KC Reporter

Most Reverend Bishop James V. Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has released the results of an examination and evaluation by medical experts concerning the remains of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died on May 29, 2019, and was buried shortly thereafter in a grave on the property of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles monastery in Gower, Missouri. She was interred without embalming or other body treatments in a simple unsealed wooden casket. Upon exhumation on April 28, 2023, for reinterment in the Abbey church, it was discovered that her body did not exhibit typical signs of decomposition after nearly four years.

On May 24, 2023, Bishop Johnston commissioned a team of local medical experts to examine and evaluate Sister Wilhelmina’s body. The team included a Doctor of Pathology, two additional medical doctors, and a former Missouri county coroner. They examined her remains and inspected the casket while also interviewing eyewitnesses from both her burial in 2019 and exhumation in April 2023.

The final report noted that Sister Wilhelmina’s body showed no features of decomposition. While the casket lining had completely deteriorated, her habit and clothing remained intact. The report stated that "the condition of her body is highly atypical for the interval of nearly four years since her death," especially given the environmental conditions.

Additional tests were conducted on the soil where she was buried; no unusual elements were found that could have impacted her body's condition upon exhumation.

In conclusion, within observed limits during this period, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster's body does not appear to have undergone expected decomposition under such burial conditions.

The Catholic Church does not have an official protocol for determining incorruptibility nor considers it an indication of sainthood. There are no current plans to initiate 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," said Bishop Johnston. "I pray that Sister Wilhelmina’s story continues to open hearts to love for Our Lord and Our Lady."

+Bishop James V. Johnston Jr.

Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph