Sri Lanka

Capital: Colombo

Major Languages: Sinhala, Tamil

Area: 65,610 km2

Population: 21.5 million

HDI Rank: 72 of 189

Major Religion:

Buddhism: 15 million (70.2%)

Other Religions:

Catholic: 1.5 million (7%)

Protestant: 1.6 million (7.4%)

Other: 3.3 million (15.4%)

General Information:

Sri Lanka is known as the ‘The Pearl of the Indian Ocean’. It was occupied by the Portuguese since 1505, the Dutch since 1658 and the British took over in the late 1700s, naming the island Ceylon. Sri Lanka gained independence from Britain in 1948. The Sinhalese make up 3/4th of the population, the rest being the Tamils. The civil war between them caused thousands of deaths, and left lasting scars. The nation is one of the largest producers of tea in the world, and the people love to drink tea. Adam’s Peak is the most sacred mountain. Most popular sport is cricket.

Religious Background:

The Constitution grants freedom of religion to all its citizens. Religion is important to all of Sri Lankans. The majority of Sinhalese generally practice Buddhism, the Tamils who are the second most populous religious group practice Hinduism, and Muslims, who identify as the Sri Lankan Moors, practice Islam. Buddhism was introduced in the country in the 3rd century, and it spread with the aid of the kings in the country. Christian missionaries arrived in the 16th century while Islam was established in the 7th century, with the arrival of Arab traders.

Catholic background:

Sri Lanka was first evangelized by Portuguese Franciscans, but the mission was not systematically organized before 1543. The Franciscans had exclusive charge of Sri Lankan missions until the arrival of the Jesuits in 1602, and of the Dominicans and Augustinians soon after. By the middle of the 17th century there were 170 churches and 120 missionaries on the island. However, the arrival of the Dutch in 1658 led to persecution of the Catholic Church. The Church is composed of one archdiocese, 11 dioceses, 448 parishes. Patron saints: Lawrence of Rome, Thomas.

Prayer Points

1. Sri Lankans to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior

Pray that everyone will get an opportunity to hear the gospel and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

2. Catholics to know Christ

Pray for the salvation of 1.5 million Catholics in Sri Lanka.
Marian devotion is very strong, and most churches have a Lourdes grotto, honoring Mary. Pray that they would embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Ask God to draw the hearts of Catholics to Himself through ways and means that is relevant to them.
Pray for God to liberate Catholics from superstitious beliefs and practices, traditions, dogmas, and any other teachings or doctrines that are unbiblical. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead them to the truth of His word.
Pray for all the Catholics attending the 448 parishes to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Pray for the cardinals, archbishops, bishops, 955 priests, 626 brothers and 2,300 sisters.
Pray for Catholics seeking to know the Lord to be exposed to the gospel in the way they understand.

3. Evangelicals to grow and multiply

Despite aggressive Buddhist proselytism, persecution against Christians and destruction of churches, the Evangelical movement is growing. Pray that Evangelical Christianity will continue to grow in maturity and large numbers. Pray for Evangelical Christians to be trained to share the gospel effectively with the lost.

4. Social evils and issues in the country

There is an increase in alcoholism, suicide, violence, and rape. The civil war has caused deep resentment between the Sinhalese and Tamils, and ethnic prejudice continues. Pray for stability, peace and justice for all ethnic and religious groups.

5. Other Religions

Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam are the main religions of Sri Lanka, with Buddhism being the most dominant. Pray that God will open their spiritual eyes to see the Lord Jesus Christ as the only source of salvation and eternal life and they would put their trust in Him.