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==Historical Background== | ==Historical Background== | ||
Christianity reached the country through Western colonists in the early 16th century. Around 7.4% of the Sri Lankan population are Christians, of whom 82% are | Christianity reached the country through Western colonists in the early 16th century. Around 7.4% of the Sri Lankan population are Christians, of whom 82% are Roman Catholics who trace their religious heritage directly to the Portuguese. Sri Lankan Tamil Catholics attribute their religious heritage to St.Francis Xavier as well as Portuguese missionaries. The remaining Christians are evenly split between the Anglican Church of Ceylon and other Protestant denominations. By the 1980s, the population of Christians was mostly concentrated in the northwest of Sri Lanka and in the capital where they are 10% of the population. Of these Christians, about 85% are Roman Catholics and the rest are Anglicans, Methodists and other Protestants.<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Religion in Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><br> | ||
<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Religion in Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><br> | |||
==Information Recorded in the Records== | ==Information Recorded in the Records== | ||
The following information may be found in the records. | |||
===Baptisms=== | ===Baptisms=== | ||
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give: | In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give: | ||
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==How to Find Records== | ==How to Find Records== | ||
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===Writing for Records=== | ===Writing for Records=== | ||
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See [[Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy]] for help with composing letters. | |||
== Anglican (Episcopal) Church Records == | |||
== | |||
===Historical Background=== | ===Historical Background=== | ||
The Church of Ceylon is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka, as an extra-provincial diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first services were held on the island in 1796 and missionaries were sent to Ceylon to begin work in 1818.[2] 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 Kurunegala (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 Church of Ceylon with around 50,000 members,[3] is the second largest group of Christians in Sri Lanka, after the Roman Catholic Church with 1,600,000 members.<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Church of Ceylon", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Ceylon, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><br> | The Church of Ceylon is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka, as an extra-provincial diocese of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first services were held on the island in 1796 and missionaries were sent to Ceylon to begin work in 1818.[2] 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 Kurunegala (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 Church of Ceylon with around 50,000 members,[3] is the second largest group of Christians in Sri Lanka, after the Roman Catholic Church with 1,600,000 members.<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Church of Ceylon", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Ceylon, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><br> | ||
===Writing for Records=== | |||
*Anglican Diocese of Colombo [https://www.dioceseofcolombo.lk/contact Website] | |||
*Google Maps: [https://www.google.com/maps/search/anglican+church+sri+lanka/@7.864036,78.069703,7z/data=!3m1!4b1 Anglican churches in Sri Lanka] | |||
== Catholic Church Records == | |||
=== Historical Background === | |||
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 approximately 1.2 million Catholics in Sri Lanka representing around 6.1% of the total population (according to the 2012 census). Records of ancient travelers to Sri Lanka report that a separate area was allocated for Christians in the ancient capital Anuradhapura and there was a Christian chapel used by the Persian merchants who came to Ceylon in around the 5th century. On 15 November 1505, a Portuguese fleet commanded by Lourenço de Almeida, having been driven by a storm to the shores of Sri Lanka, landed in Colombo. With the permission of the king of Kotte, Almeida erected a trade station and a small chapel in Colombo. The chapel was dedicated to St. Lawrence. Franciscan Friar Vicente, the chaplain of the fleet, celebrated Mass. This is the first record of a Catholic Mass on Sri Lankan soil. Over the next few centuries, Portuguese, Dutch, and Irish missionaries spread the religion in Sri Lanka, most notably on the western and northwestern coast, where in some places Catholics are half the population<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Religion in Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020.</ref><ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Catholic Church in Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020.</ref>. | |||
This table lists each Roman Catholic diocese in Sri Lanka along with the date it was established. | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
|- | |||
! Diocese !! Type !! Established | |||
|- | |||
| Anuradhapura || Diocese || 1975 | |||
|- | |||
| Badulla || Diocese || 1972 | |||
|- | |||
| Batticaloa || Diocese || 2012 | |||
|- | |||
| Chilaw || Diocese || 1939 | |||
|- | |||
| Colombo || Archdiocese || 1834 | |||
|- | |||
| Galle || Diocese || 1893 | |||
|- | |||
| Jaffna || Diocese || 1845 | |||
|- | |||
| Kandy || Diocese || 1883 | |||
|- | |||
| Kurunegala || Diocese || 1987 | |||
|- | |||
| Mannar || Diocese || 1981 | |||
|- | |||
| Ratnapura || Diocese || 1995 | |||
|- | |||
| Trincomalee || Diocese || 1893 | |||
|} | |||
===Writing to a Local Parish=== | ===Writing to a Local Parish=== | ||
Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult | Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult [https://www.catholicdirectory.com/search_results?q=&location_value=Sri+Lanka&country_sn=LK&location_type=country&stateSearch=&swlat=5.6816&nelat=10.03377&swlng=79.26769999999999&nelng=82.14479999999999&lat=7.873053999999999&lng=80.77179699999999&faddress=Sri+Lanka&place_id=ChIJnR5a9jxZ4joRjNPiALSkPeE#/ The Catholic Directory: Sri Lanka]. | ||
== The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records == | |||
== | |||
===Online Records=== | ===Online Records=== | ||
Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. [https://www.familysearch.org/en/ '''Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.'''] | Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. [https://www.familysearch.org/en/ '''Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.'''] | ||
===Historical Background=== | |||
Two Latter-day Saint missionaries arrived in Ceylon in May 1853. They briefly labored in Galle and Colombo but could find neither a hall in which to preach nor a person to listen to their message, thanks largely to the influence of anti-Mormon tracts and newspaper articles. They remained in the country only a short time before returning to India. The Church’s next official contact with Sri Lanka was in August 1975, when two missionaries en route home from the Singapore Mission were assigned to stop in Sri Lanka to explore the prospects for initiating missionary work. They reported favorably. The Sri Lanka Branch was organized in March 1978 with Reginald Rasiah as president. The Church was officially registered in March 1979. As of 2020 total church membership in the country was 1,597 with 4 congregations<ref>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Facts and Statistics: Sri Lanka, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/Sri-Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020.</ref>. For a detailed history, see [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/1993/10/the-church-in-india-pakistan-bangladesh-and-sri-lanka?lang=eng "The Church in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka"] | |||
== Methodist Church Records == | |||
===Historical Background=== | ===Historical Background=== | ||
The Methodist Church of Sri Lanka is a Protestant Christian denomination in Sri Lanka. Its headquarters is in Colombo and was established on 29 June 1814. <ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Methodist Church in Sri Lanka", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodist_Church__in_Sri_Lanka, accessed 31 March 2020. </ref><br> | |||
===Writing for Records=== | ===Writing for Records=== | ||
The mailing address for the church office is:<br> | |||
Methodist Central Buildings<br>252 Galle Road<br>Colombo 03<br>Sri Lanka<br>email: methhg@sltnet.lk | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
[[Category: Sri Lanka]] [[Category:Church Records by Country]] | [[Category: Sri Lanka]] [[Category:Church Records by Country]] | ||
[[Category:Sri Lanka]] | [[Category:Sri Lanka]] | ||