• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Missouri nun may be in line for sainthood

Callisto

Hellenismos, BTW
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, a nun who died 4 years ago, was recently exhumed and it was discovered her remains are incorrupt. Catholics are flocking to the area to witness for themselves. For now, though, the Church is working on arrangements to first determine any factors that would cause her to be so well preserved (she wasn't embalmed and was buried in a plain box) before it'll consider an inquiry into sainthood.

Statement regarding Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

 

exchemist

Veteran Member
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, a nun who died 4 years ago, was recently exhumed and it was discovered her remains are incorrupt. Catholics are flocking to the area to witness for themselves. For now, though, the Church is working on arrangements to first determine any factors that would cause her to be so well preserved (she wasn't embalmed and was buried in a plain box) before it'll consider an inquiry into sainthood.

Statement regarding Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph

I do dislike this strand of superstition in Catholicism. It always strikes me as an embarrassing hangover from medieval times.

Is it seriously thought, in this day and age, that the decay of a dead body is a form of "corruption", to be equated with sinfulness, and that a sinless person's body may therefore somehow be exempt from normal biochemical and microbiological processes? Or alternatively that God would execute a miracle to stop a holy person's body from decaying in the normal way? What conceivable purpose would be served by that?

This is the kind of nonsense that gives Catholicism a bad name. But it least it is a step up from seeing the Blessed Virgin on a piece of toast, I suppose.
 

Callisto

Hellenismos, BTW
I do dislike this strand of superstition in Catholicism. It always strikes me as an embarrassing hangover from medieval times.

Is it seriously thought, in this day and age, that the decay of a dead body is a form of "corruption", to be equated with sinfulness, and that a sinless person's body may therefore somehow be exempt from normal biochemical and microbiological processes? Or alternatively that God would execute a miracle to stop a holy person's body from decaying in the normal way? What conceivable purpose would be served by that?

This is the kind of nonsense that gives Catholicism a bad name. But it least it is a step up from seeing the Blessed Virgin on a piece of toast, I suppose.

tbh, that fascinates me. I came across this story while working on my genealogy, I have two ancestors who are saints and today is the feast day of one of them so I was poking around to find out what I can about the supposed miracles.

The thing too is that despite being "incorrupt" it's not that these bodies never decompose. From what I gather, many if not most of them inevitably end up like Lenin, mostly repairs and materials than the actual body. Though I also found a body isn't even necessary to be made a saint, one of my ancestors' remains was stripped of its flesh (a medieval funerary process of Mos Teutonicus) and parts are in different locations. Still not clear how that works other than apparently there are exceptions and remaining incorrupt is not a given.
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Well, even Catholic saints are becoming more racially diverse now. :) A Catholic book catalogue which I receive regularly pushes the Apparitions of Kibeho, which now is "the first Marian shrine on the African continent".

The first Native American saint was canonized in 2012.

 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
tbh, that fascinates me. I came across this story while working on my genealogy, I have two ancestors who are saints and today is the feast day of one of them so I was poking around to find out what I can about the supposed miracles.

The thing too is that despite being "incorrupt" it's not that these bodies never decompose. From what I gather, many if not most of them inevitably end up like Lenin, mostly repairs and materials than the actual body. Though I also found a body isn't even necessary to be made a saint, one of my ancestors' remains was stripped of its flesh (a medieval funerary process of Mos Teutonicus) and parts are in different locations. Still not clear how that works other than apparently there are exceptions and remaining incorrupt is not a given.
There's no question the bodies require human maintenance. They will decompose like any other body out there.

It's nothing new. I think mummified bodies are more impressive in terms of preservation
 

Callisto

Hellenismos, BTW
There's no question the bodies require human maintenance. They will decompose like any other body out there.
True. Though the process for maintaining Lenin is truly impressive.
It's nothing new. I think mummified bodies are more impressive in terms of preservation

It was certainly more intricate but still had a lot of hit-and-miss. My other ancestor doesn't appear to have any cosmetic maintenance taken; he looks like a mummy that's seen better days.
 
Top