Gonawala, Kelaniya — It is with profound sorrow that the Tulana Research Centre announces the passing of its revered founder and Director, Rev. Fr. Aloysius Pieris, S.J. A globally distinguished Sri Lankan Asian Jesuit theologian, Indologist, and Buddhist scholar, Fr. Aloy passed away at his Tulana residence on the morning of Sunday, March 22, 2026, following a long illness. He was 90 years old.
Born on April 9, 1934, Fr. Aloysius was a towering figure in both religious and academic communities. In 1974, mandated by his Superiors, he founded the Tulana Research Centre for Encounter and Dialogue. Named after the Sanskrit word for “discernment”—the act of elevating, weighing, comparing, and deciding for the weightier things—Tulana was born as a response to the philosophical depth of Sri Lankan Buddhism and the socio-political struggles of marginalized rural youth.
Under his unwavering leadership for over five decades, Tulana blossomed into a multifaceted sanctuary. It became a “mini-university” for local and international scholars, a retreat for spiritual accompaniment, a social animation center for activists, and a vital forum for artists. It also became the guardian of the Fr. S. G. Perera Memorial Oriental Library, a crucial intellectual hub for Orientalist, Buddhist, and Catholic historical studies.
Intellectually, Fr. Aloy was a pioneer. Armed with a BA in Pali & Sanskrit from the University of London and a pioneering PhD in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lanka, he became an internationally recognized specialist in Pali and the Abhidhamma. He utilized this deep knowledge to develop his unique and groundbreaking thesis on an “Asian Theology of Liberation,” forged in collaboration with the non-Christian peripheral religious peoples of Asia.
His brilliant mind was sought after worldwide. He held prestigious chairs and professorships at institutions across the globe, including the Washington Theological Union, Union Theological Seminary (New York), Vanderbilt University, and the Gregorian University in Rome. Yet, he remained deeply rooted in Sri Lanka, serving as a thesis director at the University of Kelaniya and co-editing international journals like Dialogue and Vagdevi.
Despite his vast academic accolades, Fr. Aloy often stated that his greatest life’s achievement was not intellectual, but social. In 1982, alongside Rev. Sr. Greta Nalawatta PH, he co-founded the Centre for Education for Hearing Impaired Children (CEHIC). This unique community school has provided free, auditory-verbal education to countless hearing-impaired children, successfully integrating them into the national school system and transforming their lives.
To those who had the privilege of knowing him, Fr. Aloysius Pieris will be remembered for his deep, welcoming humanity, his generosity of spirit, and his embodiment of what he called “Christian Sensuality.” Spending time with Fr. Aloy was always a joy, filled with warmth and laughter. His every waking moment was guided by his belief in God—and for Fr. Aloy, true Faith and the search for Justice were forever inseparable.
His intellectual and spiritual legacy will continue to guide the Tulana Research Centre and inspire generations of scholars, theologians, and seekers of justice around the world.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
