The Church of Ceylon ( si, ලංකා සභාව) is the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It is an extra-provincial jurisdiction of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Jus ...

, who serves as its Metropolitan. It was established in 1845 with the appointment of the first

Anglican Bishop of Colombo The Anglican Bishop of Colombo is the ecclesiastical head of the Anglican Diocese of Colombo, a diocese in the Church of Ceylon which is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845, as the diocese of th ...

, James Chapman and until 1950 it consisted of a single diocese; in that year a second diocese was established at

Kurunegala Kurunegala ( si, කුරුණෑගල, ta, குருணாகல்) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of the North Western Province and the Kurunegala District. Kurunegala was an ancient royal capital for 50 years, fr ...

Dioceses of Colombo and Kurunegala

The first services were held on the island in 1796 and missionaries were sent to Ceylon to begin work in 1818. The Church now has two dioceses, one in Colombo (covering the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Uva provinces and Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya and Puttalam districts) and the other in

(covering Kurunegala, Kandy, Matale and Kegalla, Anuradapura, Polonnaruwa, districts). The Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845 and the Diocese of Kurunegala in 1950. The Bishop of Calcutta was the

Metropolitan Bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the bis ...

of India and Ceylon from 10 October 1835. In 1930 Ceylon was included in the

Church of India, Burma, and Ceylon Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

(from 1948 the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma, and Ceylon) until 1970. In 1970, the

Church of the Province of Myanmar The Church of the Province of Myanmar in Asia is a member church of the Anglican Communion. The province comprises the entire country of Myanmar. The current archbishop of Myanmar and bishop of Yangon is Stephen Than Myint Oo. Official name The ...

, the Church of Ceylon, and the

Church of Pakistan The Church of Pakistan is a united Protestant Church in Pakistan, which is part of the Anglican Communion and a member of the World Communion of Reformed ChurchesDatabase (9 February 2006)"Sialkot Diocese of the Church of Pakistan" Reformed On ...

were separated from the CIBC (and the province of Calcutta). There has been a movement for the amalgamation of traditional Protestant Churches (including Church of Ceylon,

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

, Lanka

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul com ...

Sangamaya,

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

of Sri Lanka and the Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka (formerly the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

) and the

Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India The Jaffna Diocese is the Church of South India diocese for northern Sri Lanka. The current bishop (known as the Bishop of Jaffna or the Bishop of the Church of South India in the Jaffna Diocese) is Daniel Thiagarajah. History The Church of Sout ...

into one body, namely the Church of Sri Lanka. The

, Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo has four archdeaconries, namely, Colombo,

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

Jaffna Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mos ...

and Upcountry and East. Keerthisiri Fernando the 6th

Bishop of Kurunegala The Diocese of Kurunegala is a diocese of the Church of Ceylon (which is part of the Anglican Communion). The See was erected in 1950 from that of the Diocese of Colombo, as one of two dioceses of the Church of England in Ceylon. On 17 Decem ...

has one archdeaconry. The Church of Ceylon with around 50,000 members, is the second largest group of Christians in Sri Lanka, after 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 ...

with 1,600,000 members.

Church and education

The missionaries of the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

established many schools in all parts of the island. The missionaries who arrived in

started to establish schools in order to uplift the education of the natives and to spread the Christian religion. Robert Mayor who arrived on 29 June 1818 was the 1st missionary to establish a school in the "Church Hill",

Baddegama Baddegama is a main town in Galle District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Baddegama is accessible from the Southern Expressway, and is located from the Baddegama Expressway Inter Exchange and from Colombo. The main livelihood for the town wa ...

under the name of "Christ Church" adjoining the

seminary. During the early years, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), the ‘high church’ missionary society, assisted the early bishops of the

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. The Diocese of Colombo covers ...

to set up schools. The SPG helped Bishop James Chapman establish the College of Saint Thomas the Apostle in

Mutwal Modara ( si, මෝදර, translit=Mōdara; ta, முகத்துவாரம், translit=Mukattuvāram), also known as Mutwal ''(anglicised version)'', is a municipal ward of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ� ...

, which opened on 3 February 1851. Later the College was shifted to Mt. Lavinia. The SPG continued to support the College until they withdrew from

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1930. By the year 1910 the

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

had 403 schools with a student population of 32, 783. A teacher training college was established in 1914 in

Peradeniya Peradeniya ( si, පේරාදෙණිය, translit=Pēradeniya; ta, பேராதனை, translit=Pērātaṉai) is a suburb of the city of Kandy, about 30,000 inhabitants in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 main road, just a few kilom ...

by Alexander G. Fraser, principal of

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

. The

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

schools in

are famous for providing quality education enriched with Christian values giving priority to discipline. The schools provide education in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Sinhala and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

languages giving prominence to the English Language. The schools are independently and privately managed by the CMS governing body headed by the bishops of the church, while some schools like

Trinity College Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

have adopted a board of governors under the patronage of the

. From the past Anglican schools have produced many notable personalities. Prime ministers

D. S. Senanayake Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Mi ...

Dudley Senanayake Dudley Shelton Senanayake ( Sinhala: ඩඩ්ලි ශෙල්ටන් සේනානායක: ta, டட்லி சேனநாயக்கா; 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Prime Min ...

, Wijayananda Dahanayake and

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

were past pupils of

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

as well as

Leslie Goonewardene Leslie Simon Goonewardene ( si, ලෙස්ලි සයිමන් ගුනවර්ධන, ta, லெஸ்லி சைமன் குணவர்தன; 31 October 190911 April 1983) was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded ...

and

N. M. Perera Nanayakkarapathirage Martin Perera, commonly known as Dr. N. M. Perera ( Sinhala එන්.එම්.පෙරේරා ; 6 June 1904 – 14 August 1979), was one of the leaders of the Sri Lankan Trotskyist Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He w ...

, founders of Ceylon's first political party. Leading Anglican schools in Sri Lanka #

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

Trinity College, Kandy "Look to the End" , mottoes = , founder = John Ireland Jones , established = , type = Independent Private , affiliation = Church of Ceylon, Anglican , grade ...

Hillwood College Hillwood College is an independent private girls' school in Kandy, Sri Lanka founded by British Anglican missionaries of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in 1890. The school is situated in the Kandy Lake round (Victoria Drive). Th ...

Ladies' College, Colombo (Latin) , motto_translation = This is the victory, even our faith - 1 John 5: 4 , location = 66 Sir Ernest de Silva mawatha, Colombo 7 , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Sri Lanka Colombo Municipality , pushpin_image ...

Bishop's College, Colombo , motto_translation = Not for self, but for all , streetaddress = 15 Boyd Place , city = Colombo , postcode = , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates = , s ...

# CMS Mowbray College, Kandy # S. Thomas' Preparatory School # S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa # S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela # St. John's College, Jaffna #

Chundikuli Girls' College Chundikuli Girls' College (CGC) is a girls private school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1896 by British Anglican missionaries. History Chundikuli Girls' College was founded on 14 January 1896 by Mary Carter of the ''Church Mission Soci ...

# St. Paul's Girls School, Milagiriya # St. Thomas' College, Matara #

Christ Church College, Matale Christ Church College, Matale (CCC) ( Sinhala : ක්‍රිස්තුදේව විද්‍යාලය) is a mixed state school in Matale, Sri Lanka. History The college was established in 1864, as the Christ Church Boy’s English ...

All Saints College, Galle All Saints' College, founded in 1857 in Galle, Sri Lanka, is located in a Dutch fortress in a residential suburb of Galle known as the Galle Fort, on Light House Street. The fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a history spanning ov ...

# St. John's College, Nugegoda # St. John's College, Panadura # Christ Church Boys' College, Baddegama # Christ Church Girls' College, Baddegama # Bishop

Lakdasa De Mel Most Rev. Lakdasa Jacob De Mel (1902–1976), MA was the first Bishop of Kurunegala, Sri Lanka and the last Metropolitan Archbishop of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylo Lakdasa De Mel was born on 24 March 1902 in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, to a pro ...

College, Kurunegala # St Andrew's Girls College, Nawalapitiya # Holy Trinity College, Nuwara Eliya

Hymn for Ceylon

In the early 20th century an Anglican missionary, W. S. Senior popularly known as the Bard of Lanka arrived in Ceylon to work with the

. He was Vice-Principal of Trinity College,

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

for many years and spent three decades in the country. W. S. Senior wrote the 'Hymn for Ceylon,' sung to this day in churches on the island. The music for parts of this hymn was composed in 1950 by the leading Sri Lankan

folk musician Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

Deva Suriya Sena.

References

External links

Diocese of ColomboThe Church of Ceylon (Anglican Communion)Anglican Church of Ceylon News
* ttp://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/church-of-ceylon The Church of Ceylon – World Council of Churches websitebr>A photo selection of Parishes of the Church of Ceylon
;Hymn
A Sinhalese Hymn filmed at Holy Emmanuel Church, Moratuwa – Anglican Church of Ceylon on YouTubeThe Hymn for Ceylon – Trilingual (Anglican Communion)
;Publications
One hundred years in Ceylon, or, The centenary volume of the Church Missionary Society in Ceylon, 1818–1918 (1922) Author: Balding, John William
Madras: Printed at the Diocesan Press.
The Church of Ceylon – her faith and mission
Published in 1945, Printed at the Daily News Press by Bernard de Silva for the Church of Ceylon.
The Church of Ceylon: A history, 1945–1995
Editor: Medis, Frederick Published for the Diocese of Colombo. {{British Ceylon period topics Religious organizations established in 1845 Christian denominations established in the 19th century 1845 establishments in Ceylon Extra-provincial Anglican churches

Dioceses of Colombo and Kurunegala

Church and education

Hymn for Ceylon

See also

References

External links