By Tim Binnall
Experts enlisted to examine the mysteriously preserved body of a Missouri nun who was exhumed last year found that they could not explain the remarkable condition of her remains. The incredible case of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster made headlines in May of 2023 when the foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles was exhumed from her grave with the intention of burying her at the monastery's new chapel in the community of Gower. However, the transfer took a wondrous turn when it was discovered that Lancaster's body showed no signs of decomposition despite having been buried several years earlier. Now, a recently concluded investigation of the case by Church officials has made the matter all the more bewildering.
In an announcement last week, the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City–Saint Joseph, which oversees the monastery, released the results of their year-long study into the astonishing condition of the revered nun's remains. Explaining that they assembled a team of medical experts promptly after Lancaster's story came to light, Bishop James Johnston indicated that the group examined both the preserved body as well as the casket, while also conducting interviews with individuals on hand for the initial 2019 burial as well as the 2023 exhumation. The rather exhaustive investigation ultimately led the medical experts to offer a rather striking conclusion.
"The condition of her body is highly atypical for the interval of nearly four years since her death," the team reported, "especially given the environmental conditions and the findings in associated objects." To that end, an analysis of the soil from the ground where Lancaster was buried also came up short as far as providing some explanation for why her body was so perfectly preserved. Although the diocese conceded that they are unable to explain the curious condition of the nun's remains, they stressed 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."