Some say it’s a sign of holiness in Catholicism, while others say the undecomposed corpse may not be as rare as you think.
The body of the nun Willemina of Lancaster was exhumed last April, according to a statement released by the Benedictine Abbey of Mary, Queen of Obstacles in Gower, Missouri.
what happened?
• The statement said the nuns at the monastery were preparing to add a shrine to St. Joseph, which includes “the reburial of the remains of our beloved foundress, Sister Wilhelmina.”
• When the Lancaster nuns were exhumed, they were told to expect to find only bones, as they had been buried in a simple wooden coffin without any embalming 4 years earlier.
• Instead, they found his entire body intact and “a religious garment whose appearance has not completely changed”, as stated in the statement.
• The nuns had no intention of announcing the discovery, but someone released a private email publicly and the news started spreading like wildfire.
Crowds flock
Volunteers and local law enforcement helped lead the crowds that poured into the town of around 1,800 as citizens from across the country flocked to view and touch Lancaster’s body.
“It was amazing,” said Samuel Dawson, a Catholic who came from Kansas City with his son last week. “It was so peaceful, so dignified.”
Dawson said several hundred people were present when he visited the monastery and he saw many cars from out of state.
He explained that visitors were allowed to touch her, adding that the nuns “wanted to bring her closer to the public. Because in real life she was always among people.”
The abbey said in a statement on Monday that Lancaster’s body would be placed in a glass shrine in its church, where visitors can still view her body and take soil from her grave, but they will not be able to touch her.
Scientific explanation Rebecca George, a professor of anthropology at Western Carolina University in North Carolina, said the absence of body decomposition may not be as rare as many think.
• She explained that the “mummification” of unexhumed bodies is common in an academic institution and bodies can be stored for many years, if permitted.
• She added that coffins and clothing also help preserve bodies.
• “Normally, when we bury people, we don’t exhume them, continues George. With 100 years, there may not be anything left. But when you are only a few years old, it can happen.”
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