in philosophy, theology and canon law, Bishop Dowd has taught courses and given conferences in many countries and online. In 2020, Pope Francis asked him to become the bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Ontario.