In every stone of our diocese's history, there is a story of faith, dedication, and growth

Pastoral Mission of the Catholic Diocese of Badulla since 1972….
The Diocese of Badulla began on 18th December 1972. The first Bishop of Badulla Most Rev. Dr. D. Leo Nanayakkara, O.S.B. of revered memory,                                      left the long established See of Kandy and gladly undertook to pioneer the new diocese, co-terminus with the civil Province of                                      Uva, the poorest province of Sri Lanka. The newly demarcated diocese consisted of four parishes, Badulla, Bandarawela,                                              Lunugala and Welimada, which had already existed as part of the diocese of Kandy. The Badulla Church dedicated to our Lady                                  of Holy Rosary became the Cathedral of the Diocese, the seat of the bishop. Almost immediately after assuming the reins of the                                new diocese, he established a mission Centre at Bibile, the Catechetical apostolate, Mission Development Apostolate,                                                    Committee for Inter-Religious Dialogue and the Social Arm of the Diocese - The Uva Socio-Economic and Community                                                  Development (USCOD) Centre - which attended to communitarian social action and welfare including healing and care of the                                      sick through medical clinics in the outstations and care of leprosy patients through monthly visits by nursing Sisters, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary who worked in the Diocese. Bishop Leo died in 1982, having increased the Parishes to 10 (ten).

In July 1983 our Diocese suffered much as a result of the ethnic riots. Strange as it may seem some of those who damaged the USCOD Centre happened to be persons who benefited from it, unfortunately instigated by others with hidden motives. As a result of the riots Church properties were burnt and destroyed and Catholics too got scattered. It was a traumatic disturbance of Catholic life and worship. Once again the Church re-organized herself to continue the Missionary, Catechetical and Development work in the diocese.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Edmund Fernando, O.M.I., assumed office as Bishop of Badulla on January 1984 and quickly set about putting firm foundations to the various apostolates of the still very young diocese. He increased the Diocesan Commissions to coincide with the National Episcopal Commissions, rebuilt the USCOD Centre, established a new Pastoral and Catechetical, Biblical Centre at Bandarawela, established new parishes and built a Bishop's and clergy house, churches and chapels. He invited Religious Priests and nuns to the diocese, establishing also a Convent of contemplative nuns, the Poor Clares in the diocese. He also paid much attention to the Monthly Days of Study and Recollection for the Clergy and was mindful of their ongoing formation with a view to giving an all-round Catechetical formation to our school going Catholic children. Having created new parishes and increased them to seventeen, he led the Diocese for thirteen years until he retired handing over the diocese to his successor on the day of his retirement in 1997. Bishop Edmund died in 2004.

Rt. Rev. Dr. J. Winston S. Fernando, SSS. who undertook the shepherding of the diocese on 14th June 1997, with great

devotion has further consolidated his revered predecessors' work paying close attention to formation of clergy,

evangelization, human development, catechesis, and all other aspects of Catholic life. The number of parishes had

increased to twenty-one with the addition of Koslanda as a new parish in 2020 and the priests belonging to the

diocese to thirty-five with several others of religious congregations too working in the diocese.

Bishop Winston has built several Churches and chapels and provided modestly comfortable mission houses in the

parishes, a home for elders at Hali-Ela and new a three storied edifice, in the process of construction, for the

Institute of Integral Education and Catechesis at Bandarawela are the newest additions.

All our Catholic children attend state schools. Providing religious instruction to these children remains a challenging

priority. Therefore, imparting systematic religious knowledge through Sunday Schools every Sunday in all our parishes

is carried out. This has necessitated Catechists to be trained to impart such instructions. There are more than 260+ Voluntary Catechists teach in Sunday Schools inclusive of 50+ Catechists who teach in State schools. The Diocesan Catechetical Institute prepares all potential Catechists to sit the Level One, Two, Three National Catechetical Teachers' Examinations held every year in the Sinhala and Tamil languages.

All the parishes provide pastoral care to Catholics who are scattered over a wide geographical area. All parish priests have to regularly travel to several distant outstations to lead the people in worship and to celebrate Holy Mass, dispense sacraments and give necessary instructions. In many instances the religious sisters generously assist the priests in caring for their parishioners.

The Uva Socio-Economic and Community Development (USCOD) Centre following the social doctrine of the Church is active in most parishes and gives a helping hand in social action work and community development programs, and assist in managing pre- schools.

Bishop Winston has also initiated a scholarship scheme from the primary to secondary levels to help the neediest students in the diocese and to continue their studies especially in the higher forms to help them enter the universities for their tertiary education.

Young as the diocese is, she has contributed her mite to the Church in Sri Lanka in the person of a Professor of Missiology in the Urban University and Vice Rector of Propaganda Fide College in Rome who has also been appointed by His Holiness as the Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue.

 

 

 

 

In the year 2022, on 18th of December, the Diocese of Badulla celebrated her Golden Jubilee of erection from Kandy Diocese and Elevated as a separate Diocese at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Holy Rosary, seat of the bishop. With thanksgiving for the fifty years of blessings, the mission of gospel sharing and Communion are still continuing with the fourth Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Jude Nishantha Silva, who was appointed by His Holiness Pope Francis as the Bishop of Badulla effective 30th January 2023 with the retirement of Rt. Rev. Dr. Winston Fernando S.S.S his predecessor. Bishop Jude was consecrated as the bishop on 22nd of March, 2023. For the first time, a priest served the Diocese was installed as the bishop. Priests and lay faithful of the Diocese are truly inspired by Bishop's Jude's contribution towards the spiritual upliftment of the people in his simple way and his interest in inter religious unity. Within his first 6 month of time, he established a school in Monaragala, named as St. Anthony's International College, declared St. Anthony's Church, Bandarawela as a shrine and many more decision that his lordship taken were made feel the people how the Church cares for them.

Almighty and Merciful God has deigned to bless the Diocese of Badulla and assisted her to progress in her pastoral mission. Catholics in our diocese are becoming ever more conscious of their Christian calling and responsibilities and are bringing up their children with a sense of mission. For the graces that the diocese has received, we give thanks and praise to Almighty God from whose hands we have received abundance of blessings.

Rewritten by the Commission for Social Communion, Diocese of Badulla in 2024 May based on the article written by late Rev. Fr. Augustine Fernando and other historical evidence.