The body of a nun named Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died in May 2019 at the age of 95, has been exhumed in Gower, Missouri, and showed zero signs of decomposition. Now, many devout Catholics are flocking to the town the view the body, with it being believed by some that the occurrence is holy in nature.
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The Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, a group founded by Lancaster close to 30 years ago, originally dug up the Sister’s coffin in order to have it placed under an altar at the convent’s chapel. However, they were shocked to find that the beloved nun’s body, including her sock-clad feet, was fully intact.
Nun’s Body Fully Intact After Being Buried in 2019
One of the Sisters told Newsweek, “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.” However, the Sisters soon saw that the body’s foot was visible through a crack, and seemed to show zero sign of decay. This revelation caused the nuns to open the coffin, only to discover the body of Lancaster was not decomposed in the slightest, even though they were informed the coffin would just contain skeletal remains.
One anonymous nun explained, “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.”
After cleaning the body, the convent put it up on display, due to the fact that a body not decomposing, especially that of a religious figure, is a sign of holiness. Now, people from all over the country are able to come and see the miraculous occurrence.
A pilgrim from Kansas City named Mary Lou Enna was overcome with emotion when she viewed the body of Lancaster. Enna said, “It was beautiful. At first, it was just a little unreal. But then as I just gazed at her, tears started coming and I just knew it was for real and very, very meaningful.”
