More than one thousand people per day are visiting a remote abbey in Missouri after a nun’s remains were dug up and showed no sign of decay. Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster’s body was buried in 2019 and was recently exhumed. Now, Catholics from around the country are flocking to Gower, Missouri, which is located about forty miles north of Kansas City, to witness the remains of the nun who might be named a saint.
Sister Lancaster died in May 2019 and was buried in a grave. She was ninety-five years old at the time of her death. The nun’s abbey, which previously received no more than twenty visitors per day, is now attracting as many as one thousand eager visitors who want to witness the nun’s body, according to Ashlie Hand, a spokesperson with the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
“As of Tuesday, they were seeing about 1,000 visitors a day. I think now; it’s probably well above that. The expectation is the crowd will grow over the holiday weekend,” Hand said to Fox4.
Hand estimated that the monastery would receive as many as twenty thousand visitors over the weekend as people come from all over the country to see the miracle of Missouri – the nun whose remains did not decay despite being buried in the ground for four years.
The nun’s remains were put out for public viewing until this Monday, when she was placed behind a glass case. Prior to protecting her remains in the encasement, members of the public were allowed to touch the nun and pray over her body between the hours of eight in the morning to eight at night.
Now that the nun’s remains are encased in glass, she will be placed near the altar so the church can “welcome her growing number of devotees” who are streaming through the door every day now.
People have taken photos of guests touching the nun during the public viewing. These images are being shared online by eager Catholics and show people touching Sister Lancaster’s hands, face, and feet. The nun’s exposed skin has now been covered in wax to further preserve her remains from potential decay.
A sign posted next to her body stated, “Please be gentle when touching sister’s body, especially her feet.”
Church officials are now taking a look at Lancaster’s case to determine if she should be eligible for sainthood because incorruptibility is a sign that someone is a saint.
Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph published a statement on May 22 describing the need to “protect the integrity of the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina to allow for a thorough investigation.”
Although the church has not yet declared the situation to be a miracle, the bishop “is working to establish a thorough process for understanding the nature of the condition of Sister Wilhelmina’s remains.”
The statement added, “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.”
