Diocese of Colombo (Anglican)

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 Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo.[1][2]

Diocese of Colombo
Location
CountrySri Lanka
Ecclesiastical provinceColombo
MetropolitanJustin Welby
ArchdeaconriesColombo, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Jaffna
Statistics
Area3,838 km2 (1,482 sq mi)
Population
- Total		(as of 2006)
5,692,004
Churches121
Schools10
Information
DenominationChurch of Ceylon
RiteAnglican / Christian
Established1886
CathedralCathedral of Christ the Living Saviour
Co-cathedralChrist Church, Mutwal
Secular priests127
Current leadership
Bishop of ColomboDushantha Lakshman Rodrigo
Archdeacons
  • Sunil Shantha Gunathilake
  • Christopher Balaraj
  • S.D.P Selvan
  • Perry Brohier
Map
A map of the Diocese of Colombo
A map of the Diocese of Colombo
Website
Website of the Diocese of Colombo

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. 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
Main article: Anglican Bishop of Colombo

See also

References
  1. "Provincial Directory: Colombo". Anglican Consultative Council.
  2. "Bishop of Colombo". Diocese of Colombo. Archived from the original on 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
  3. "History - Church of Ceylon (Anglican Communion)". Retrieved 2 November 2014.
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