Mother Gertrude Perera our beloved Co-foundress and the first Superior General of our Congregation hails from a fervent Catholic family in Kandy. Her father K.D. Lawrence Perera was a God-fearing person and her mother Christina Perera was a holy prayerful lady. Being extraordinarily pious, this family had given two priestly vocations – Rev. Fr. Jerome Perera of the Diocese of Kandy and Rev. Fr. Dom Justus Perera OSB, and one to religious life. The youngest of the family Imelda, first saw the light of day on the 28th of October 1894 in the God centred beautiful surrounding. She received the waters of baptism on the 1st of December of the same year. She schooled at St. Agnes, Matale.
As young Imelda grew, her love for the Sacred Heart had, over the years, grown into a desire to dedicate her life entirely to Him. This desire became stronger and clearer as she reached the age of eighteen and it gave her the courage and determination to face the opposition of her brother-in-law, Mr. Gregory Silva who took her under his patronage as his own daughter and was very fond of her. She took a bold and decisive step even at the risk of infuriating the brother-in-law and entered the novitiate on 15th January 1913, while the Congregation was still in its infancy. Her irrevocable determination to belong to Jesus and to Him alone was seen in her from the initial stage of her religious life. She made her First Profession on 11th December 1915 and her Perpetual Profession on 8th January 1921.
Being a man of God our beloved Father Founder was endowed with deep faith and great vision and foresight. He had seen in the young professed, Sister Gertrude, her ability to grasp his vision for the new Congregation. When in 1923 the Congregation was made independent he chose her to be the leader of the first Community in Ganegama. Leaving behind an inheritance of simplicity and holiness of life, the spirit of poverty, obedience and zeal for the spreading of God’s Kingdom, and a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, our beloved Father and Founder went to his eternal reward nine months after making the Congregation independent.
As he foresaw Mother Gertrude had grasped his vision in 1942, she was appointed as the Directress of Novices. During this period several young girls from various parts of the country applied and were admitted to the novitiate. The Congregation began to grow steadily. Financially we were not very stable at that time, but as superior, she managed to feed and clothe the sisters without their being in want of the necessities and she was even able to help the poor. Her novices were astounded as to how she was able to provide so lovingly and generously for the needs of each and every member, when the finances were extremely low. The secret was simple. It was her total dependence in the Divine Providence and humble acceptance of her poverty.
In April 1933 at the very first General Chapter she was elected as the first Superior General of our little Congregation. As Mother had not yet completed the required age for the office, Bishop had to get the confirmation from Rome. This was granted readily and she assumed duties as the first Superior General of the Congregation. In April 1939 at the second General Chapter she was elected for the second term of office.
The main concern of Mother Gertrude was the spiritual growth of the Sisters. Mother Gertrude spoke about the family spirit and she toiled hard to foster this spirit. Her deep faith and childlike trust in providence however, always sustained her in difficult circumstances in which she found herself. Her unbounded charity had its source in the vivifying love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Being impelled by this love, she went out to the weak, the erring and the fallen. Inspired by the image of the Good Shepherd she went after the lost. Like Him, she would seek out and find them.
Mother Gertrude was a “Gentle Woman” in every sense of the word. She never sought the limelight, but did everything in a hidden and unassuming way. On the 15th of December 1971 she gave up her beautiful soul to the embrace of her Beloved Master, with the words ‘O Sacred Heart’.