St. Helena was a precongregation
saint, we are only aware of one miracle in which St. Helena was involved. While in the Holy Land on a pilgrimage to find the sites made holy by Our Lord, she uncovered 3 crosses buried in an abandoned quarry. She knew one of the crosses was that on which our Lord suffered and died and that the other two were of the criminals who died on either side of Our Lord. However, which was the True Cross? She had a woman brought to her who was suffering from some life-threatening illness. She had the woman touched with the wood of each cross. Nothing happened until the third cross touched her when she was miraculously healed. Helena now knew which was the True Cross of Our Lord.
Helena died and was proclaimed a saint by the early Christian community. At that time local bishops could declare a saint. Today, all petitions for sainthood must be investigated by the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome and a number of postmortem miracles investigated. Since Helena was 'precongregational' no miracles were investigated. Today only the pope can declare a saint and only after the Congregation investigates each candidate.
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