Colombo: The Vatican has formally approved processing the cause of Sri Lanka’s first woman candidate for sainthood, whose story was first announced April 6 by Matters India.

The July 3 issue of the country’s Sinhala Catholic weekly “Gnanartha Pradeepaya” reported the Vatican decision to honor the woman stigmatic as Servant of God, the first step leading toward canonization.

This makes Servant of God Helena of Gonawila the third of her country’s candidates lined up for the canonization process.

The first was Father Bastiampillai Anthonypillai Thomas, OMI, who was declared Servant of God in 1996. The revered Tamil priest of Jaffna diocese was the founder of the Rosarian Congregation, which has branches in India and Sri Lanka.

The second was the country’s first native archbishop of Colombo, Thomas Cardinal Cooray, OMI. He was declared Servant of God in 2010.

The progress in the cause of the lay stigmatic, who had died long before the other two Servants of God, follows the interest taken in 2015 by Chilaw diocese’s new head Bishop Valence Mendis.

Noticing popular devotion to her in his diocese, he revived the cause with the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The July 3 issue of “Gnanartha Pradeepaya” reported the Vatican approval as announced at a memorial Mass by the parish priest of Gonawila, where the holy woman’s remains are buried.