Roman Catholic Diocese of Colombo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo ( la, Archidioecesis Columbensis in Taprobane) is a Latin Metropolitan Archdiocese of the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, whose
ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...
covers all Sri Lanka plus the
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
(which are within the archbishopric). It depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The current archbishop of Colombo, appointed by
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
on 16 June 2009, is Cardinal
Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith ( Sinhala: පටබැඳිගේ දොන් ඇල්බට් මැල්කම් රංජිත්) (born 15 November 1947), often known simply as Malcolm Ranjith or Albert Malcolm Ranjith is a ...
. He is assisted in this role by the auxiliary bishops. The archdiocesan
mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metropo ...
and
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
seat of its Metropolitan Archbishop is St. Lucia's Cathedral. Its other National Shrines are the
Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka , native_name_lang = Sinhala , image = File:Tewatte Basilica - Sri Lanka.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Front view of the basilica , pushpin map = Sri Lanka , pushpin label position = above , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize ...
in Tewatta, and St. Anthony's National Shrine a
minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...
in Kochchikade.


Statistics

As per 2014, it pastorally served 637,729 Catholics (8.8% of 7,281,000 total) on 3,838 km² in 128 parishes with 592 priests (313 diocesan, 279 religious), 1,560 lay religious (380 brothers, 1,180 sisters) and 292 seminarians.


History

Erected as the Diocese of Ceylon, on territory split off from the
Diocese of Cochin The Diocese of Cochin ( la, Dioecesis Coccinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the city of Cochin, India. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdio ...
by
Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...
on December 3, 1834. Renamed as the Diocese of Colombo on February 17, 1845, having lost territory to establish the then
Apostolic Vicariate of Jaffna The Diocese of Jaffna ( la, Dioecesis Jaffnensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Sri Lanka. Latin Catholicism in the diocese's territory date to the time of St. Francis Xavier. The curre ...
(now a suffragan diocese). Lost territory on 1883.04.20 to establish the then
Apostolic Vicariate of Kandy The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kandy (Lat: ''Dioecesis Kandiensis'') is a suffragan diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province (covering all Sri Lanka) of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Colombo, but de ...
(now its suffragan diocese)
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
elevated it to Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo on September 1, 1886. Lost territories repeatedly : on 1893.08.25 to establish
Diocese of Galle In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
and
Diocese of Trincomalee The Diocese of Trincomalee ( la, Dioecesis Trincomaliensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese for eastern Sri Lanka. The current bishop is Noel Emmanuel. History The Diocese of Trincomalee was created on 25 August 1893 from parts of the Archdiocese of ...
, on 1939.01.05 to establish
Diocese of Chilaw The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chilaw (Lat: ''Dioecesis Chilavensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, ...
, all three as its suffragans Its name was changed by Pope Pius XII to the Archdiocese of Colombo in Ceylon on December 6, 1944, but was returned to simply the Archdiocese of Colombo on May 22, 1972 by
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
. It enjoyed Papal visits form
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
(1970.12),
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
(January 1995) and
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
(January 2015).


Ecclesiastical province

Its suffragan sees are : * Roman Catholic Diocese of Anuradhapura *
Roman Catholic Diocese of Badulla The Roman Catholic Diocese of Badulla (Lat: ''Dioecesis Badullana'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Erected as the Diocese of Badulla in 1972, the diocese was created from territory in the Diocese of ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Batticaloa The Diocese of Batticaloa ( la, Dioecesis Batticaloaensis, ta, மட்டக்களப்பு மறைமாவட்டம்) is a Roman Catholic diocese for south-eastern Sri Lanka. The current bishop is Joseph Ponniah. History The Di ...
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Chilaw * Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle *
Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna The Diocese of Jaffna ( la, Dioecesis Jaffnensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in northern Sri Lanka. Latin Catholicism in the diocese's territory date to the time of St. Francis Xavier. The curre ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kandy The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kandy (Lat: ''Dioecesis Kandiensis'') is a suffragan diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province (covering all Sri Lanka) of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Colombo, but de ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kurunegala The Roman Catholic Diocese of Kurunegala (Lat: ''Dioecesis Kurunegalaensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Erected as the Diocese of Kurunegala in 1987, from territory in the Diocese of Chilaw, the d ...
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Mannar *
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ratnapura Roman Catholic Diocese of Ratnapura (Lat: ''Dioecesis Ratnapurensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Erected as the Diocese of Ratnapura in 1995, from territory in the Diocese of Galle, the diocese i ...
*
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trincomalee The Diocese of Trincomalee ( la, Dioecesis Trincomaliensis) is a Roman Catholicism in Sri Lanka, Roman Catholic diocese for eastern Sri Lanka. The current bishop is Noel Emmanuel. History The Diocese of Trincomalee was created on 25 August 1893 f ...


Bishops


Ordinaries

;''Bishops of Ceylon'' * Vicente do Rosayro, C.O. (1836-1842) * Caetano Antonio Mulsuce, C.O. (1843-1845); ''see below'' ;''Bishops of Colombo'' * Caetano Antonio Mulsuce, C.O. (1845-1857); ''see above'' * Giuseppe Maria Bravi, O.S.B. Silv. (1857-1860) * Hilarion Silani, O.S.B. Silv. (1863-1879) * Clemente Pagnani, O.S.B. Silv. (1879-1883), appointed Apostolic Vicar and later Bishop of Kandy * Christophe-Etienne Bonjean, O.M.I. (1883-1886); ''see below'' ;''Archbishops of Colombo'' * Christophe-Etienne Bonjean, O.M.I. (1886-1892); ''see above'' * André-Théophile Mélizan, O.M.I. (1893-1905) * Antoine Coudert, O.M.I. (1905-1929) * Pierre-Guillaume Marque, O.M.I. (1929-1937) * Jean-Marie Masson, O.M.I. (1938-1944); ''see below'' ;''Archbishops of Colombo in Ceylon'' * Jean-Marie Masson, O.M.I. (1944-1947); ''see above'' *
Thomas Cooray Thomas Benjamin Cooray (Sinhala language: තෝමස් බෙන්ජමින් කුරේ), O.M.I. (28 December 1901 – 29 October 1988) was a Sri Lankan cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Archbishop of Colombo ...
, O.M.I. (1947-1972); Cardinal in 1965; ''see below'' ;''Archbishops of Colombo'' * Cardinal Thomas Cooray, O.M.I. (1972-1976); ''see above'' *
Nicholas Fernando Nicholas Marcus Fernando (6 December 1932 – 10 April 2020) was a Sri Lankan Roman Catholic archbishop. Fernando was born in Negombo Sri Lanka and was ordained to the priesthood in 1959. He served as archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdio ...
(1977-2002) * Oswald Gomis (2002-2009) *
Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith ( Sinhala: පටබැඳිගේ දොන් ඇල්බට් මැල්කම් රංජිත්) (born 15 November 1947), often known simply as Malcolm Ranjith or Albert Malcolm Ranjith is a ...
(2009–present); Cardinal in 2010


Coadjutor Archbishops of Colombo

* Antoine Coudert, O.M.I. (1898-1905) * Thomas Benjamin Cooray, O.M.I. (1945-1947), future Cardinal


Auxiliary Bishops of Colombo

* Anthony de Saram (1962-1965) Titular Bishop of Tacapae; appointed Bishop of Galle *
Frank Marcus Fernando Frank Marcus Fernando ( Sinhala: ෆ්‍රෑන්ක් මාකස් ප්‍රනාන්දු) (October 19, 1931 – August 24, 2009) was the Sri Lankan bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chilaw in Sri Lanka. Fernando served as ...
(1965-1968) Titular Bishop of Oliva; appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Chilaw * Edmund Joseph Fernando (1968-1983) Titular Bishop of Igilgili; appointed Bishop of Badulla * Oswald Gomis (1968-1995) Titular Bishop of Mulia; appointed Bishop of Anuradhapura; later returned here as Archbishop *
Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith ( Sinhala: පටබැඳිගේ දොන් ඇල්බට් මැල්කම් රංජිත්) (born 15 November 1947), often known simply as Malcolm Ranjith or Albert Malcolm Ranjith is a ...
(1991-1995) Titular Bishop of Cabarsussi; appointed Bishop of Ratnapura; later returned here as Archbishop; future Cardinal * Vincent Marius Joseph Peiris (2001-2018) Titular Bishop of Tacarata * Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando (2012-2017) Titular Bishop of Horta; appointed Bishop of Mannar * Maxwell Silva (2012–Present) Titular Bishop of Lesina *
Jayakody Aratchige Don Anton Jayakody Jayakody (ජයකොඩි) is a Sinhalese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Marcelline Jayakody (1902–1998), Sri Lankan Catholic priest, musician, lyricist, author, journalist and patriot. * Edward Jayakody (born 1952), Sri ...
(2018–Present) Titular Bishop of Mulli *
Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam Father Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam, also known as Anton Ranjith, was born on September 23, 1966, in Jaffna. As of July 13, 2020, he is serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo. He has also been serving as the director of Tam ...
(2020–Present) Titular Bishop of Materiana


List of churches in the Archdiocese

* Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Kandawala * Christ the King Church, Pannipitiya * St. Thomas' Church, Kotte * Our Lady of Fatima Church, Battaramulla * All Saints' Church, Borella * St. Mary's Church, Maharagama * Sacred Heart Church, Rajagiriya * Holy Rosary Church, Slave Island, Colombo-02 * St. Philip Neri's Church, Pettah, Colombo-12 * St. Anthony's Church, Kollupitiya, Colombo-03 * St. Mary's Church. Bambalapitiya, Colombo-04 * St. Lawrence's Church, Wellawatte, Colombo-06 * St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade, Colombo * Fatima Church, Maradana * St. Joseph's Church, Grandpass, Colombo 14 * St. Mary's Church, Mattakuliya, Colombo 15 * St. James the Great Church, Mutwal, Colombo 15 * St. Sebastian's Church, Panchikawatha, Colombo 10


St. Theresa's Church Colombo

The Church of St. Theresa is a
Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
located at Thimbirigasyaya Road
Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
, Sri Lanka. The current parish priest is Rev. Fr. Neil Dias Karunarathne C.Ss.R. Over time the Catholic community of the area had been growing, and a Fr. James initiated a process in 1934 to construct the existing church. In 1937, a proposal was made to Fr. Giwdan, the parish priest of Bambalapitiya, to lay a foundation for a Catholic church. The bishop gave his permission, and as a result the temporary structure was built and dedicated to St. Theresa. In 1951, construction started and in 1952 Archbishop Thomas Corey has handed over the church to Dominican fathers. It was completed and consecrated on 7 October 1961 by Archbishop Thomas Cooray.


See also

*
List of Catholic dioceses in Sri Lanka and the Maldives {{short description, None The Catholic Church in Indian Ocean island states of Sri Lanka and Maldives is solely composed of * one Latin ecclesiastical province, comprising a Metropolitan archdiocese and twelve suffragan dioceses, all in Sri Lanka, ...
*
Roman Catholicism in Sri Lanka The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The country comes under the province of Colombo and is made up of 12 dioceses including one archdiocese. There are appr ...


References


Sources and external links

*
GCatholic.org, Google map and satellite photo; data for most sections



Church official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombo, Roman Catholic Archdiocese Roman Catholic dioceses in Sri Lanka Colombo
Religious organizations established in 1834 Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, tr ...
Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 19th century 1834 establishments in Ceylon Senewiratne, A.M. (2020) Till The Mountains Disappear:The Story of St. Joseph’s College, Sri Lanka