Diocese of Colombo

For the former Roman Catholic diocese of Colombo, see Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo
Diocese of Colombo
Location
Country Sri Lanka
Ecclesiastical province Colombo
Metropolitan Rt. Revd. Justin Welby
Archdeaconries Colombo, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Jaffna
Statistics
Area 3,838 km2 (1,482 sq mi)
Population
- Total		 (as of 2006)
5,692,004
Churches 121
Schools 11
Information
Denomination Church of Ceylon
Rite Anglican / Christian
Established 1886
Cathedral Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour
Co-cathedral Christ Church, Mutwal
Secular priests 127
Current leadership
Bishop of Colombo & Vicar General of the Diocese of Kurunegala Dhiloraj Ranit Canagasabey
Archdeacons
  • Sunil Ferdinando
  • D.K. Balakrishnan
  • Samuel Ponniah
  • Perry Brohier
Map

Office of the Church of Ceylon, Diocese of Colombo
Website
Website of the Diocese of Colombo

The Diocese of Colombo (Anglican Church of Ceylon) is based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The diocesan bishop's seat is Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour. The current Bishop of Colombo is Dhiloraj Canagasabey.[1][2]

The Diocese of Colombo covers the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Uva Provinces together with the Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam districts.

History

The first Church of England services were held on the island in 1796 and in 1818 missionaries were sent to Ceylon to spread the church.[3] Originally it had been part of the diocese of Calcutta and later Madras. In 1930, the Church of India, Burma and Ceylon became autonomous. The Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845, as the diocese of the Church of England in Ceylon with the appointment of its first bishop, James Chapman. It was established by law in 1886.

In 1947, the churches of South India united to form the new Church of South India. The churches in North India and Pakistan followed soon after. Burma and Bangladesh formed their own church. Sri Lanka therefore became extraprovincial within the Anglican Communion under the metropolitical authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 1946 the Diocese of Kurunegala was formed out of the diocese of Colombo to include parts of the North-Western, North-Central and Central Provinces of Sri Lanka. The Diocese of Kurunagala was legally recognised in 1972. Together the Diocese of Colombo and Kurunagala constitute the Church of Ceylon.

List of Bishops in Diocese of Colombo

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Provincial Directory: Colombo". Anglican Consultative Council.
  2. ↑ "Bishop of Colombo". Diocese of Colombo.
  3. ↑ "History - Church of Ceylon (Anglican Communion)". Retrieved 2 November 2014.
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