CV NEWS FEED // The investigation into Helena of Gonawila, the first Sri Lankan on the path to sainthood, has taken a significant step forward with the Feb. 9 completion of the diocesan phase of her beatification process.
Bishop Don Wimal Siri Jayasuriya of the diocese of Chilaw officially submitted the results of the diocesan inquiry into Helena’s sanctity to the Holy See, marking the end of the local phase of her beatification process, Asia News reported. The process will now continue in Rome.
Born in Gonawila on March 18, 1849, Helena dedicated her life to Christ and endured the pain of the stigmata from the age of 22. She had asked the Lord to let her share in His suffering, hoping to bring about the redemption and conversion of her father and brother, who were Buddhists.
Helena passed away Feb. 8, 1931, and was declared a Servant of God in 2016.
The ceremony concluding the diocesan phase of the investigation took place during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Jayasuriya, where he highlighted Helena’s life as a powerful witness. Despite her inability to read or write during her lifetime, Helena left behind a “divine message” for the faithful, according to the bishop.
“[W]hile we pray to be freed from pain, to be healed from illness, to receive joy instead of tears, the servant of God Helena reminds us that to be a disciple of Jesus also means to share in the suffering and pain of Christ,” Bishop Jayasuriya said in his homily. “She bore the wounds on her body with patience, without complaining.”
Cicily Kanthi Perera, a resident of Jaela who credits Helena with her complete recovery from cancer, expressed her joy at the progress of the beatification process.
According to a separate report from Asia News, another miracle attributed to Helena’s intercession involved a Buddhist child who was healed of the inability to speak.