Diocese of Ratnapura Sri Lanka

The Catholic Church in the Province of Sabaragamuwa, Sri Lanka.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ratnapura

The Catholic Diocese of Ratnapura covers the entire province of Sabaragamuwa which is located in the south-central region of the island. This province is comprised of two administrative districts such as Ratnapura and Kegalle. Sabaragamuwa is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara, an Indic term for hunter gatherer tribes, a term seldom used in ancient Sri Lanka. The province is well known for its gem industry, particularly the Ratnapura District. Apart from gem industry, the province is known for rice and fruit cultivations and rubber and tea plantations. In the province there are also tourist attractions such as the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Udawalawa National Park, Bopath ella water fall, Kitulgala, and Adam’s Peak etc. The capital of the province is Ratnapura, the name means `city of gems’, a city most known for the long established gem industry in Sri Lanka. Thus the Diocese is also named after the capital of Sabaragamuwa that is Ratnapura or Ruwanpura Diocese. With the erection of the Diocese St. Peter and Paul’s church in Ratnapura was elevated as the Cathedral of the Diocese. The Diocese is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

History of the Catholics in Ratnapura:

The history of Catholics in Ratnapura begins with the Portuguese rule in Ratnapura in 17th century and there were very few Catholics at that time. Many of them were descendents of the Portuguese and the locals that they married. As part of his apostolic mission, St Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka, had visited the place where now Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral is located.

History of the Diocese:

The Diocese of Ratnapura was established as an autonomous Diocese on the 2nd November 1995 by Pope John Paul II, (now St John Paul II). It was carved out of the Diocese of Galle. Rt Rev Mgr. Albert Malcolm Ranjith, (now Cardinal Archbishop of Colombo) was appointed as its first Bishop and was installed on the 5th January 1996.

Rt Rev Mgr. Malcolm Ranjith served the Diocese as its 1st Local Ordinary from the 5th January 1996 to the 01st October 2001. Mgr. Malcolm Ranjith was transferred to Propaganda Fide in Rome on the 1st October 2001, entrusted with higher responsibility.

The See of Ratnapura thus remained vacant for 1 year and 5 months, until Rt. Rev. Mgr Harold Anthony Perera was appointed as its 2nd Bishop by Pope John Paul II on 29th January 2003. He was consecrated at St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Colombo on the 18th March 2003 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Malcolm Ranjith and he was installed on the 22nd March 2003 at Sts. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral Ratnapura. Then he was transferred to the vacant See of Galle on the 18th March 2005.

Then, Rev. Fr. Ivan Thilak Jayasundera of Kandy Diocese was appointed as the Bishop of the diocese of Ratnapura on 20th January 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. Since he decided to resign on 6th July 2006 before he was consecrated as Bishop, he remained only as the Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Ratnapura.

Thus Rt. Rev. Mgr. Cletus Chandrasiri Perera OSB was appointed as its 3rd Bishop on 4th May 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI. He was consecrated in the Basilica of the 12 Apostles in Rome on the 11th July 2007 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Vianney Fernando, and was installed on the 28th July 2007 at Sts. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral Ratnapura.

Erection of the Diocese: 02nd of November 1995, by Pope John Paul II
First Bishop: Rt. Rev. Dr. Malcolm Cardial Ranjith
Catholic population of the Diocese: 19,286 (1.0%. According to the census in 2012)
Patron saint of the Diocese: Immaculate Heart of Mary
Cathedral of the Diocese: St. Peter and Paul’s Church, Ratnapura
Minor Seminary of the Diocese: The Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Kegalle
Bishop House: Madola, Avissawella
Number of Parishes: 22 parishes
Number of Religious Houses: Men: 4, Women: 15
Language: Sinhala and Tamil languages are in use.

Territory of the Diocese:

The diocesan territory covers a land area of 4,948.2 square kilometers. It includes the districts of Ratnapura and Kegalle in Sri Lanka, which covers the entire Sabaragamuwa province (South Western Province). Ratnapura diocese is adjacent to the diocese of Kurunegalla in the north, Badulla in the east, Colombo in the west and Galle in the south.

Climate:

Ratnapura diocese is located in the south-western part of Sri Lanka, the so-called wet zone. The diocese receives rainfall mainly from south-western monsoons during May to September. The average temperature is 24 degrees Celsius, and there are high humidity levels.

Economy

Many people engage in Agro based industries like tea rubber and coca. Large plantations of tea and rubber surround the province. Tea grown in this region is called low-country tea. Most of the people mainly in the district of Ratnapura depend on the gem mining and trade. Precious stones such as rubies, sapphires and various kinds of gemstones are available here.

Population:

The total population of Sabaragamuwa was 1,928,655 according to the census in 2012. The Population is spread in districts of Ratnapura and Kegalle as 1,088,007and 840,648 respectively. The ethnic composition of the population reveals that the Sinhalese as the majority (86.3%) while Sri Lankan Tamil, Indian Tamil and Sri Lanka Moor population comprise 2.3%, 6.9% and 4.2% respectively. The Majority of the Population in the Sabaragamuwa province is Buddhist (85.7%). The rest are Hindus (8.1%), Islam (4.4%) and Roman Catholics and Other religions (1.7%).