Roman Catholic Diocese of Kandy
diocese of the Catholic Church
The Diocese of Kandy (Lat: Dioecesis Kandiensis) is a suffragan diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the ecclesiastical province (covering all Sri Lanka) of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Colombo, but depends on the missionary Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The episcopal seat is St. Anthony’s Cathedral, in Kandy. The current bishop is Valence Mendis, appointed in 2021.
Statistics
As of 2014, it pastorally served 81,293 Catholics (3.2% of 2,578,000 total) on 5,733 km2 in 27 parishes and 2 missions with 51 priests (39 diocesan, 12 religious), 329 lay religious (149 brothers, 180 sisters) and 15 seminarians.
History
Originally erected on 20 April 1883 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Kandy, on territory split off from the then diocese of Colombo (soon promoted Archdiocese of Colombo, now its Metropolitan)
Promoted to Diocese of Kandy on 1 September 1886, as a suffragan of the simultaneously elevated Archdiocese of Colombo.
On 18 December 1972, part of the diocese was split off to form the Diocese of Badulla.
The diocese invited the Comboni Missionary Sisters to establish a missionary presence in Talawakelle in 2012 to support the education of the local Tamil people.
Episcopal ordinaries
Apostolic Vicars of Kandy
Clemente Pagnani, Sylvestrines (O.S.B.Silv.) (20 April 1883 Appointed - 1 September 1886), Titular Bishop of Hephæstum (1879.11.12 – 1886.09.01), first as Bishop of Colombo (Sri Lanka) (1879.11.12 – 1883.04.20)
Bishops of Kandy
Clemente Pagnani, O.S.B.Silv. (1 September 1886 - death June 1911)
Bede Beekmeyer, O.S.B.Silv.
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