Sr. Wilhemina Lancaster, OSB was the founder and mother superior of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Gower, Missouri, near Kansas City. She died in 2019. Her convent, and another convent she founded in southern Missouri, is dedicated to the traditional Divine Office, the traditional habit and contemplative life, and to the Traditional Latin Mass.
In addition to following the traditional norms of the Rule of St. Benedict, they have a special devotion to Our Mother Mary, and praying for priests. They are purely contemplative with no active apostolate, yet for income they do operate a retreat house for priests and make traditional vestments for priests. Through Mary, and prayer, they assist the priests, like spiritual apostles.
Their Gregorian chant CDs have been on the list of top musical hits in the US, they themselves doing little to promote that source of income. They had prayed a novena for fundraising, and within the period of that novena were contacted by a recording company.
When Sr. Wilhelmina’s body was exhumed a year ago to transfer it to their church, in accord with the tradition of burying the foundress in the convent church, the Sisters discovered that her body is totally incorrupt, and also her entire habit not decomposed, despite other cloth, cardboard, etc. inside the simple wood coffin being decomposed. An expert had previously told them to expect her remains to be reduced to bones. One priest remarked it seemed God had preserved her body in order to preserve her traditional habit itself.
She would be, if I understand it right, the first a) Black American saint, b) totally incorrupt American saint, and c) saint with a special devotion to preserving our Catholic tradition, including the ancient liturgy of the Church. She is a beacon of hope.
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
Gower, Missouri
My wife and I visited their convent this past weekend, a week ago, as a kind of pilgrimage, from Friday through Sunday, praying for my own healing and recovery. See past blog post giving health updates.
Saturday concluded a novena to Sr. Wilhelmina for a) God’s Will to be done, b) thanksgiving that my symptoms are not caused by any serious physical cause, c) based on the evaluations of several specialists and many tests, d) but especially lately miraculous signs helping to indicate more clearly what my condition is, and what it is not, that it is temporary; more details on this later, e) for God to bless our family, friends, and acquaintences, especially those who are seriously ill, f) for my ongoing recovery, g) and lastly, if it is God’s Will, to recover from my symptoms during or shortly after this novena/pilgrimage, in such a way to help show the sanctity and intervention of Sr. Wilhelmina.
While there, we had the permission and privilege to sit down and interview on behalf of the readers of The Okie Traditionalist blog one of the sister’s about Sr. Wilhelmina. Here is the interview followed by my own testimony of my own miraculous healing:
The Interview:
Sr. Martina, O.S.B. met with us to answer our questions in their parlor. We talked for about forty-five minutes, taking notes. She is a somewhat newly professed nun who had cared for Sr. Wilhelmina in the last years of her life while being a novice. It was a delightful and ecstatic experience.
1. I asked about miraculous healings of people attributed to praying to Sr. Wilhelmina.
Sister said there were many miracles reported of healing after praying to Sr. Wilhelmina, since her body was exhumed over a year ago She gave the top three examples.
Miracle #1
The Healing of an SSPX Priest
She said that the first miracle that occurred after discovering the incorrupt body, and the most prominent so far, was the healing of an SSPX priest named Fr. Joseph Horvath, a former diocesan priest, cured from an extreme case of heart disease.
A couple times she had to step outside the room to verify some of these facts: a) Father was very ill preparing for possible death, unable to do much of any priestly work, b) he had had three heart attacks, a pacemaker implanted into his heart, and c) his heart was so ill it was basically failing, d) but one day he was praying in chapel and heard a voice say “Go to Wilhelmina.” It didn’t say “Sr. Wilhelmina,” just “Wilhelmina.” He asked other priests present if they had heard the voice; they hadn’t.
He had never heard of Sr. Wilhelmina before, and had to find out about her, e) this was right around the time her body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt, after which time her story became I think the most followed story in 2023 in the Catholic news, f) so he left his priory in Kentucky, despite very bad health, and made the trip to northwest Missouri, and venerated Sr. Wilhelmina asking for her prayers, g) while there he told the Sisters he was starting to feel better after praying to Sr., h) when he returned home his symptoms greatly improved, he was feeling a recovery, i) he later went to his doctor who told him there was now nothing wrong with his heart, that it was now a healthy heart, j) ever since this miracle, Father has been “kept very busy doing work.” He is back to full time work in his priestly apostolate.
Incidentally, we talked about the significance of the first and most prominent miracle being of an SSPX priest, and her insight was that perhaps it was especially because he is a priest, as part of their charism is especially to pray for priests, but also perhaps to promote more unity between traditional Latin rite Catholics.
She said that after this miracle, they have now been having the habit of SSPX priests go on retreat in their retreat house for priests.
Miracle # 2
The second greatest miracle (really two miracles in one) was the healing of a man from cancer and his wife from end-stage dementia. His son gave him a rosary to pray, and told him to pray to Sr. Wilhelmina. Sr. Martina could not recall if the father was a lapsed Catholic or a non-Catholic, but that either way he was not a practicing Catholic. The man prayed the rosary, and his cancer disappeared, and his wife’s dementia completely resolved having a good mental status.
Miracle # 3
A doctor started praying to Sr. Wilhelmina for his wife’s cancer, and afterwards her abdominal tumors appeared to be “empty” as if they were hallow. She survived and recovered, the cancer was cured.
Also:
Sister wanted to add her own observation of a possible miracle, or at least a sign of Sr. Wilhelmina intervening. At the time they discovered Sr.'s incorrupt body, her sister, who had already had children, had a difficult delivery of another child, her status becoming critical, going to the ICU. In the ICU her body filled with fluids, she dangerously gaining a lot of water weight.
Fourteen different doctors said they thought she would not survive, but the fifteenth doctor said they thought she “might” survive. At that time she was praying for her sister to Sr. Wilhelmina, right after seeing her incorrupt body, and on the very day that she learned that her sister did survive (she is alive to this day), a rainbow appeared over her grave.
2. Next, I asked her what she thinks Sr. Wilhelmina would say if she were sitting there with us, and if I asked her what she could say to those reading this interview, going through an extreme hardship in life, in particular extreme illness and pain.
Sister paused for a moment and thought, and then confidently said that Sr. Wilhelmina would tell the people to “go to your mother.” That when you are in most need, you go ask your mother to help you. That that was constantly her message to the Sisters, often invoking Our Lady with a single Hail Mary. We should go to our Mother Mary, especially in the rosary.
"Go to your mother."
She then told the story about how as a novice she went to Sr. Wilhelmina for counsel, and asked what was the key to being a good novice and nun. She was telling this story as something to add to what she might say to people. She had thought she might say something about humility or another virtue, but her answer was revealing to her: to be devoted to prayer ITSELF, as in devotion to the DISCIPLINE of daily prayer. I understood that to mean a devotion to piety and a structure of daily prayer.
I took that to mean that while we all focus on what we need to fix in our life, in order to be happy, we need to take a step back and think about that. That the key to all of that is consistent daily prayer, that is the answer. That when daily prayer is a good habit in us, then all our concerns and worries are answered. Simply by maintaining a discipline of daily prayer, everything will fall into place, no matter how grave or hellish is your situation.
This was especially a strong message for me, which matched up exactly with my own situation, and what I had been discerning lately.
3. I asked about the current official Church status regarding the miracle of incorruption.
She explained that their Bishop had investigated the incorruption recently and said experts determined it to be “highly atypical.” The Catholic News Agency released a report from the Bishop maybe a week before this interview stating a medical investigation on behalf of the Church determined the body was completely incorrupt, with no signs of decomposition, in particular in light of the fact of the circumstances of burial: no embalming, simple wood coffin, buried simply in the ground, no special protections. A pathologist, two other physicians, and a coroner conducted the investigation. The final report gives no scientific explanation for this.
To me, this is an indirect, unofficial way, of indicating this is indeed a miraculously incorrupt body, without yet officially saying so, if read in the most favorable light. a) The body is totally incorrupt, b) a medical investigation was performed, showing no known scientific or natural causes for it, and c) therefore, I think logically we can conclude (using a basic syllogism), that Sr. Wilhelmina’s incorruption was not natural, but supernatural and miraculous.
It is a miracle.
Incidentally, there is no profiteering from this miracle, fanatical behaviors, or unorthodox ideas, from what I could tell, as have accompanied some false phenomenon in the Church. The pilgrims were quiet and genuine. And from reading their daily log of pilgrims in the vestibule, this has become a major daily pilgrimage site.
4. We discussed the details of the incorruption of her body.
I related how when the first time I approached her body I felt a lot of emotion but then when I saw her face covered in wax there was a slight moment of doubt since I couldn’t see her face directly. Incidentally, later I saw photos and videos online showing a perfectly intact face at the time her body was exhumed.
Sister assured us her entire face, and actually her entire body from head to toe are TOTALLY incorrupt. That is zero decomposition. Yet, her grave had caved in causing a minor alteration to her face where the wood had pressed into her face, and the cleaning of her body caused some minor alterations.
Later after Vespers when we talked again, Sister told us she had talked to Sr. Scholastica again, who told her to assure us (which includes the readers of this article) that her body was totally incorrupt including the face, and that her face looked just as it did the day she died, which was relatively youthful looking for her age (she died at age 95). We were told it still feels like a normal live body without stiffness (rigor mortis). And there is no bad odor.
5. I then asked about a cause for canonization.
Sister said that there is presently no formal cause or project to promote the canonization of Sr. Wilhelmina, that all of this is still so relatively new they have not had a chance yet to start organizing anything like that.
I’m reminded that these things traditionally go slow, the Church exercising extreme caution. For example, St. Padre Pio wasn’t canonized for over half a century, and his body is incorrupt, he performing countless miracles when alive, and after his death. I pray her cause is fully promoted beyond those who might oppose it.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
6. We then discussed more details about Sr. Wilhelmina’s life.
Sister went on to describe how she had a) a vision of Mary at age 2, b) a vision of Christ at her first Holy Communion around age 9, c) was a very simple, childlike, ordinary person “blending in” with the community not sticking out, d) frequently used humor especially irony, including to humbly comment on the crisis in the Church, e) composed a short hymn/poem to God’s Will she often sang that had a flare of fun to it, and f) had a special devotion to the Divine Office itself.
Sister emphasized that the way she died showed the importance of the Divine Office (which laity can pray in the form of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, available through Angelus Press). Around her death bed, all the Sisters stood chanting Matins, evening prayer, and when the new Mother Superior sprinkled her with holy water, at that moment she literally breathed her last breath and passed away.
Conclusion:
I thank Sister Martina for this interview, and for its permission. I also encourage everyone to pray to Sr. Wilhelmina, especially for healing and spiritual renewal/restoration, if needed, and to go on a pilgrimage to visit her incorrupt body. Tell people who are gravely ill, homebound, disabled, and in nursing homes to pray to her, as well as the rosary, and to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Also please pray for and promote her canonization one day.
Sr. Wilhelmina was right. Prayer is the answer to everything. No matter how hard your situation might be in life, "go to your mother," to Our Mother Mary in the rosary, who shows us intimately her Son, especially in the Eucharist. Christ will always offer some degree of healing and relief, but He wants us to consistently pray to Him daily, with the discipline of prayer, to give complete faith and trust in Him, and then miracles will happen. The first major miracle was of a priest who initially heard in prayer a voice say "Go to Wilhelmina." So if you are in need, also "go to Wilhelmina."
Please share this story with others struggling with serious illness, struggles in their faith, etc.
Onward and upward!
For more information, see the following links:
Benedictine of Mary Queen of Apostles LINK
Interview with Sr. Scholastica, OSB, about Incorrupt Body LINK
Interview with Sr. Mary Josefa, OSB, about Incorrupt Body LINK
Pilgrims visiting Sr. Wilhelmina LINK
Report from the Bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph LINK
For any questions or feedback, please email my wife for correspondence, at: