1796 to the Present
Before the Diocese
- 1796
The British arrive
The maritime provinces pass to British control and Anglican worship begins in Ceylon as a chaplaincy for soldiers and officials.
- 1799
The first Colonial Chaplain
The Revd James Cordiner is appointed. Episcopal oversight comes from London, and later Calcutta.
- 1818
The Archdeaconry of Colombo
Constituted by Letters Patent, with the Senior Colonial Chaplain as first Archdeacon.
- 1820
The Church Missionary Society begins work
The first sustained effort to reach beyond the European community. The Book of Common Prayer is translated into Sinhala.
- 1834
The first ordination in Ceylon
Samuel William Dias is ordained by Bishop Daniel Wilson of Calcutta, the first son of the soil to be ordained on the island.
- 1840
The SPG arrives
The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel establishes mission centres at Galle, Matara and Kalutara.
Foundation
- 1845
The Diocese is constituted
Letters Patent issued by the British Crown on 25 April. James Chapman is consecrated at Lambeth on 4 May and installed at St Peter's, Fort, on his arrival in Colombo on 7 November. The Diocese still keeps that date as Diocesan Day.
- 1849
S. Thomas' College founded
Bishop Chapman lays the foundation stone of the College of Saint Thomas the Apostle at Mutwal.
- 1854
Christ Church, Mutwal, consecrated
Still standing and still in use.
Building an institution
- 1867
The first Synod
Clergy and laity meet together for the first time.
- 1871
The Ceylon Churchman
The Diocese begins publishing its journal. It has appeared ever since.
- 1885
Disestablishment
The Church of England in Ceylon is disestablished and the Diocesan Synod constituted. The Incorporated Trustees are established in the same year.
- 1887
The Sisters of St Margaret
The Society begins its ministry in Colombo, working with children.
- 1922
St John's Home, Moratuwa
The Sisters open a home for orphans and for children from families that have broken down. It is still running.
- 1930
The Church of Ceylon
The Diocese joins the Province of India, Burma and Ceylon. Self governance in place of colonial establishment.
Becoming a Sri Lankan church
- 1944
The first Ceylonese bishop
Lakdasa de Mel is selected as Assistant Bishop by Bishop Cecil Horsley, the first Ceylonese person to hold Anglican episcopal office.
- 1945
The Board of Women's Work
Inaugurated to equip women for the mission of the church, to promote theological education for women, and to train women for leadership in church and nation. The Diocese also keeps its centenary this year.
- 1950
Kurunegala
The Missionary Diocese of Kurunegala is inaugurated with Bishop Lakdasa de Mel as its first Bishop. The Board of Christian Education is founded in the same year.
- 1952
The Diocesan Missionary Council
Founded by Bishop Archibald Rollo Graham Campbell to proclaim the Gospel at a time when the ideas of Rata, Jathiya and Agama, country, nation and religion, were gaining force across the island.
- 1955
Karuna Nilayam
Muriel Violet Hutchins of the Church Missionary Society founds Karuna Nilayam at Kilinochchi for orphaned and destitute girls, abused women and women with nowhere else to go.
- 1961
The schools are nationalised
The state takes over the majority of church schools. A serious loss, and a turning point in how the Diocese does formation.
A new Cathedral and the years of war
- 1968
The Cathedral begun
Bishop Harold de Soysa lays the foundation stone of the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour on 28 October.
- 1973
The Cathedral consecrated
Consecrated on 7 November, the anniversary of Bishop Chapman's arrival in 1845.
- 1987
Bishop Jabez Gnanapragasam
Elected during the civil war as the first Bishop of Colombo from the Tamil community.
- 2001
Thelivu
The Tamil paper is first published on 23 June, out of the youth movement of St James' Church, Nallur. It becomes the Diocesan Tamil paper in 2012.
- 2003
The first women deacons
Ordained in the Diocese of Colombo.
- 2004
The tsunami
The Diocese establishes a Relief and Rehabilitation Desk to coordinate its response along the coast.
- 2006
The first women priests
Three of the women ordained deacon in 2003 are ordained priest. Commemorated by Stanley Kirinde's mural in the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral.
- 2008
The Ascension Home
Opens at Bandarawela with eight residents and three staff.
Rebuilding, reconciliation and a new Bishop
- 2017
Oppuravillam re-consecrated
The reconciliation centre at Vavuniya, founded by the late Revd Donald Jeyabalan Kanagaratnam, is re-consecrated in the Northern Archdeaconry.
- 2018
The Oppuravillam pre-school
Opens with Tamil and Sinhala children learning together.
- 2020
175 years of the Diocese
The Diocese marks its 175th anniversary in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With gatherings restricted, the service is conducted online, and congregations from across the Diocese join virtually, united in worship despite the distance.
A new Bishop of Colombo
On 28 October, under pandemic restrictions, Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo is consecrated and installed as the 16th Bishop of Colombo in a Cathedral that could not be filled. The service is broadcast nationally, allowing the wider Church to share in the occasion.
- 2025
The 140th Diocesan Council
The Annual Sessions are held from 23 to 25 October. The Board of Christian Education keeps its 75th anniversary with a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral on 30 May.
The journey continues.
Read the full history