A team of experts could not determine why the Missouri nun who died in 2019 had not decomposed, the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph announced Thursday.
“Within the limits of what has been observed at this time, the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster does not appear to have undergone the decomposition that would normally be expected in the previous burial conditions,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. . Joseph said in a statement published on the website of the diocese.
Lancaster, who took the religious name “Sister Wilhelmina of the Most Holy Rosary,” was the founder Benedictine Mary, Queen of the ApostlesCatholic religious order. He died on May 29, 2019, at the age of 95.
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Almost four years later, on April 28, 2023, his body was buried to be reburied in the new altar built by the nuns. After being exhumed, she was found to be in “excellent condition” despite not being embalmed and buried in an unsealed wooden casket, as Fox News Digital reported at the time.
News of the discovery spread, prompting thousands of people to descend on the small town of Gower, Missouri, in May 2023 to pay their respects and view Wilhelmina’s body in what pilgrims at the time called a “miracle of our time.”
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In the statement, Johnston said he “dispatched a team of local medical experts to conduct an examination and evaluation of Sister Wilhelmina’s body” less than a month after it was discovered that she had largely not decomposed in the four years since her death.
The team, Johnston said, “was led by a pathologist, who was assisted by two other medical doctors and a former Missouri county coroner.”
In addition to examining the body, “the team examined the coffin, and interviews were conducted with eyewitnesses about the events before the burial in 2019 and the exhumation in April 2023,” he said.
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“In the final report, the investigative team noted that the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s body during the examination was significant because no features of decomposition were detected,” Johnston said.
And while the lining of the casket was “completely damaged,” Lancaster’s habit and other clothing “did not show any features of damage,” Johnston said.
“The investigation team could only conduct a limited examination but still concluded that ‘the condition of the body is unusual for an interval of almost four years since the death, mainly due to the environmental conditions and findings in related objects,'” he said.
“The report also noted that the history related to the death and interment of Sister Wilhelmina did not reflect the conditions that would be expected to protect it from decomposition,” he said.
Soil tests also found “no unusual elements” that would have prevented decomposition of the unembalmed body, Johnston said.
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In Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Traditionit has been found that some people do not decay as expected after death.
This is called “incorruptibility,” according to the Catholic Answers website.
“Just as the Father did not allow the body of Jesus to undergo corruption while in the tomb (see Acts 1:27), God provided that the physical remains of some faithful people will not undergo physical corruption,” the site said.
Lancaster has not been designated as “incorrupt,” because the Catholic Church does not have an official protocol for labeling a deceased person as incorrupt, Johnston said in the statement.
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The bishop noted that “incorruptibility is not considered an indication of holiness,” and “there is no current plan to initiate a cause for sainthood for Sister Wilhelmina.”
In the Catholic Church, a person usually has to be dead for at least five years before the official cause for canonization can begin, according to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Lancaster has been dead for just over five years.
“The condition of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster has clearly attracted a lot of interest and raised important questions,” Johnston said. “I pray that Sister Wilhelmina’s story continues to open hearts to love God and Our Lady.”
Last year, after the discovery and subsequent media attention about the founder, the Benedictine Mary, Queen of the Apostles, posted a lengthy statement on her website about her legacy before and after her death.
“Regarding what appears to be the preservation of the Sister’s body, we are given the opportunity to think about the great gifts that God gives us every day, especially those that are literally hidden from our eyes,” the statement said.
“We believe that even though the life and death of Sr. Wilhelmina is a miracle, it points the way to the Almighty God, that what is left still leads to His Resurrection and the life of glory that awaits us.”
Lancaster’s remains are placed in a glass case in the abbey church. He can be seen every day, the monastery’s website says.
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In a statement given to Fox News Digital by the Benedictine Mary, Queen of Apostles, the nuns said they were “greatly raised by the constant interest in our foundress, Sister Wilhelmina, to witness the passion she inspired by drawing souls closer to Christ.”
The nuns added they “hope to start the canonization process when the time is right.”
“In the meantime, we are happy to continue to welcome visitors every day who ask for her intercession,” the statement said, noting that there have been “many testimonies of healing and great grace” caused by Lancaster’s intercession.
“(We) thank God very much for the constant witness that (Lancaster) has given to the community, the Church and the world,” he said.
Original article source: Diocese of Missouri provides update on exhumed nun whose body is intact: ‘Very atypical’