I'm going to post an article from lifesitenews.com and written by Michael Haynes, Snr. Vatican Correspondent
"GOWER, Missouri (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph has released results of experts’ investigations into the apparently incorrupt remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, concluding that her body shows “a lack of any detected features of decomposition.”
On April 28, 2023 the body of Sr. Wilhelmina of the Most Holy Rosary, foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, was exhumed as the sisters intended to transfer her remains into the abbey church. She had died on May 29, 2019.
Upon being exhumed, Sr. Wilhelmina’s body was discovered to be apparently incorrupt, the current abbess of the community, Mother Cecilia, OSB, told EWTN.
In May last year, an investigation was launched into her remains, at the instigation of Bishop Johnston of the local Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
The diocesan press release issued August 22 details that:
In the final report, the investigative team noted that the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s body during the examination was notable for a lack of any detected features of decomposition. The lining of her casket had completely deteriorated, but her habit and clothing showed no features of breakdown.
The report also noted that the related history of Sister Wilhelmina’s death and interment does not describe conditions that would be expected to protect against decomposition.
READ: Sister Wilhelmina was my first grade religion teacher: Here’s what I remember
Conducting the investigation, according to Johnston, were “a team of local medical experts” led by a pathologist and joined by “two other medical doctors and a former Missouri county coroner.”
“In addition to examining and evaluating the mortal remains of the deceased, the team inspected the casket, and interviews were conducted with eyewitnesses to events immediately preceding the burial in 2019 and the exhumation in April 2023,” Johnston announced.
While the investigation was described as being only “limited,” the investigators nevertheless stated that “the condition of her body is highly atypical for the interval of nearly four years since her death, especially given the environmental conditions and the findings in associated objects.”
As previously reported, Sr. Wilhelmina’s burial had not been conducive to preserving her remains. Her body had not been embalmed and upon exhumation it was discovered that the wooden coffin in which she was buried was cracked, allowing dirt and moisture into the coffin.
The convent stated in 2023 that her body was covered “in a layer of mold that had grown due to the high levels of condensation within the cracked coffin,” but despite this damp state, “little of her body and nothing of her habit disintegrated during the four years.”
Additionally, the sisters revealed last year that “not only was her body in a remarkable preserved condition, her crown and bouquet of flowers were dried in place; the profession candle with the ribbon, her crucifix, and rosary were all intact.”
Johnston’s press release noted that tests had been performed on the soil where her remains had been buried, and that “no unusual elements were found which would have impacted the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s body when it was exhumed.”
“In conclusion,” he stated, “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 have normally been expected under such previous burial conditions.”
What now?
The topic of “an incorruptible” is one on which comparatively little has been written in the Church.
Johnston’s investigation did not directly declare Sr. Wilhelmina to be incorrupt. He further wrote that “the Catholic Church does not have an official protocol for determining if a deceased person’s body is incorrupt, and incorruptibility is not considered to be an indication of sainthood. There is no current plan to initiate a cause for sainthood for Sister Wilhelmina.”
READ: Sister Wilhelmina remains: What does it mean for a body to be ‘incorrupt’?
Since the discovery of her remains, thousands of pilgrims have flocked to the Missouri convent to pray in front of the apparently incorrupt nun. The flourishing yet still young community – whose life is centered on the traditional Mass and Divine Office – have reported that physical healings have taken place in connection with Sr. Wilhelmina.
This new found focus on the convent as a place of pilgrimage and prayer was one which Johnston encouraged. “The condition of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster has understandably generated widespread interest and raised important questions,” he wrote. “I pray that Sister Wilhelmina’s story continues to open hearts to love for Our Lord and Our Lady.”
Although not yet 30 years old, the young community of religious sisters – both in its age and age of its vocations – is over 50-strong, and has now opened two daughter houses, bringing the combined total to over 60 religious. The key to the flourishing order is the traditional Mass, which as the nuns themselves state is “at the heart of our charism.”
In recent months, the sisters have also established a fledgling community in England, accepting an invitation from the Diocese of Birmingham to take over a disused abbey. The former Benedictine house of Colwich Abbey will now be the first international base for the sisters, and a useful location for their growing numbers of international vocations."
RELATED
Mother Abbess on Sister Wilhelmina: ‘Physical healings’ may have miraculously taken place
End of article...
Pray for strength and honor!
Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle...
St. Joseph pray for us!!
Gene DeLalla
