Nun’s body was found intact after death. Hundreds of visitors are rushing to a monastery in a small Missouri town to see an exhumed body that was discovered nearly four years after her death, according to the Guardian.
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died on May 29, 2019, at the age of 95, and was buried in a wooden casket, according to the Catholic News Agency. According to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph established the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles order in 1995. On May 18, 2023, her body was unearthed so that it may be transported to its last resting place in a monastery chapel, as is customary for founders.
Upon opening the coffin, the sisters were stunned to find that the exhumed body had no signs of decay. The body of the nun was covered in a layer of mold. Despite the dampness, little of her body disintegrated during the four years.
“We were told by cemetery personnel to expect just bones in the conditions, as Sister Wilhelmina was buried without embalming and in a simple wood coffin,” one of the sisters, who asked to be anonymous, told Newsweek.
“The dirt that fell in early on had pushed down on her facial features, especially the right eye, so we did place a wax mask over it. But her eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, nose, and lips were all present, her mouth just about to smile,” the sister added.
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A body that resists natural decomposition after death is termed incorrupt in Catholicism, and “incorruptible saints give witness to the truth of the resurrection of the body and the life that is to come,” according to the Catholic News Agency.
As word spread, people began rushing to the nunnery to see her remains, dubbed the ”wonder of Missouri” by many. A note near the body reads, “Please be gentle with touching sister’s body, especially her feet.”
As Nun’s body was found intact after death, meanwhile, the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph issued a statement about the 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 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.”’
Some experts have said it isn’t uncommon for bodies to remain well-preserved in the first few years after death.
Speaking to CNN, Western Carolina University Associate Professor and Director of Forensic Anthropology Nicholas V Passalacqua said, “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.”
The body will be on display till May 29 after which it will be encased in glass in the chapel.
