A nun who died in 2019 in the US reportedly showed no signs of decay when her body was exhumed on May 18, four years after her death, as per the Catholic News Agency. This attracted several people to a Benedictine monastery in rural Missouri after the news of her ‘intact’ body circulated on social media.
The exhumed remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, the African American foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, had almost no signs of decay even four years after her death. Her body was being exhumed so it could be shifted to its final resting place.
Mother Cecilia, who is the head of the convent of the Benedictine Sisters, said she was astonished by the finding. “We think she is the first African American woman to be found incorrupt,” she said as quoted by the Eternal Word Television Network.
The body was discovered in an apparently intact state despite not being embalmed and being housed in a cracked wooden coffin exposed to moisture and dirt over the years.
“We thought we would find bones, but instead we found a body,” Mother Cecilia said. She added, “Right now we need hope. We need it. Our Lord knows that. And she was such a testament to hope. And faith. And trust.”
Lancaster’s body was covered in a layer of mold due to the high levels of condensation within the cracked coffin, reported the Catholic News Agency. However, hardly any part of her body and nothing of her habit — consisting of her tunic, belt, scapular and veil — was damaged.
The preservation of Sister Wilhelmina’s habit, made from natural fibers, is particularly significant. Mother Cecilia emphasized its importance, stating, “It’s a sign of the things to come, of the supernatural and of our last end: heaven, hell, purgatory.” She believes that this event is a message from God, stating, “God is real. He protected that body and that habit to enkindle our faith, to rekindle it, to bring people back to the faith.”
