Towards Beatification
When the Church thinks about an alleged holiness of a believer, she searches first of all for the conviction among the contemporaries that the person led a saintly life. If that can be proved, an opinion of holiness –in canonical terms –spontaneously grows out which, in turn, provides foundation to open beatification process.
In the case of Columba Bialecka, a believer, not a martyr of the Church, the process is twofold: first, a proof of the heroic degree of virtues she practiced must be provided, and, second, an indisputable miracle that happened through her intercession must be presented.
As far as the opinion of holiness is concerned, it required to meet three criteria: continuity, spontaneity, and universality:
Continuity: the conviction about one’s holiness exists already during her lifetime; it spreads naturally and deepens after death
Spontaneity: the cult arises logically under the guidance of the Holy Spirit without undo artificial propaganda
Universality: the conviction about holiness includes a significant group of people
The following texts present the natural course of events which allowed the conviction about holiness of Columba Bialecka to grow.