At a time when people are desperate for divine intervention, thousands are looking to the exhumed body of a nun that has shown few signs of decomposition four years after she died.
By the thousands, Catholics from all across the country hoping to witness a “miracle” are traveling to a rural Missouri monastery to pray over the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died at age 95 in 2019.
Lancaster was exhumed in April to be put in a new shrine and that’s when it was discovered that her body and clothing were still intact. Worshippers are able to touch the nun’s body, which is coated in a protective wax and displayed inside the chapel of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, according to the New York Post.
Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish shared a Facebook video explaining to local residents that they are seeing increased traffic as a result of the pilgrimage people are making — between 10,000 to 15,000 people were expected over Memorial Day weekend.
“With that sheer amount of people coming onto rural gravel roads that are not designed for that kind of traffic… we’re going to put a very large pressure on our infrastructure that’s not designed for it,” Sheriff Fish cautioned.
Fish asked local residents to try to avoid the area, to be patient, and to slow down while driving. He said they’ll have plenty of help from outside law enforcement agencies to manage the traffic flow and added that the chapel will likely see heavy traffic “for months.”
There were other videos shared on Facebook, including the video below which captures a close-up of the deceased nun.
“I can’t speak to whether her body is technically ‘incorrupt,’ but I can say she doesn’t look like I expected her to look four years after death,” wrote the social media user Joe Heschmeyer.
Rita Cospelich, a visitor from Blue Springs, Missouri, told FOX4, “It just felt like the presence of God was there as soon as I went into the monastery. It’s a true miracle. I really think that. God works in strange ways with miracles.”
News Nation reported that it may be too early to be thinking of sainthood for Sister Wilhelmina.
“The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph says the process of investigation for sainthood has not begun, despite calls from parishioners who say the lack of decomposition is a sign of holiness in Catholicism,” the network reported. “However, experts in anthropology say the clothing and coffin she was laid to rest in could have helped preserve the body.”
The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph is proceeding with caution, according to the Post.
“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.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.