A team of scientists has failed to establish why a Missouri nun who died in 2019 did not decompose. This became public after the bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph made the announcement.
“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,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph said in a statement on the diocesan website.
Lancaster is known by the religious name “Sister Wilhelmina of the Most Holy Rosary.” She founded the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a Catholic religious order. She passed away on May 29, 2019, at the age of 95.
The Miracle of the Missouri Nun
The dead Missouri nun’s body was excavated nearly four years after her death, on April 28, 2023. She is being reburied in a new altar being built by the nuns. According to Fox News Digital, after her exhumation, she was found to be in “remarkably preserved condition” despite not having been embalmed and being buried in an unsealed wooden coffin.
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The discovery spread, resulting in thousands of people flocking to the little town of Gower, Missouri, in May 2023 to revere and observe Wilhelmina’s remains in what pilgrims dubbed a “modern-day miracle.”
Samuel Dawson, 63, and his son were among the many people who came to the little village to see the exhumed body. He grew up as a Sicilian Catholic and said he needed to experience it for himself.
“With all the negativity in the world, it was beautiful to see people from all races from around the country come together in peace,” Dawson remarked about his time there.
Is There a Possibility of Sainthood for the Missouri Nun?
It has been discovered in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions that some persons do not decompose properly after death. The Catholic Answers website describes this as “incorruptibility.”
“Similar to how the Father did not allow Jesus’ body to experience corruption while in the tomb (see Acts 2:27), God provides that the bodily remains of some of his faithful ones will not undergo bodily corruption,” the website wrote.
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Lancaster has not been designated as “incorrupt,” as the Catholic Church does not have an official mechanism for identifying a deceased person as incorrupt, according to Johnston. However, the bishop pointed out that “incorruptibility is not considered to be an indication of sainthood.”
Yet, “there is no current plan to initiate a cause for sainthood for Sister Wilhelmina.” According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, a person must have been deceased for at least five years before a formal cause for canonization can be begun. Lancaster died a little more than five years ago.
Are Nuns Buried in Their Habits?
In pagan burials and cremations, the dead body was frequently (although not always) accompanied by jewelry, weapons, food, drink, and a horse or dog, which were most likely its life goods.
Christianity abolished the ritual for ordinary people, but priests, monks, and nuns were allowed to be buried in their religious robes and habits, as were bishops and abbots, with their rings and croziers.
Nuns are usually buried in their habits. The habit is an important element of their religious life, representing their dedication and devotion. For example, Carmelite nuns are frequently buried wearing their crucifix, which is pinned to their habit. This practice may differ differently based on the particular religious group and its traditions.
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How do Nuns Make Money?
Nuns live austere and simple lifestyles. They do not receive an income unless they work another employment, such as a teacher or doctor. Some nuns finance their monastery by selling handmade items, but in many cases, their religious community meets their everyday necessities, such as lodging and food.
On the other hand, Buddhist nuns in the United States may not have this community support because Buddhism is not a big religion in the country, and the support network for monastics is still being developed.
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