- Miracle nun's corpse attracted thousands of pilgrims to Missouri after the body has shown little signs of decay since 2019
- The deceased's body was put on display in a church located outside of rural Gower, Missouri
- The corpse belonged to Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster
Thousands of pilgrims flocked to Missouri after the exhumation of a "miracle nun" whose body showed little signs of decay after exhuming the corpse.
The miraculous incident attracted thousands to a church outside of rural Gower, Missouri, over Memorial Day weekend. The "miracle" involves Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster's remains, which were displayed for the people in the area.
Miracle Nun's Remains Exhumed
The remains of Sister Lancaster were exhumed on May 18 and were set to be interred at the newly-built St. Joseph's Shrine. However, the process did not go exactly as planned after nuns at the parish were surprised to find that the corpse stayed near-perfect even after four years, as per MSN.
The remains of the deceased were not embalmed when she died in 2019, and she was buried inside a simple wooden basket. This meant that her corpse had little protection from the elements. But despite the conditions, the body was well-preserved, and some people even considered it a "miracle."
Larry Fish, the Clinton County sheriff, said that the Benedictine Abbey saw an average of 200 cars coming into the property every hour as they tried to witness the supposed miracle for themselves.
In a post on Facebook, Fish announced that there were an estimated 15,000 visitors that they expected to come over Memorial Day weekend. He added that the situation would remain the same over the next few months but argued that the holiday weekend is likely the largest influx of people in the area.
Witnessing the Alleged Miracle
The people who visited the area were 63-year-old Samuel Dawson and his son, who traveled to see the remains last week. The elderly man was raised as a Sicilian Catholic, and he said that the alleged miracle was something that he had to see himself personally, according to CBS News.
Speaking about his visit to see Sister Lancaster's remains, he said that amid all of the negativity in the world, it was a nice sight to see people from all races from various places across the country come together in peace.
The nuns at the church said that visitors who wanted to see the remains did not disrupt their daily lives. They argued that they continue to be unaffected and can still move on with their life of ora at labor, prayer, and work.
Despite what many people believe to be a miracle, a forensic anthropologist who studied more than a hundred decomposing bodies said the phenomenon is actually "very common." Dr. Rebecca George said that the lack of moisture and oxygen in the coffin, alongside the body being buried in clay soil, which kept the temperature low, would have started the mummification of the corpse, said the Daily Mail.
