Story
by Sheila Flynn
Thousands were flocking to
Missouri over Memorial Day weekend to view – and possibly touch – the
preserved body of an exhumed Catholic nun before she is interred in a
glass case for display at the abbey she founded.
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died in 2019 at the age of 70, was the
founder of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, established in
rural Gower in 1995. Her remains were exhumed last month in preparation
for construction of a planned St Joseph Shrine to her within the abbey’s
oratory.
Her fellow sisters had “been told to expect bones in the highly moist
clay of Missouri, as she was buried in a simple wooden coffin without
any embalming whatsoever four years ago,” the abbey said in a statement
on their website.
Instead, the nun’s religious habit and body –which had not been embalmed
– were almost perfectly preserved, despite the fact that Sister
Wilhelmina had not been embalmed.
“The discovery of what appeared to be an intact body and a perfectly
preserved religious habit created an unexpected twist to our plans,” the
congregation wrote. “We had no intent to make the discovery so public,
but unfortunately, a private email was posted publicly, and the news
began to spread like wildfire. However, God works in mysterious ways,
and we embrace His new plan for us.”
Hordes descended upon rural Gower following the news, with an average of
200 vehicles per hour arriving the abbey’s property on Sunday, Clinton
County Sheriff Larry Fish said in a Facebook update – adding that he
expected 15,000 people by the end of the day.
The abbey warned that the morning of Memorial Day would mark the final
opportunity to take dirt from the nun’s grave; later in the day, a
rosary procession would be held, following which her body would be
placed under glass in the St Joseph Shrine.
In the Catholic Church, a body that does not decompose naturally as
expected – such as Sister Wilhelmina’s reportedly hasn’t – can be
considered “incorrupt” and a sign of sanctity on the possible journey to
sainthood.
“The only incorrupt remains considered extraordinary and thereby
miraculous would be those which had not undergone some preservation
process but had retained their lifelike color, freshness and flexibility
for many years after death,” the Catholic Education Resource Center
explains on its website. “Spiritually, such a sign is indicative of the
person’s mortal remains being prepared for the glorious resurrection of
the body.
“Although the Church is very reluctant to accept incorruptibility as a
miracle in itself, it nevertheless does testify to the holiness of the
person.”
There has been no official determination that Sister Wilhelmina’s
remains are “incorrupt,” however, nor is there any cause underway for
the nun’s canonization, the Catholic News Agency reported Sunday.
“The local ordinary, Bishop Vann Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas
City-St. Joseph, who has visited the monastery to see Sister
Wilhelmina’s remains, has said that a ‘thorough investigation’ is needed
to answer ‘important questions’ raised by the state of her body, but
there has been no word if and when such an analysis might take place,”
CNA reported.
Addressing the investigation question, the abbey’s sisters wrote: “The
relics of a person are exhumed in the ordinary course of action for the
opening of the causes of saints, leading many to believe that such a
cause has been or will be opened.
“As this is not the case, we continue on with a simple reinterment of
our foundress, and are seeking advice on a possible opening of a cause
in the future, especially as Sister has not yet reached the required
minimum of five years since death in order to begin. Initial statements
regarding Sister’s extraordinary physical state have already been
procured, but we acknowledge that further studies must be done later, in
an official capacity.
“While we can attest to Sister’s personal sanctity, we know that
incorruptibility is not among the official signs taken by the Church as
a miracle for sainthood, and that all things must be subjected to
further scrutiny, especially by the competent authorities in the medical
field. The life itself and favors received must be established as proof
of holiness.”
