TRINCOMALEE, DIOCESE OF. - It is located on the island of Ceylon.
On 3 Dec. 1838 the vicariate of Ceylon was erected: later, on 17 Feb. 1845, its division into the two vicariates of Colombo and Jaffna was deliberated, and then confirmed in 1848. On 20 Apr. 1883, by detachment from the special vicariate of Colombo, the special vicariate of Kandy was erected. In 1886 the diocese of Colombo was elevated to an archdiocese and Kandy and Jaffna were constituted suffragan dioceses. In 1893, from the territory of Jaffna, at the same time as that of Galle, formed by detachment from Colombo, the diocese of T. was dismembered, entrusted to the Society of Jesus and declared a suffragan of the archdiocese of Colombo. It borders on the Indian Ocean and the dioceses of Jaffna, Kandy and Galle.
The most recent statistics (1952) give the following data: area 5048 sq. km., pop. 297,500, of whom 19,572 Catholics, 2500 Protestants, 121,000 Muslims, 128,400 Hindus and 26,000 Buddhists. The diocese is divided into 3 districts or rural vicariates with 13 parishes, 53 churches and 41 chapels. There are 15 diocesan priests, 23 regulars; 4 male religious communities and 5 female; educational institutions 49, charitable institutions 7; 2 seminaries. The diocese also possesses a printing press, where, among other things, the periodical Singing Fish is printed with a circulation of 550 copies. Flourishing are the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul, the associations of Catholic Action, the Legion of Mary, etc. The episcopal residence is in the city of Batticaloa.