Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster / Benedictines of Mary
CV NEWS FEED // Most Reverend Bishop James V. Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, has released a summary of the findings from a recent examination of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s remains.
Sister Wilhelmina, born Mary Elizabeth Lancaster in 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri, established the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
She passed away on May 29, 2019, during the vigil of the Ascension. Her final words were “O Maria,” before she was buried in the abbey’s graveyard.
Sister Wilhelmina’s body appeared to be incorrupt in May 2023 when her remains were relocated from their original burial site to a crypt within the monastery, CatholicVote reported.
In the August 22 update from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Bishop Johnston shared that he commissioned a team of medical experts, including a pathologist, two doctors, and a former county coroner, to evaluate the condition of the nun’s remains, who was buried in a simple wooden casket without any embalming.
“In addition to examining and evaluating the mortal remains of the deceased,” Bishop Johnston stated, “the team inspected the casket, and interviews were conducted with eyewitnesses to events immediately preceding the burial in 2019 and the exhumation in April 2023.”
The team reported that despite the casket lining’s deterioration, Sister Wilhelmina’s body and clothing showed no signs of breakdown, which was “notable” because the circumstances surrounding Sister Wilhelmina’s death and burial did not indicate conditions that would typically prevent decomposition.
Additionally, tests of the soil around the grave revealed no unusual elements affecting the body.
The investigative team concluded that “the condition of her body is highly atypical for the interval of nearly four years since her death, especially given the environmental conditions and the findings in associated objects.”
Bishop Johnston stated that “within the limits of what has been observed during this time,” the team’s findings indicate that Sister Wilhelmina’s body is indeed incorrupt.
However, he noted that the Church lacks an official protocol for assessing incorruptibility and that incorruptibility itself is not a criterion for sainthood. The Bishop stated that consequently, there are no plans at present to begin a cause for sainthood for Sister Wilhelmina.
“The condition of the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster has understandably generated widespread interest and raised important questions,” Bishop Johnston concluded. “I pray that Sister Wilhelmina’s story continues to open hearts to love for Our Lord and Our Lady.”
