Last Chance to See 'Miracle' Body of Nun Draws Huge Crowds to Gower, Mo.

The body of an exhumed nun whose remains were found undecayed four years after she died in Missouri is drawing crowds of pilgrims who believe a miracle has occurred.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who was the founder of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, in Gower, Missouri, died at age 95 in May 2019 and was buried without being embalmed. When the nuns decided to move her remains to place them beneath the altar in the convent's chapel, they discovered her body showed little sign of decay—some four years after she died. That sparked suggestions that she was "incorruptible" in death, and some have called it a miracle.

Usually, the abbey is lucky to receive 20 daily visitors. But several hundred pilgrims have now visited Lancaster's body, which will be laid out for public viewings until Monday. An average of 100 visitors per day have arrived to see the deceased nun, where they are allowed to touch her body and pray. After May 29, visitors will still be able to see the nun and visit the site, but her body will be encased in glass meaning that pilgrims can no longer touch her.

Photos taken at the scene show that many pilgrims choose to gently touch Lancaster's hands, which appear shrunken and leathery and have been covered in wax, as has her face. A sign next to the body, which is surrounded by flowers, reads: "Please be gentle when touching sister's body, especially her feet."

Images of the nun were shared online by several pilgrims, and the photo below was posted on Twitter by Catholic journalist Sachin Jose.

Pilgrim Michael Holmes told Scripps News: "We're here to see the miracle. It's a once in the lifetime for some of us, and [we've] never been this close to a possible saint who's laying uncorrupted. It proves to me as a Catholic that scripture is real, the gospel is real, God is real, God cares about us."

While 86-year-old Mary Lou Enna, who traveled from Kansas City to see the sight for herself, told the National Catholic Register: "At first, it was just a little unreal. But then, as I just gazed at her, tears started coming, and I just knew it was for real and very, very meaningful."

Incorruptibility is not necessarily a sign of sainthood, according to Catholic news website The Pillar, but church officials said they are investigating Lancaster's case.

Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph released a statement on May 22 noting the need "to protect the integrity of the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina to allow for a thorough investigation."

The church hasn't declared the case to be miraculous, but the bishop "is working to establish a thorough process for understanding the nature of the condition of Sister Wilhelmina's remains," the statement read. "Incorruptibility has been verified in the past, but it is very rare. There is a well-established process to pursue the cause for sainthood, but that has not been initiated in this case yet.

"Bishop Johnston invites all the Faithful to continue praying during this time of investigation for God's will in the lives of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles; for all women religious; and all the baptized in our common vocation to holiness, with hope and trust in the Lord."

The convent's Abbess, Mother Cecilia, described the actions the nuns had taken after realizing Lancaster's body was still intact. "You can't Google, 'What do you do with an incorrupt body?'" she said, "so we started with the basics, just cleaning her with hot water, because clinging to her face was basically a mask of thick mold." The nun's face and hands were then covered with wax mask.

After the viewing ends on May 29, the sisters plan to hold a procession, they revealed in a statement. Lancaster's body will then be encased in glass near the altar to "welcome her growing number of devotees."

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph told Newsweek that "it has been a very active site since last weekend" but added that a figure for the amount of people who have visited so far was unavailable.

Update 5/26/23, 12:50 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include a statement from the diocese.