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Suffragan diocese Chilaw, Sri Lanka

Diocese of Chilaw

Chilaven(sis)

Latin diocese on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka, erected on 5 January 1939, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Colombo; part of its territory was split off in 1987 to form the Diocese of Kurunegala. Its cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chilaw.

On the map

Esri
The address the register holds for Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chilaw, in Chilaw, Sri Lanka.

Every see on one map: browse the dioceses. Churches with recorded hours: find Mass times.

Established
1939
Catholics
272,692
Priests
152
Territory
2,076 km²

Parishes and churches

7 listed churches in our records. Open a parish for Mass times, confession, directions and sources where recorded.

This is our recorded coverage, not an official diocesan parish count. Confirm service times with the parish before travelling.

The bishop

Bishop
Wimal Siri Jayasuriya

Explore the ministry of the bishop.

The cathedral

Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Chilaw stands in Chilaw, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.

On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.

History

A Latin Church diocese in Sri Lanka and a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Colombo, Chilaw (Lat: Dioecesis Chilavensis) traces its erection to 1939, when it was established as the Diocese of Galle. A portion of its territory was separated in 1995 to create the Diocese of Kurunegala. Don Wimal Siri Appuhamy Jayasuriya, appointed in December 2023, is the current bishop.