After being buried in Missouri since 2019, a Catholic nun’s body was discovered there, and thousands of devotees have begun to gather to see it. It showed no symptoms of deterioration.
The pristine remains of sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who passed away in May 2019 at the age of 95, has drawn a long line of devoted Catholics to Gower, some 40 miles north of Kansas City. Some have referred to this as a miracle proof of sainthood.
According to Ashlie Hand, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, the abbey now sees about 1,000 people per day, up from little more than 20 visits per day prior.
They were getting roughly 1,000 visitors every day as of Tuesday. I believe that it is likely much higher at this time. Over the holiday weekend, it’s anticipated that the crowd will increase, Hand told Fox4.
Up to 20,000 guests might come to the monastery over the weekend, according to Hand.
The number of people has increased to the point where the police have installed a mobile command center and freed more space for parking. According to Fox 4, on Saturday, the road in front of the monastery, 316th Street, also changed to a one-way street for vehicles traveling from west to east.
Visitors are welcome to touch Lancaster’s body and offer prayers while they are allowed to view her body in a public place. It is open for visits from 8 am to 8 pm.
Visitors will still be able to see the nun and explore the site after May 29, but they won’t be able to touch her body because it will be protected by glass.
A glass casket containing Lancaster’s body would be positioned close to the altar to “welcome her growing number of devotees.”
Visitors can be seen stroking Lancaster’s hands and face, which are both smeared in wax, in photos that were shot at the scene and posted online. After the nun was discovered unharmed, her face and hands were covered with a wax mask.
‘Please be gentle when touching sister’s body, especially her feet,’ reads a notice next to the body, which is encircled by flowers.
The church authorities declared that they are looking into Lancaster’s case since, although it is not always a guarantee, incorruptibility can be a proof of sainthood.
According to Newsweek, on May 22, Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph issued a statement outlining the necessity “to protect the integrity of the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina in order to permit for a thorough investigation.”
The case has not yet been deemed miraculous by the church, but the bishop ‘is striving to establish a rigorous process for determining the nature of the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s remains,’ according to the statement.
Although it has been proven in the past, incorruptibility is extremely uncommon. The process for pursuing sainthood is well-established, although it has not yet been started in this case.
The body of Lancaster was first interred outside the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles Monastery, but it had to be dug up and moved inside the chapel to a more suitable grave.
The nun was buried without having her body embalmed at the time of Lancaster’s passing, and her casket was built of plain wood without an external coating. Workers discovered a totally intact corpse instead of the boned body they had anticipated.
Mother Cecilia, the convent’s abbess, spoke of the acts the sisters had taken after seeing Lancaster’s whole corpse, as reported by Newsweek.
What to Do With an Incorrupt Body Cannot Be Googled. Since her face essentially had a thick mold mask covering it, she explained, “we started with the basics, just cleaning her with hot water.”
“Bishop Johnston invites all the Faithful to continue praying during this time of inquiry for God’s will in the lives of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles; for all women religious; and for all the baptized in our common vocation to holiness, with hope and trust in the Lord.”
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