The Western Province of Sri Lanka is now the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation’s administrative and business centre. The western province of Sri Lanka in 1861 had the area of 3,820 square miles and its inhabitants were 595,000. The mission of Siyane Korale was in the Western Province, one of the six administrative provinces in then Ceylon. The Apostolic Vicariate of the South or of Colombo comprised of the Southern, Western, and Central Provinces in 1861.
The mission of Siyane Korale covered the large area between the old Negombo and old Kandy roads. At the East of Colombo after the great old bridge of Kelani river there opened out two main roads, one towards the North which led to Negombo through Alutkuru Korale, and the other towards the East, turning somewhat to the South, which led to Kandy and to the whole Central Province. The territory that lied on both sides of the road formed the then Province of Siyane Korale, which gave the name to the whole mission. The northern border of it was with the Mission of Alutkuru Korale; on the South and South-West it had the Kelani river and the Mission of Hewagam Korale; on the West it had Colombo and on the East the Central Province or the Mission of Kandy.
According to the Ecclesiastical Returns of the Southern Vicariate for 1852, there were twelve centres that formed this mission. They were Peilyagoda, two churches of Botale, Henderamulla, Kirimetiyagara, Dalugama, Kelaniya, Pamunuwila, Moragoda, Miriswatte, Weliveriya, and Beridivatte. There were altogether 4679 catholic people in the mission in the same year. The inhabitants were mostly Sinhala people; hence there were few Tamils also.
Bishop Eugene de Mazenod at the request of Propaganda Fide sent four Oblates to the Vicariate Apostolic of the South in 1851. It was the first group of Oblates to be sent to the Southern (Colombo) Vicariate. They were placed under the jurisdiction of Bishop Giuseppe Maria Bravi, a Sylvestrine, the Apostolic Vicar of Colombo, whereas the Oblates who were already working since 1847 in the North were under the jurisdiction of Bishop Orazio Bettachini, an Oratorian, the Apostolic Vicar of Jaffna. But both groups had Fr. Étienne Semeria, o.m.i. as their Religious Superior.
Fr. Dominique Pulicani, o.m.i. sooner he arrived to Sri Lanka he was sent to the mission of Siyane Korale. It was a new land, new people, and new language. He applied himself arduously to the study of the Sinhala language. Thus he was soon able to hear confessions and devoted himself with great zeal to exercise other ministries. He wrote to his superior Fr. Semeria in 1853, ‘‘God grant that I may never prove myself unworthy of my vocation which I cherish so much. It is splendid, consoling, to announce the Gospel to the poor, to feed the lambs of Christ with the word of God and the Sacraments, to guard them against ravening wolves, namely, false teachers; to plant the Cross in countries where our Lord Jesus Christ is yet unknown – what an admirable ministry in the sight of angels and men! The first year of my apostolate in Ceylon God was pleased to encourage me by granting me the happiness of baptizing 72 adults, Protestants or Buddhists; in the year that has just elapsed I baptized 47. I hope to be more fortunate this year because I shall make still more efforts in order to render myself worthy of my vocation and to second the designs of mercy which God has concerning His people whom He has redeemed with His precious Blood. In the foreign missions it is necessary to be saintly; without this all the preach necessary to be saintly; without this all the preaching and exhortations will be velut aes sonans aut cymbalum tinniens” (like a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal); Protestants and Buddhists will listen to you, they will perhaps admire you, but you will not arrive at any result.”.
After a short stay for two years at Siyane Korale, Fr. Pulicani was transferred to another mission in 31 August 1853. After a few years later again in 1861 he came to this mission for a year in 1861. He was the only Oblate who made his presence in this mission until 1866.
At the beginning of 1866, the General Administration of the Oblates decided to pull out the Oblates serving in the Vicariate of Colombo and sent them to join the Oblates in the Vicariate of Jaffna. Thus, all the three Oblates left the vicariate. Again it was in 1883 when Propaganda Fide entrusted the vicariate of Colombo to Oblates and transferred Bishop Ernest Christophe Bonjean, o.m.i. from Jaffna to the vicariate, Oblates came again and extended their services in most parts of the vicariate.
According to the report of Bishop Bravi, on 06 September 1858, on his Pastoral Visitation, this mission had 15 churches or congregations scattered here and there. The Catholic population numbered about 5000.
Jerome Velichor, o.m.i.
