Arnolis Weerasooriya was a member of the Weerasooriya family of Dodanduwa and Hikkaduwa, and he is understood to be the first Sinhalese member of the Salvation Army.
14 Facts About Arnolis Weerasooriya
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Arnolis Weerasooriya was the third son of Don David Weerasooriya, and Dona Maria nee Jayawardene, coming from a family of five sons and seven daughters.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya was a bright student; he studied at Trinity College, Kandy and went on to become a teacher at the college, where every Sunday he would take school boarders to St Paul's Church, Kandy for morning and evening services.
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Whilst a student at Trinity College, Arnolis Weerasooriya was hoping to train as a barrister when he met Captain William Gladwin of the Salvation Army who was preaching in Kandy at the time.
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Gladwin and Arnolis Weerasooriya together preached the gospel throughout the island.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya was by now an icon who inspired many other Salvationists throughout the world.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya eventually went to Chennai, India to begin training as an officer before entering the training home in Bombay in November 1883.
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The presence and the testimony of Arnolis Weerasooriya had an impact, resulting in a hundred missionaries volunteering to go to the East, travelling by ship with Arnolis Weerasooriya and Booth-Tucker.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya travelled often to other countries including England but his heart was for service in India.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya is credited with the establishment of the Salvation Army in his home country of Ceylon.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya's commitment resulted in the organization being recognised and accepted broadly.
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Shortly after returning to India with the Jubilee Fifty, Arnolis Weerasooriya went on to serve cholera patients with little regard to his own safety.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya was buried in the Sewri Christian Cemetery in Mumbai.
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Arnolis Weerasooriya was and is an inspiration for those seeking to serve God in India and the rest of Asia.