Thousands of pilgrims have lined up at the Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus in Gower, Missouri, to view the remains of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster. / nullWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 28, 2023 / 14:05 pm (CNA).Thousands of pilgrims are descending on a Benedictine abbey outside rural Gower, Missouri, this Memorial Day weekend to view the surprisingly well-preserved body of its African American foundress, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, who died in 2019.On Sunday, the feast of Pentecost, an average of 200 vehicles per hour were coming onto the abbey s property, an uptick in traffic from the day before, Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish said in a Facebook video update. He said he expected 15,000 people to visit the site by the end of the day."We re going to see this probably for months, but right now this weekend is probably going to be the biggest influx of people that you re going to see in this area," Fish predicted in an earlier video posted May 25.A Benedictine sister looks on
Part of the urgency for those visiting the abbey over the holiday weekend is the limited opportunity to touch the nun’s body, which has been on public display.
A young man touches a religious statue to the body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, on May 18, 2023, at the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles monastery in Gower, Missouri. / Used with permission.
CNA Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 13:45 pm .