#BishopAthanasiusSchneider
#ConfraternityOfOurLadyOfFatima #AServantofMary #BenedictinesofMary #SisterWilhelminaLancaster
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, osb, of the Most Holy Rosary, founded the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. Known for her devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass and her faithfulness to Benedictine contemplation and the Liturgy of the Hours, she died at age 95 on May 29, 2019, on the solemnity of the Ascension.
“I mean there was just this sense that the Lord was doing this,” she said. “Right now we need hope. We need it. Our Lord knows that. And she was such a testament to hope. And faith. And trust.”
The Catholic Church has a long-standing tradition of so-called “incorruptible saints,” more than a hundred of whom have been beatified or canonized. The saints are called incorruptible because years after their death parts of or even the entirety of their bodies are immune to the natural process of decay. Even with modern embalming techniques, bodies are subject to natural processes of decomposition.
According to Catholic tradition, incorruptible saints give witness to the truth of the resurrection of the body and the life that is to come. The lack of decay is also seen as a sign of holiness: a life of grace lived so closely to Christ that sin with its corruption does not proceed in typical fashion but is miraculously held at bay.
‘A beautiful sign’
“Not only was her body in a remarkable preserved condition, her crown and bouquet of flowers were dried in place; the profession candle with the ribbon, her crucifix, and rosary were all intact,” the sisters reported.
“Even more remarkable was the complete preservation of her holy habit, made from natural fibers, for which she fought so vigorously throughout her religious life. They synthetic veil was perfectly intact, while the lining of the coffin, made of similar material, was completely deteriorated and gone.”
Abbess Cecilia stressed that the preservation of the habit is a large part of what she sees as miraculous, because the habit is “a beautiful sign that this life is not all there is.”
“People see us and it’s like ‘Oh, she’s a sister, oh she’s wearing that because she’s giving her life, she believes in God. Maybe I should think about God,’” she said, noting that the habit is “a sign of the things to come, of the supernatural and of our last end: heaven, hell, purgatory.”
St. Joseph, “Terror of demons,” pray for us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
St. John the Baptist, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, “Defend us in battle,” pray for us.
Angel of God, my holy brother guardian, pray for us.
Holy Brother Guardian Angels of all the Aborted until now, pray for us.
🙏🙌🙏
Courtesy of the Benedictines of Mary
Queen of Apostles
Monastery in Gower, Missouri.
(Credit: Kelsey Wicks/ CNA); right: Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus. (Image: Grapalicious/Wikipedia)
