Holy Cross Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Gampaha, Sri Lanka. It is part of the Archdiocese of Colombo. It is located in town area that everyone can access easily. Most of citizens well known it as the Rock Church because the outer side of the church is made by the Gneiss (hard rocks). The Holy Cross Church is also known as Gal Palliya (Rock Church) in Sinhala language () is composed from 2 words – "Gal", which means "Rock" and "Palliya", which means "Church".
According to the book of The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon by the historian Rev.Fr.Fernao De Queyroz() (1617-1688), there was a church named Holy Cross near the heart of Gampaha town during the Portuguese ruling period in Sri Lanka (1505-1658). That was a sector of the famous Kandyan era and King Rajasingha II (1629-1687) reigned as the third king of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka.
Rev.Fr. Fernao De Queyroz was a Portuguese Christian clergy born at Amarante in Portugal in the Province of Entre Douro e Minho, in 1617. He arrived in Goa, India in 1635. It appears that he began to write the book by about in 1671 and completed in 1686. The written work consisted of six books, but Rev.Fr. S.G.Perera, who translated the book from Portuguese to English, compiled the books into three volumes. The English translation was first published by the Ceylon Government Press, in 1930.
After the period of Portuguese, the “Dutch” who have had control over the parts of Sri Lanka] and against the Catholic and other traditional religions, ruins the church and extorted the land by Dutch Protestants.
Gossip says this forage land formerly known in 1962 as the “Kasadoruge Watta () (State of Kasadoruge)” held by a Ceylon Christian clergy lived in England and it is situated near the Church road that link with the Colombo-Gampaha main road.
In 1906, Italian clergy Rev.Fr.C.Kardano (), who was the parish priest of Kirimatiyagara church, purchased two lands in Gampaha town in different times for construct this holy place of worship. One is brought from so called Mr.Manipeny and located near the Oruthota road that builds an English Training Institute for Teachers in temporary later. That land is beyond the town limits and not satisfied with Fr.Kardano at the moment. Other land is position in between Colombo-Gampaha main road and George Raja Mawatha (King George Lane) [Later: Bauddhaloka Mawatha()] and Fr.Kardano decides this land is also not suitable for a House of God too. Unfortunately those days Reverent Father got Parish Transfer and he leave from the parish.
Holy Cross Church, Gampaha. 033 - 2222186
Count | From | To | Priest |
---|---|---|---|
01 | 1910 | 1922 | Rev.Fr. Gregory Silva |
02 | 1922 | 1934 | Rev.Fr. P.J.Dominic O.M.I. |
03 | 1930 | 1931 | Rev.Fr. Alexis Seru O.M.I. |
04 | 1932 Feb | 1932 Sep | Rev.Fr. J.M.Kerbul O.M.I. |
05 | 1932 | 1933 | Rev.Fr. J.Santhiyago |
06 | 1933 | 1934 | Rev.Fr. D.B.Jakoline |
07 | 1934 | 1935 | Rev.Fr. Joseph Alosius O.M.I. |
08 | 1935 | 1937 | Rev.Fr. A.Godvin Fernando |
09 | 1937 Sep | 1937 Dec | Rev.Fr. Peter Fernando |
10 | 1938 | 1940 | Rev.Fr. A.Marjes O.M.I. |
11 | 1940 | 1941 | Rev.Fr. F.Desigo O.M.I. |
12 | 1941 | 1943 | Rev.Fr. L.M.V.Thomas O.M.I. |
13 | 1943 | 1947 | Rev.Fr. Alias Weerakkodi O.M.I. |
14 | 1947 | 1949 | Rev.Fr. Julius Wijesooriya O.M.I. |
15 | 1949 | 1955 | Rev.Fr. Phillip C. Dissanayake O.M.I. |
16 | 1955 | 1961 | Rev.Fr. J.L.Mikay O.M.I. |
17 | 1961 | 1965 | Rev.Fr. Kingsly Perera O.M.I. |
18 | 1965 | 1966 | Rev.Fr. Emil Perera O.M.I. |
19 | 1966 | 1967 | Rev.Fr. Reginold De Silva O.M.I. |
20 | 1967 | 1971 | Rev.Fr. J.Edwin Fernando |
21 | 1971 Mar | 1971 Jul | Rev.Fr. Stanley Wedasinghe |
22 | 1971 | 1975 | Rev.Fr. Don Tuder Pawulienes O.M.I. |
23 | 1975 | 1976 | Rev.Fr. Patrick M. Fernando |
24 | 1976 | 1979 | Rev.Fr. Don Tuder Pawulienes O.M.I. |
25 | 1979 | 1980 | Rev.Fr. D.A.Dassanayake O.M.I. |
26 | 1980 | 1987 | Rev.Fr. Luwigi Hettiarachchi O.M.I. |
27 | 1987 Mar | 1987 Sep | Rev.Fr. Ernest Premasiri O.M.I. |
28 | 1987 Sep | 1988 Aug | Rev.Fr. Sarath Silva O.M.I. |
29 | 1988 Aug | ..... | Rev.Fr. P.Stanis Lawos O.M.I. |
28 | 2008 Sep | To Present | Rev.Fr. |
There are also other Holy cross churches in the Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka:
Apostolic Blessing certificate from Pope John Paul 2 for 75th Anniversary of Holy Cross Church, Gampaha, Sri Lanka in 1991 for 75th Anniversary of Holy Cross Church, Gampaha, Sri Lanka in 1991]]