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The mystery surrounding the body of a nun from Missouri who was buried five years ago is growing: “This is highly untypical”
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The mystery surrounding the body of a nun from Missouri who was buried five years ago is growing: “This is highly untypical”

According to the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, a team of experts could not explain why a nun from Missouri who died in 2019 did not decompose.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles, died on May 29, 2019. When her body was exhumed in April 2023, it was found to be remarkably well preserved, despite being unembalmed and buried in an open wooden coffin.

The discovery aroused great interest and sparked a pilgrimage to the small town of Gower, Missouri, where Lancaster’s body was put on public display.

Bishop James V. Johnston commissioned a team of medical experts to investigate the case. After a thorough examination, the team concluded that Lancaster’s condition was “highly atypical” for the period since her death.

“Based on what was observed during this time, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s body does not appear to have undergone the decomposition that would normally be expected under such burial conditions,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph said in a statement posted on the diocese’s website.

The mystery surrounding the body of a nun from Missouri who was buried five years ago is growing: “This is highly untypical”

A team of experts could not explain why a Missouri nun who died in 2019 did not decompose, said the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles, died on May 29, 2019. When her body was exhumed in April 2023, it was found to be remarkably well preserved, despite being unembalmed and buried in an open wooden coffin.

In addition to examining her body, “the team inspected the coffin and conducted interviews with eyewitnesses to the events immediately prior to the burial in 2019 and the exhumation in April 2023,” he said.

“In the final report, the investigative team noted that the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s body during the examination was notable for showing no signs of decomposition,” Johnston said.

Although the lining of the coffin was “completely decayed,” Lancaster’s habit and other clothing “showed no signs of damage,” Johnston said.

“The investigation team was only able to conduct a limited examination but nevertheless concluded that ‘the condition of her body is highly atypical for the period of almost four years since her death, particularly given the environmental conditions and the findings in the associated objects,'” he said.

“The report also found that the circumstances surrounding Sister Wilhelmina’s death and burial did not constitute protection from decomposition,” he continued.

Pictured: People pray over the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster at the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles on Sunday, May 28, 2023

Pictured: People pray over the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster at the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles on Sunday, May 28, 2023

Although soil tests did not find any unusual elements that would prevent decomposition, experts could not provide a clear explanation for the phenomenon.

In the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox tradition, the preservation of a body after death is referred to as “incorruption.”

Although Lancaster is not officially considered “incorruptible,” her case raises questions about the cause of death and the possibility of miracles.

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, the religious order founded by Lancaster, told Fox New Digital they were “very edified” by the continued interest in their foundress and “look forward to initiating the canonization process when the time is right.”

The nun’s remains are kept in a glass case in the monastery church and can be viewed daily, according to the monastery’s website.

People wait to see the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster at the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles on Sunday

People wait to see the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster at the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles on Sunday

Pictured: People collect soil from the tomb of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster in the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Sunday, May 28, 2023

Pictured: People collect soil from the tomb of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster in the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Sunday, May 28, 2023

“In the meantime, we are happy to continue to welcome daily guests seeking their intercession,” the statement said. The statement noted that those who have asked for intercession have given “many testimonies of healing and grace.”

“(We) are so grateful to God for the ongoing witness (Lancaster) gives to our community, the church and the world,” they said.

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