Nun’s Body Remains Undecayed Four Years after Her Death; Devotees Call It ‘Miracle In Missouri’

The town of Missouri is in the news owing to a miraculous event. Many people are flocking to a monastery in the town to see sister Wilhelmina Lancaster's exhumed body as per a report in Guardian. 

The catholic nun’s body has been found intact nearly four years after her death. According to the Catholic News Agency, the sister died on May 29, 2019 at the age of 95. She was buried in a wooden coffin. Her body was exhumed on May 18, 2023 in order to move it to its final resting place in a monastery chapel. 

Surprisingly, it was found that the body was not decayed even though it was not embalmed. The body was “incorrupt” which in catholic tradition refers to preservation of the body from normal decay. 

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster was the founder of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles.

The diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph has issued a statement on this discovery. 

“The condition of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster has understandably generated widespread interest and raised important questions,” the diocese said. “At the same time, it is important to protect the integrity of the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina to allow for a thorough investigation… Bishop [James] Johnston invites all the Faithful to continue praying during this time of investigation for God’s will.”

According to the statement from the diocese “incorruptibility” is very rare and a “well established process to pursue sainthood.”

As the news of the nun’s intact body began spreading, people began flocking to the monastery to see her.  A sign board next to the body reads, “Please be gentle with touching sister's body, especially her feet.”

Some experts believe that it is not uncommon for bodies to remain well preserved in the first few years after death. 

Associate Professor and Director of Forensic Anthropology Nicholas V Passalacqua told CNN, “It's hard to say how common this is because bodies are rarely exhumed after burial. But there are many famous cases of well-preserved human remains. Not just things like Egyptian mummies which were intentionally preserved, but also things like the Bog Bodies of Europe which were very well preserved for thousands of years because they were in environments with low oxygen that restricted bacterial growth and access to the remains to scavengers.”

Investigation on this case is underway. According to the Catholic News Agency the body will be laid out in the sisters’ chapel until May 29. The body will then be encased in glass near the altar of St.Joseph for the devotees. Some believers describe the event as a “miracle in Missouri.”