Harold de Soysa

Who is Harold de Soysa?

Charles Harold Wilfred de Soysa MA was the first Ceylonese Anglican Bishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Born to Sir Wilfred and Evelyn, Lady de Soysa, he was educated at Royal College, Colombo and graduated from Oriel College, Oxford obtaining Second Class Honours in Theology. Thereafter he was trained for Ordination at Cuddesdon College.

After working in England for a short period, he returned to Ceylon to serve in Kandy and Moratuwa. He was the Principal of the Colombo Divinity School, and during this time he was made the Archdeacon of Colombo. He was one of only two Bishops of Colombo to be elected uncontested and was the first Ceylonese Bishop of Colombo.

He played a very important role in the Church Union and the Ecumenical Movement. In fact, his work in this area, was so well recognised that he was part of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Anglican Roman Catholic conversations.

He was instrumental in the construction of the Anglican cathedral.