*Even though it’s not a living miracle, to a lot of people that fact doesn’t matter. They’re flocking to see the so-called “Miracle in Missouri.”
In the town of Gower, in rural Missouri at the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles Monastery, the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died at age 95 in 2019, was exhumed so it can be moved to its final resting place inside the monastery chapel, according to the Catholic News Agency.
When the coffin was unearthed, Lancaster’s body was apparently “incorrupt,” which in Catholic tradition refers to the preservation of the body from normal decay.
The remains were intact even though the body had not been embalmed and was in a wooden coffin, according to the news outlet. To a lot of people, this is nothing short of a miracle.
Nun’s body exhumed 4 years after death and shows no signs of decay. People are claiming its a real life “miracle”
“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 nun… pic.twitter.com/LuUHLqv9bN
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) May 25, 2023
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 mortal 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.”
The statement from the diocese notes “Incorruptibility” is very rare, and a “well-established process to pursue the cause for sainthood,” but the process has not begun in Lancaster’s case.
The Catholic News Agency reports that more than 100 incorruptible bodies have been canonized – their bodies defying the decaying process. In Catholicism, incorruptible saints give witness to the truth of the resurrection and life that is to come.
According to experts, it is not necessarily uncommon for bodies to remain well-preserved, especially in the first few years after death. Here’s what Western Carolina University Associate Professor and Director of Forensic Anthropology Nicholas V. Passalacqua told CNN in an email:
“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.”
Sister Wilhelmina’s body will be laid out in the sisters’ chapel at the monastery she co-founded when she was 70, until May 29, when the sisters plan a rosary procession. After the procession, the late nun’s body will be encased in glass near the altar of St. Joseph in the chapel in order to welcome devotees.
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