For the reflection today, I want to share God’s beauty hidden in rural Missouri, where I recently took a pilgrimage to. For context, Sister Wilhelmina was ninety-five at the time of her death in May 2019. Her body is present in Gower, Missouri with the community Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. Exhumation took place on April 29th, 2023.
On March 28th, I made my way to the countryside of Gower from Kansas City, Missouri. Pulling onto the drive of the property was outstanding. The abbey is like a cathedral made of stone. A church really built upon a hill that seemed to orientate itself towards Heaven. On my arrival, I was enthralled as I took it all in.
Guests from the town and from afar filled the public seating in the abbey church and signed the guestbook in the narthex. Here, this mini cathedral in rural MO, attracted people from all over! God called all these people, with a great purpose in mind, to the Holy of Holies. A pilgrim site for prayer, sacrificial worship, outpouring of graces, and rest.
Good Friday: Passion and Veneration of the Cross
The day was very quiet, as it should be. Our Beloved would give Himself in the greatest suffering. Suffering that would not be endured by any natural human. In being a pilgrim retreatant, the day reminded me of Mark 6:31, “come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
The Passion of our Lord began in the early afternoon and guests filled the chapel. The proclamation of the Passion account was done by two priests. The Passion led directly into the Mass of the Preconsecrated Host. At the time for Veneration of the Cross, the cross rested upon a purple cloak on the ground. Each priest, altar server, religious sister, and guest lowered themselves to the tile floor to kiss Our Beloved Lord. Amongst the mournful and humbling venerations, charity was offered to a few pregnant women, an elderly woman, and an elderly sister. The altar server kindly lifted Jesus Crucified so they would not have to extend themselves to the floor. “It is finished.”
Sister Wilhelmina: Go Visit to Venerate!
Up to that point I had only looked from afar at the late Sister Wilhelmina in the abbey church. I prepared myself to view what was holy and incorrupt, and honestly, I had to talk myself into approaching her resting body. And, I thought, “I came all the way out here. I better venerate before it is too late. You are procrastinating.” I reflected on the prior times I had venerated saint relics and the few open casket funerals which I had attended. I thought this experience would not be much different. There was no revelation for me at that moment. But God flooded me with graces as my pilgrimage continued and I realize how much of a lasting experience it will be for me!!
She did not look much different than the deceased I have witnessed before, but she’s been gone from this earthly world for nearly 5 years! How do you explain that! She was peaceful in her appearance behind the glass. Her face and hands were covered with the addition of preservation wax.
Biography
After viewing and praying before Sister Wilhelmina, I spent the next 24 hours reading the biography about Sister Wilhelmina, the establishment of the religious community, and the exhumation details of Sister. A local priest had crafted the “simple wooden coffin.” Everything pertaining to the coffin naturally had worn away and decayed with the earth, yet Sister was completely whole. Sister’s coffin had caved in at the burial and was buried “with a puddle of water at the bottom of the grave” (which would be a concern for disintegration). It is completely Divine why her body remains incorrupt; there was no embalming at the time of her burial and the community of sisters had found her covered in dirt. Her habit, veil, crucifix, burial flowers, rosary, and professional candle were all preserved and intact.
Such great faith and virtue are shared in the book, God’s Will, which kept me busy for the remainder of my trip. It is a must read for pilgrims! It includes personal writings from Sister and even at the end it discloses small miracles about the people who have asked for Sister Wilhelmina’s intercession. The more I read and learned about Sister on the pilgrimage, I grew in fascination and hope. With each visit into the abbey church following the initial veneration on Good Friday, I would have amazement for God and his daughter, Wilhelmina. I continuously gazed at her in the side altar for her true beauty, faith, and dignity. What an honor to be in the presence of God’s active work in the world! God is working to reveal something powerful about His child, Wilhelmina, and spiritual life to all who come to venerate.
P.S.
This document will not allow hyperlinks, but here is a great website to visit. ://benedictinesofmary.org/srwilhelmina/
