GALLE, Diocese of. - On the Island of Ceylon; it comprises two civil provinces, namely the Southern Province and that of Sabaragamuwa. It was erected by a brief of Leo XIII of 16 Aug. 1893, which detached its territory from the archdiocese of Colombo, of which it is a suffragan. It has an area of 10,110 sq. km. and is situated in the central-southern regions of the Ceylonese island. It borders to the south and west on the Indian Ocean, to the north on the archdiocese of Colombo and the diocese of Kandy, to the east on the diocese of Trincomalee. It is entrusted to the Society of Jesus.
The population amounts to 1,708,115 inhabitants (census of 1946), of whom 1,511,000 are Buddhists and are the Sinhalese of Aryan race, who came from northern India, 398,000 are Hindus and are the Tamils, who came from southern India, 38,000 are Muslims and are the Moors of Arab stock, 9,952 are Protestants and 20,206 are Catholics (statistics of 1949). The climate is generally healthy and temperate in the hilly interior, while it is hot and humid in the plains and along the coasts. The soil is for the most part fertile and produces rice, tea, rubber, coconuts, cinnamon and fine woods.
The apostolate is carried on there by 44 priests, of whom 25 are Jesuits and 19 secular; the natives, between secular and regular, number 25. There are moreover 5 Jesuit brothers, all Europeans, 145 sisters of various institutes, among whom almost a third are natives.
Charitable works: 12 orphanages with 500 boys and girls, a hospice for the aged with 21 inmates and two hospitals.
Instruction is given in 15 elementary schools, attended by 2,500 pupils, 31 middle schools with a total of 8,808 students, 8 higher schools with 2,577 young men and 2,052 young women, 8 vocational schools with 212 female pupils.
Ecclesiastically the diocese is divided into 4 districts, 15 parishes, 4 primary stations, 32 secondary stations. There is no seminary. The few young men destined for the priesthood come, in general, from St. Aloysius' College (Galle), directed by the Jesuits, and are sent, for higher studies, to the Pontifical Seminary of Kandy or to the regional Seminary of Trichinopoly (India). At present (1949) the diocese has 7 seminarians studying philosophy and theology.