A team of experts was unable to determine why a Missouri nun who died in 2019 had not decomposed, the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph announced on Thursday.
“Within the limits of what has been observed during this time, the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster does not appear to have experienced the decomposition that would normally be expected under such former burial conditions,” Bishop James V. Johnston of the Kansas City-St. . Joseph said in a statement published on the website of the diocese.
Lancaster, of the Most Holy Rosary, foundress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, died on May 29, 2019. She was 95 years old.
Nearly four years later, on April 28, 2023, her body was exhumed to be reburied in a new altar the nuns were building. After her exhumation, she was found to be in an “extremely well-preserved condition” despite not being embalmed and buried in an unsealed wooden coffin, as Fox News Digital reported at the time.
News of this discovery spread, leading to thousands of people descending 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 “modern miracle.”
In the statement, Johnston said he had “commissioned a team of local medical experts to carry out an examination and assessment of Sister Wilhelmina’s body” less than a month after it was discovered that she had not largely decomposed in the four years since her death. .
That team, Johnston said, “was led by a pathologist who was assisted by two other doctors and a former Missouri county comptroller.”
In addition to examining her body, “the team inspected the coffin and conducted interviews with eyewitnesses to the events immediately preceding 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 the lack of any detectable features of decomposition,” Johnston said.
And while the coffin lining was “completely deteriorated,” Lancaster’s habit and other clothing “showed no sign of decay,” Johnston said.
“The investigative team was able to conduct only a limited examination, but nevertheless concluded that “the condition of her body is highly atypical for the nearly four-year interval since her death, especially given the environmental conditions and findings in related facilities,” he said.
“The report also noted that the related story of Sister Wilhelmina’s death and burial did not describe the conditions expected to protect against decomposition,” he continued.
Soil tests also found “no unusual elements” that would prevent decomposition of an unembalmed body, Johnston said.
In the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, it has been found that some people do not decompose as expected after death.
This is called “incorruptibility,” according to the website Catholic Answers.
“Similar to how the Father did not allow Jesus’ body to experience corruption while in the tomb (see Acts 1:27), God provides that the bodily remains of some of his believers will not experience bodily corruption,” the site said. .
Lancaster has not been labeled “incorrupt,” as the Catholic Church does not have an official protocol for labeling a deceased person as incorrupt, Johnston said in his statement.
The bishop noted that “incorruptibility is not considered to be an indicator of sainthood” and “there are no current plans to initiate a canonization cause for Sister Wilhelmina.”
In the Catholic Church, a person must usually be dead for at least five years before an official cause for canonization can be initiated, according to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Lancaster has been dead for just over five years.
“The condition of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s remains has caused widespread interest and raised important questions,” Johnston said. “I pray that Sister Wilhelmina’s story will continue to open hearts to love for our Lord and Lady.”
Last year, following revelations and media attention about their founder, the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles posted a lengthy statement on their website about her legacy before and after her death.
“In what appears to be the miraculous preservation of the sister’s body, we are given the opportunity to contemplate the great gifts that God gives us every day, especially those that are literally hidden from our eyes,” the statement said. theirs.
“We believe that even as Sr. Wilhelmina’s whole life and death was a miracle, pointing the way to Almighty God, that what she has left behind continues to point to His Resurrection and the life of glory that awaits us.”
Lancaster’s remains were placed in a glass case in the abbey church.
Visitors to the abbey can view her remains daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the website of the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles for comment.
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