A special Thanksgiving Mass was held on October 23 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Jaffna to celebrate the canonization of Sister Maria Troncatti of the Salesian Don Bosco Congregation, who was declared a saint by Pope Leo XIV on October 19.
The celebration was organized by the Salesian Sisters from the convents of Jaffna, Urumpirai, Maniyandottam, and Omanthai, under the leadership of Sister Lasar Maria Nirmala, the Congregation’s representative in Sri Lanka.
The Holy Mass was presided over by the Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin Gnanapragasam. Among those present were Rev. Fr. Josephdas Jebaratnam, Vicar General of the Jaffna Diocese; Rev. Fr. Paul Jeyanthan Pachek, Provincial Superior of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate; priests, sisters, and the faithful who gathered in thanksgiving and joy.
Sister Maria Troncatti was born on February 16, 1883, in Cordenno, Golk, Italy. She joined the Salesian Sisters congregation in 1905 and took her first vows in 1908.In 1922, she was sent as a missionary to Ecuador, where she dedicated more than four decades to serving indigenous communities through education, healthcare, and spiritual ministry. She died in a plane crash on August 25, 1969. Sister Maria Troncatti was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012 and canonized by Pope Leo XIV on October 19, 2025.
