Nun whose physique exhibits little decay since 2019 loss of life attracts crowds to rural Missouri

Hundreds of individuals flocked to a small city in Missouri this week and final to see a nun whose physique has barely decomposed since 2019. Some say it’s an indication of holiness in Catholicism, whereas others say the dearth of decomposition is probably not as uncommon as folks suppose.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster was exhumed in April, in response to a press release from the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Gower, Missouri.

The nuns had been making ready for the addition of a St. Joseph shrine, and that concerned “the reinterment of the remains of our beloved foundress, Sister Wilhelmina,” the assertion mentioned.

When they exhumed Lancaster, they had been informed to count on solely bones, since she had been buried in a easy picket coffin with none embalming 4 years in the past.

Instead, they found an intact physique and “a perfectly preserved religious habit,” the assertion mentioned. The nuns hadn’t meant to publicize the invention, however somebody posted a non-public e-mail publicly and “the news began to spread like wildfire.”

Volunteers and native legislation enforcement have helped to handle the crowds within the city of roughly 1,800 folks, as folks have visited from all around the nation to see and contact Lancaster’s physique.

“It was pretty amazing,” mentioned Samuel Dawson, who’s Catholic and visited from Kansas City together with his son final week. “It was very peaceful. Just very reverent.”

Dawson mentioned there have been a number of hundred folks when he visited and that he noticed many out-of-state automobiles.

Visitors had been allowed to the touch her, Dawson mentioned, including that the nuns “wanted to make her accessible to the public … because in real life, she was always accessible to people.”

The monastery mentioned in a press release that Lancaster’s physique might be positioned in a glass shrine of their church on Monday. Visitors will nonetheless be capable of see her physique and take grime from her grave, however they received’t be capable of contact her.

The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph additionally launched a press release.

“The condition of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster has understandably generated widespread interest and raised important questions,” the diocese mentioned. “At the same time, it is important to protect the integrity of the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina to allow for a thorough investigation.”

“Incorruptibility has been verified in the past, but it is very rare. There is a well-established process to pursue the cause for sainthood, but that has not been initiated in this case yet,” the diocese added.

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, additionally mentioned that Lancaster has not but reached the required minimal of 5 years since loss of life for the sainthood course of to start.

Rebecca George, an anthropology teacher at Western Carolina University in North Carolina, mentioned the physique’s lack of decomposition won’t be as uncommon as persons are anticipating.

George mentioned the “mummification” of un-embalmed our bodies is frequent on the college’s facility and the our bodies might keep preserved for a few years, if allowed to.

Coffins and clothes additionally assist to protect our bodies, she mentioned.

“Typically, when we bury people, we don’t exhume them. We don’t get to look at them a couple years out,” George mentioned. “With 100 years, there might be nothing left. But when you’ve got just a few years out, this is not unexpected.”