St. Mary Magdalene Church, Ampara

This Church was dedicated on 24 July 1955 under Bishop Rollo-Graham Campbell on the Feast of St. Mary, Magdalene. Coming under the Church of Ceylon Mission to Gal-Oya Valley, the Resident Chaplain was Rev. C.H. Wickramanayake. The Church had a well knit community of worshippers during the time of the Gal Oya Development Board. When the development programme ended, the congregation migrated to their home towns, leaving the mission to toil in desert land. The mission had a strong outpost in the 36 colony at Bakkiella in the 1980’s. Apart from a small group and a valley extended North to Ulhitiya Oya, Padiyathalawa, Maha Oya, South to Nintavur, Akkaraipattu and in the West to Inginiyagala, Namal Oya, Bandaraduwa in Bintenna. The pastors who labored in this included Revs. Wickramanayake, Clarence Peiris, G.W. Serasinghe, Lakdasa Jayawardene, I.H. Victor and Henry Pereira.

The Church serves the needs of the congregation together with the Church of Christ the Compassionate, Nugelanda.