The Church of Ceylon (ලංකා සභාව) is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka and a part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It was established in 1845 and is under the Archbishop of Canterbury, who serves as its Metropolitan.
The Church of Ceylon has two dioceses: the Diocese of Colombo and the Diocese of Kurunegala. A Diocese consists of one or more archdeaconries.
The Diocese of Colombo covers the Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern, and Uva provinces, along with the Ratnapura, Nuwara Eliya, and Puttalam districts.
The Diocese of Kurunegala serves the Kurunegala, Kandy, Matale, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, and Polonnaruwa districts.
The diocese is led by a Bishop. Under the Bishop, Archdeacons oversee Archdeaconries. Each Archdeaconry may be further divided into Deaneries, led by a Rural Dean. Deaneries consist of parishes, each led by a Vicar or Priest-in-Charge. A parish may contain one or more churches.
The Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour in Colombo and the Cathedral of Christ the King in Kurunegala are the primary cathedrals of the Church of Ceylon. Church of Ceylon has many historic and well-known churches across Sri Lanka.
The Church of Ceylon has set up many Social Service Institutions to help communities in need.
The Church also played a key role in establishing schools through the Church Mission Society (CMS) to promote education. Some of these schools are still among the most prestigious in Sri Lanka.
Ladies' College, Colombo is a private Anglican girls' school, founded in 1900 by Lilian Nixon on behalf of the Church Missionary Society. Located in Cinnamon Gardens, it is one of Sri Lanka’s most sought-after schools for girls.
Bishop's College, Colombo is a private girls' school, founded by the Anglican Church of Ceylon in February 1875. As a fee-levying institution, it remains one of Sri Lanka’s most sought-after schools for girls.
House of Joy (Preethi Niwasa) - ප්රීති නිවස is a home for orphans, abandoned, and helpless children, founded in 1957 by Anglican missionary Evelyn Carney. It is now administered by the Bishop of the Diocese of Kurunegala.
