Mystery deepens in Missouri nun’s case who was buried five years ago but whose body has not decomposed at all: “This is very atypical”

A team of experts has been unable to explain why a Missouri nun who died in 2019 has not decomposed, according to the bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, founder of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, passed away on May 29, 2019. When her body was exhumed in April 2023, it was found to be remarkably preserved despite not being embalmed and being buried in an unsealed wooden coffin.

The discovery sparked great interest and a pilgrimage to the small town of Gower, Missouri, where Lancaster’s body was placed on public display.

Bishop James V. Johnston commissioned a team of medical experts to investigate the case. After a thorough examination, the team concluded that Lancaster’s condition was “highly atypical” for the time since his death.

“Within the limits of what has been observed during this time, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s body does not appear to have experienced the decomposition that would normally have been expected under such prior burial conditions,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph said in a statement posted on the diocesan website.

In addition to examining his body, “the team inspected the coffin and conducted interviews with eyewitnesses to the events immediately preceding the burial in 2019 and the exhumation in April 2023,” it said.

“In the final report, the investigative team noted that the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s body during examination was notable for the absence of any detected features of decomposition,” Johnston said.

Although the coffin lining had “completely deteriorated,” Lancaster’s habit and other clothing “showed no signs of deterioration,” Johnston said.

“The research team was only able to conduct a limited examination, but still concluded that “the condition of her body is highly atypical for the nearly four-year interval since her death, especially given the environmental conditions and findings on associated objects,” it said.

“The report also noted that the story surrounding Sister Wilhelmina’s death and burial does not describe the conditions that would be expected to protect her from decomposition,” it continued.

Although soil tests found no unusual elements that could prevent decomposition, experts were unable to provide a definitive explanation for the phenomenon.

In Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, the preservation of a body after death is known as “incorruptibility.”

Although Lancaster has not been officially designated as “incorrupt,” her case has raised questions about the nature of death and the possibility of miracles.

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, the religious order founded by Lancaster, have recounted Fox New Digital that they are “greatly edified” by the continued interest in their foundress and “look forward to beginning the process of canonization when the time is right.”

The nun’s remains are housed in a glass case in the abbey church and can be viewed daily, according to the abbey’s website.

“In the meantime, we are happy to continue to welcome guests seeking her intercession every day,” the statement said, noting that those who have sought her intercession have shared “many testimonies of healing and grace.”

“We are very grateful to God for the continued witness that (Lancaster) gives to our community, the Church and the world,” they said.