St. Mary's Church, Navatkudah
- Archdeaconry
- Nuwara Eliya Archdeaconry
- Vicar
- Revd. G. Manoruban
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Contact Details
- Postal Address
- St. Mary's Church, Navatkudah, Sri Lanka
- Telephone
- 0652 247 517
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Consecrated 2 December 1925 (Source:- Ceylon Churchman Vol. 46.)
During the period of foreign invasions the Dutch, the Portugese and the British ruled Sri Lanka. The Dutch built a fort in Batticaloa, during the British regime they built a fort in Kalkudah and ships brought provisions for the people of the area.
In 1856 a school was started by the Christian missionaries.. A person who lived in Valaichenai called “ Umayar” sold his land to the Christian mission and a school was started in the land with the name of Church of England Anglican. At the beginning the school was administered by the mission. The school was destroyed during the period of the second world war and was restarted in a cadjan shed. After that the Government took over the school and named it church of Ceylon Tamil mixed school. In the middle of the 19 century the Gospel Missionary Society started its activities in Mannar, Kalpitiya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. They built churches in Batticaloa, Navatkudah and Valachenai.
In Valachchenai, a land was purchased in 1886 to build a church and a school. Rev. Samuel Nicholas, H.T. White, J Anna and D Somanadar put in a lot of effort into this. A school was opened in Valachchenai during the period of Rev. J.R. Thambimuttu a church was built and dedicated by the Bishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Mark Carpenter Garnier.
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The history of the Church of Ceylon records the consecration of St. Andrew’s Church, Batticaloa on 11.10.1891 by the then Bishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. R.S. Copleston. However, the history of St. Andrews Church can be traced to the period long before the consecration took place, because records show that most of the English soldiers who took control of Batticaloa forts from the Dutch were Anglicans, and there had been ecclesiastical oversight on them.
As we mentioned above, Anglicanism started in Batticaloa since the inception of British rule in 1796, and the Church was under the Diocese of London. The year 1846 was significant to the Church in Ceylon, thus it became a separate Diocese, and the Rt. Rev. Chapman was appointed the first Bishop to the new Diocese. Bishop Chapman took much interest in his infant Diocese and he visited Batticaloa for the first time on 7.8.1846 when the parish was in an unsatisfactory condition. Bishop Chapman visited Batticaloa after four years in 1850 and he took great care and immediate action for the progress of the parish. His visits gave a new outlook in the life of St. Andrew’s and also the ministry of the colonial Chaplain the Rev. Glenie was commendable.
In 1859, the Diocesan School Society was formed and the Church moved in the area of education, and as a result the following mission stations with schools were established :- Puliyanthivu, Koddaimunai, Amirthakaly, Navatkudah, Urani, Arayampathy, Kokuvil, Valaichenai, Pethalai, Kaluthavalai, and Kalkudah.
In 1985 the first native Anglican Priest the Rev. David Somanander was appointed as the resident priest. Thereafter, the Rev A. Vethacan was appointed and he was responsible for the building up of the other Churches at Navatkudah and Valaichenai.
It was when Batticaloa became the capital of the Eastern Province the necessity for a permanent Church at Batticaloa was felt. Till then a part of the warehouse in the customs was used for worship. The present Church was built almost near the old customs warehouse. The following clergymen served in the Church till 1932. They are Revs. Glenie, Thampoe, S. Nicholas, H.L Wait, J Hannah, D. Somanathar and A. Vethacam.
The Rev. Canon S.H.W. Ramanaden who was the incumbent from 1943 to 1976 was the longest serving priest in the church..
The work was expanded to Morakotanchennai during the time of the Rev. K. Gnanadass in 1975. The Rt. Rev. Cyril Abeynaike laid the foundation stone for a Chapel thus called St. Paul’s Chapel. This Church got its status of electoral body in 1991.
As the work of the Anglican Church in Trincomalee is very seriously impeded by the lack of a vicarage and a Church center’ and by the inaccessibility of St. Stephen’s Church, locked up in Fort Fredrick, far from the homes of the people, the harbor and the camps of most servicemen. The present so called “vicarage” is a hired house which is too small, and difficult to find. There is no church hall or social center where Anglicans can meet.
In 1939 a piece of land was bought near the dockyard gates, in a most accessible position, but lack of money in the first place, and since 1942 the army’s need of the land, have made it impossible to contemplate building until now. But the war is now over and the army has handed back the land, so the opportunity has come to build a chapel of Eats to St. Stephen’s to be named St. Nicolas Church, a vicarage and a Church hall for social purposes.
The designs have been drawn up by Mr. H.H Reid, F.R.I.B.A., of Messrs Edward, Reid and Begg, architects Colombo.
On 25 March 1948, the building of the Church began, and the foundation stone was laid by Sir Arthur Palliser, K.C.B, D.S.C on 19 April 1948.
The Church was consecrated on 25 November 1951 by Bishop Archibald Rollo-Graham Campbell.
A commemoration tablet was laid by Lady Slayter on 21 March, 1954 and the vicarage was built and made ready in may 1954.
The foundation for the vicarage was laid on 21 March 1954 by the wife of the Commander in Chief.
With the introduction of the coffee plantations by the British in the eighteen twenties, Christianity came to the hills. The superintendents of the estates felt that they needed a common place to worship and spread the Gospel among workers. So they arranged prayer meetings and services in the coffee stores, schools and centrally situated bungalows. The Tamil Cooley Mission (TCM) worked actively in the plantation areas during this period and the chaplains visited the plantations periodically.
With the expansion of plantations came the development of roads and means of communication. Prior to this the chaplains faced untold difficulties and hardships in their work. Their determination and zeal was not unrewarded. Converts to the faith multiplied and the need for central places of worship grew. Churches were built in places such as Lindula and Dickoya in and around 1870.
With the opening of new plantations in Ragala and Uda Pussellawa and the growth of a strong Christian community the need for a place of worship was solely felt. In response to this need for a place of worship Mr. G.A. Dick gave a block of land and shouldered the responsibility of building this Church. According to the records it is said that a Kangarny contributed Rs 100 and an estate medical assistant contributed Rs 60 towards the construction of the building. This Church was consecrated on 13 June, 1887. This Church was built when the country was facing a great financial crisis and unemployment was common due to the failure of the coffee industry from which it never recovered. Many Churches were forced to close down due to the lack of funds.
But with the introduction of the tea industry, a new prosperity emerged and the Church was able to plunge into ventures. The Gospel was taken to the workers and estate staff who formed the congregation of the Church.
Christian schools were started on the estates. Some of the schools built were on Delmar; Ragala Alanwick; Tullos; Allagalla; Bramly and Gordon.
This church was erected by Bishop Chapman, the first Bishop of the Diocese 150 years ago. But it had declined and finally died with no new believers, and later the building also went into ruins. A Sri Lankan planter had moved some of the huge stones into the form of a cross, where the original church existed. This cross remains to this day on the grounds. AIMS setup a hut and placed a missionary to share the Gospel in August 1998.
On the 25 of April 2000 on the Feast of St. John the Evangelist the Church celebrated its 150 anniversary.