The locals in a rural town in Missouri were disturbed after learning the remains of a late nun showed no signs of decay. An influx of visitors showed up to witness the remnants of the deceased nun.
Late Nun's Remains Haven't Decayed After 4 Years
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, the nun who founded the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Gower, Missouri, passed away in May 2019. Four years later, the sisters transported her remains to the convent chapel, where they rest under the altar.
The sisters were stunned by what they discovered when they opened her coffin. Sister Wilhelmina was interred without embalming and in a plain wood coffin, so cemetery staff warned them to expect just bones given the circumstances, one of the sisters, who asked to remain anonymous, told Newsweek.
There are several hundred confirmed instances of incorruptible bodies in the Catholic Church. According to Catholic tradition, this incorruptibility is proof of sanctity, indicating that the body's owner was too pure to experience the typical putrefaction process. The news was also shared on Facebook, with some describing it as the "miracle in Missouri."
When the sisters had finished the digging, they reportedly went outside to pray the rosary at her grave. Mother Abbess Cecilia peered through the coffin's gap, plainly formed soon after the woman was buried. She discovered a foot with the sock still on and in perfect condition, precisely as it had been when they buried Sister Wilhelmina. She could not contain her joy, and she screamed.
When the lid was removed, it was evident that Lancaster's physique had hardly changed. The sisters each had a turn feeling their late sister's very wet and still-socked feet. They covered her right eye with a wax mask because the dirt that dropped in early had pressed down on her facial features. However, they noticed that her eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, nose, and lips were present. Her mouth was reportedly about to smile.
The sister said it appeared as though they had just imposed [the habit] on her after they removed the mold and mildew caused by the moist conditions in the casket. The sister said what they witnessed was evidence of Lancaster's love for the sisterhood and the legacy she was leaving for those who came after her.
Expert Possible Reasons Why The Nun's Body Hasn't Decayed
Western Carolina University Associate Professor and Director of Forensic Anthropology Nicholas Passalacqua discussed the issue with Newsweek. He claims other factors are at play, including the type of coffin.
Most modern coffins are elaborately designed and constructed of wood, so they will eventually deteriorate but take a long time. The burial environment and the method used for burial have a significant impact on how quickly something decomposes.
He continued that temperature is the main variable that influences the rate of disintegration. Since their metabolisms are tied to ambient temperature, bacteria, enzymes, and insect scavengers will all be more active the warmer it is. Chemical treatment of the remains will significantly slow down the breakdown process. Also, the body's decomposition will slow substantially in an oxygen-deficient environment.
It is hard to predict how frequently and long a dead's remains can be partially preserved underground. According to Passalacqua, although it infrequently happens after a burial, numerous well-known instances exist of well-preserved human remains.
Not simply items like the purposefully preserved Egyptian mummies but also things like the European bog bodies. Because they were in low-oxygen settings that prevented bacterial development and scavenger access, they were extremely well preserved for thousands of years.
It's unclear whether Lancaster's body would have remained in this undamaged condition due to natural causes. Passalacqua anticipates that it will take a body buried at a human decomposition facility five years to be skeletonized. The remains aren't enclosed in a coffin or any other container or covering at that point. He concluded that it wasn't unexpected that the remains were in good shape after only four years.
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