Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church – Balapitiya

Parish Priest: Rev. Fr. Felix Malwarachchi SDB
Address: Immaculate Conception Church, Customes Road, Balapitiya.
Telephone: +94 91 225 9769
Mass Times:
Sunday – 8.00 am (Sinhala)
Monday – 7.00 am (Sinhala)
Tuesday – 7.00 am (Sinhala)
Wednesday – 5.00 am (Sinhala)
Thursday – 7.00 am (Sinhala)
Friday – 7.00 am (Sinhala)
Saturday – 7.00 am (Sinhala)

To trace the historical background of this Parish is another painstaking task, since very few records are available. From which is available too the facts are short and scattered. Most of the facts here have been called out from two sources. First, from an article by Archbishop Oswald Gomis, the great historian (45 Eo 56 205ວ ໖໑. 80) – Second, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka: The British Period, Vol.VIII, 1877-1899.

In chapter 20 of the above book, “Bonjean in the Southern Province, Colombo, 8” November, 1887, in no.8, there is this paragraph: “In the meantime we are planning to begin another station between Kalutara and Galle, in the neighbourhood of Ambalangoda, where the Missionary will assemble the scattered flock and where with his zeal and patience, he will gradually build up a new Christian center” This looks the first time that Balapitiya comes into the picture, as “in the neighborhood of Ambalangoda”

In section 24 of the above book by Fr. V. Perniola, SJ, the following lines are included: “… In every station, with the exception of Galle and Matara, it would be necessary to build a house for the missionary, a simple chapel, a school, to have some teachers and at least a catechist. Our experience, this year, at Ambalangoda shows that, the ministry would be condemned to sterility in the midst of a people Buddhist or indifferent

Section 26 of the said book is titled: the New Mission of Ambalangoda, Colombo, 7ª February, 1888. There is a very relevant section here. The full quotation is as follows:”…the said mission having its center in Ambalangoda, a town 58 miles South of Colombo and being denominated as the Mission of the Immaculate Conception.

The limits of the said mission shall be the following:

a) On the North, it shall have the same limits as the civil district of Galle, that is to say, the river Bentota separating it from the civil district of Kalutara and the mission of Kalutara South.

b) On the South, it shall comprise the town of Hikkaduwa 60½ miles South of Colombo and the road leading from Hikkaduwa to Baddegama, the latter place Included….We place this mission under the powerful protection of the Immaculate Mother of God and our own sweet Mother”

It is noteworthy to see that the present boundaries come very close to the above and the consecration to Immaculate Conception is also to be noted because of the name of the original Mission Station. Section 29 of the book under study is titled thus: “C.Bonjean to C. Augier. Colombo, 3 March, 1888”. There is an interesting paragraph here which is quoted in full: “Ambalangoda, Fr Coudert went there only a week ago and has already had several conversions of Buddhists. The few Catholics, scattered here and there are rejoining at having a missionary in their midst. The vied with one another in offering hospitality to him; they even try to build in their villages huts where he could remain some time. These people never imagined that they could have a missionary; hence they show themselves quite disposed to satisfy him. The Buddhists are moved: many of them go to visit the Father and to talk of religion with him.” Here what is important is that Fr. Coudert (Later Archbishop) has made an initial breakthrough in a very difficult area. In section 80 of the said book Mgr. Bonjean writes to Propaganda. This is dated 24″ March, 1891. Mgr. Bonjean reports that missionary.

Fr. Coudert applied himself victoriously to the work entrusted to him. He was threatened. He remained for several months in a small house taken on rent in the village of Ambalangoda Some fallen away Catholics came back to the sacrament. Some Buddhists became Catholics and were baptized because they wanted to marry a Catholic partner. Illegal marriages were rectified. 22 persons made their confession. 30 were baptized. Then Archbishop Bonjean himself wanted to visit Ambalangoda. He came with his Vicar General. Fr. Chounavel, OMI. The visit was fixed for 9″ May 1890. This was a red letter day for the few Catholics of Ambalangoda and great reward for the great and arduous work of Fr. Coudert. The documents says that about 50 Catholics received the Archbishop. Confessions were heard and whole day of instructions to the Catholics followed. The non-Catholics could not stop the Archbishop from coming to see his flock. They occupied an inn close by, decorated it and were chanting religious hymns, firing crackers which was a disturbance to the Archbishop and party. But the Catholics paid no attention to the noise. Finally at the end of the day, the Archbishop thanked them for receiving him with chants and crackers. The people were humiliated at this interpretation and went away. The following day the final liturgy was held where 17 were confirmed. The missionary at Amabalangoda was great. But he could not buy any land to put up a Church in that area. Then Fr Coudert heard of a Catholic from another part of the country who owns a large coconut land. He was a Catholic He easily obtained one acre of land and they started to put up the building. Each time they started the building work, others came and destroyed the building site. A complaint was lodged with the Magistrate. But it was of no use. Finally they thought of a plan. They got all the material ready in a nearby house, probably that of a Catholic. Then the Catholics organized themselves in great numbers and from nightfall worked till dawn in numbers without a break. Foundations were cut. The wooden columns were planted. Roof beams and rafters were fixed. The neighbours came early morning and found the edifice partly put up. But they did not touch it. The building of the church was completed in 1893. Last year (2018) the church celebrated the 125″ Jubilee. In 1893 the diocese of Galle was newly erected by the Holy See and handed over to the Belgian Jesuits.

They saw the departure of the French Oblates Fathers from the Southern Province Galle Diocese. When the Jesuit Fathers took over the Diocese of Galle, gradually the Parish of Elpitiya, became one of their strongholds in their mission work as was Ganagama. So then Balapitiya was looked after by the Parish of Elpitiya as an outstation of Elpitiya

In 1978, Fr. Derrick Mendis, Sj, was at Balapitiya as a resident Priest and living a very difficult life, staying in the Sacristy. He worked with the fishermen of Balapitiya, since the fisheries harbor was near by the Church. Then Bishop Saram handed over the Parish of Elpitiya to be administered by a team of Jesuit Fathers for a period of time. Bishop Sylvester is the one who made Balapitiya a new Parish. In 1992, January 16, he appointed Fr. J.K. Dalpathado as the first Parish Priest of Balapitiya. The Balapitiya Parish was enriched more by the arrival of the Good Shepherd Sisters. Their Convent was officially declared open on the 23″ of April 1990 by Bishop Sylvester. The Sisters started their Montessori classes for the children of the area. In 2004 the deadly Tsunami devastated the coastline of Sri Lanka and Galle Diocese was affected. Balapitiya was also badly affected. In fact the Church premises were under water. In 2006 the Arklow-Ireland Training Centre was put up with the money coming from Irish donors. It was opened in 2006. This was meant to give training in various subjects like IT especially for the Tsunami affected young people and others also. Fr. Raja Ratnapriya took the lead to put it up but it was directly under the purview of the Bishop.

Since the demand for the above type of institute was diminishing, The Sisters of the Good Shepherd were asked to open up another useful institute for girls only. So on the 7 of January, 2015 The Moswald Educational Institute was opened and is run by Good Shepherd Sisters. Lately, the Don Bosco Philoshopate was shifted to Ahungalle, where they already had the buildings, when the Salesians put up a Technical School for boys, which was closed after sometimes. All in all the Parish of Balapitiya has developed very much. The Church has been renovated and is a bit bigger. The Mission House has been built new behind the Church.