Sr. Wilhelmina
Beloved Mother Foundress
1924-2019
Visiting Sr. Wilhelmina
Our abbey church is open to pilgrims from 8:30am-7:30pm. We ask that you depart from the Abbey grounds by 7:30. We do not have food available on the monastery grounds.
Out of respect for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and the sacredness of the place, we ask that all visitors dress appropriately. Please wear clothing that covers bare shoulders (no tank tops) no plunging necklines, and skirts, shorts or pants that cover at least to the knees. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation in this most important request. If needed, there are skirts and shawls available in the church vestibule.
If you have arrived during Mass, it would be good to wait to visit Sister until Mass is over. However, if you are on a time constraint, you may certainly slip in during Mass. The Abbey schedule is here. There are generally no lines or wait time to see Sister, except perhaps while waiting for the end of Mass. So unless you would like to attend Mass, you might consider avoiding a visit between 11:00-12:30.
If you attend Mass, please note that we celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, in which Holy Communion is received on the tongue only, and kneeling, unless one is unable to kneel. One must be a Catholic in the state of grace in order to receive Communion, that is, with no unconfessed mortal sin.
Restrooms are in the church basement. There is a small gift shop to the left of the main entrance of the church.
Sister Wilhelmina’s original grave is in the northeast corner of the field used for parking. Where the driveway meets the road, walk along the wall, and you will find it where the wall meets the treeline.
We welcome the gift of flowers to adorn Sister Wilhelmina’s resting place, as well as the altar. Know that the Sisters hold the intentions of each pilgrim in their hearts, bringing them all to Our Blessed Lord in the tabernacle.
If you wish to report anyThing concerning Sr. Wilhelmina, PLease let us know by Email or Mail to our Address Below.
More information about Sr. Wilhelmina
To order the book “God’s Will: The Life and Works of Sr. Mary Wilhelmina” click here.
"Incorruptible"
While there are many narrative accounts available about the momentous event of Sr. Wilhelmina’s exhumation, we wish to state the events that have transpired here on our website for clarity.
Our Abbey had been planning the addition of a St. Joseph Shrine within the oratory for quite some time, including the reinterment of the remains of our beloved foundress, Sister Wilhelmina. In preparation for the construction of the shrine, the sisters completed the exhumation on April 28th, 2023, having been told to expect bones in the highly moist clay of Missouri, as she was buried in a simple wooden coffin without any embalming whatsoever at her death on May 29th, 2019.
The intent was devotional, and to carry this out in the privacy of our cloistered life. Nevertheless, the discovery of what appeared to be an intact body and a perfectly preserved religious habit created an unexpected twist to our plans. We had no intent to make the discovery so public, but unfortunately, a private email was posted publicly, and the news began to spread like wildfire. However, God works in mysterious ways, and we embraced His new plan for us.
Many voiced concern about the disruption to our life, but thankfully, we remained unaffected and able to continue on in our life of ora at labora, prayer and work, as Sister Wilhelmina would have it. During the initial deluge of visitors in May and June of 2023, unless we looked out the front windows, or out at the crowds attending our Mass and Divine Offices, we would not even know how many visitors had come. During those beautifully full and grace-filled weeks between her exhumation and re-internment, an army of volunteers and our local law enforcement stepped forward to manage the crowds. We are forever grateful to them, as they allowed us to continue our life in peace, while granting the visitors a pleasant and prayerful experience at the Abbey. Since then, the steady stream of visitors is considerably less and we are delighted to have them join us for Mass and prayer when they visit. (Large groups are encouraged to reach out in advance of their trip to ensure there are not other groups coming that day.)
Regarding what seems to be the miraculous preservation of Sister’s body, we are given the opportunity to contemplate the great gifts God gives us every day, especially the ones that are literally hidden from our eyes. St. Augustine said that “We marvel at what is extraordinary. Think of the fact that a few seeds bring forth an entire field of wheat.” Of this and ordinary daily miracles, he says, “We don’t bother to reflect on this fact because it is always there. What we notice are events that aren’t part of the ordinary course of nature. They are works that God has reserved for particular times and places to cause us amazement and dumbfound us so that we will open our minds to God’s presence and care in all events and beauties.” We believe that even as Sister Wilhelmina’s whole life and death was a miracle, pointing the way to Almighty God, that what she has left behind continues to point to His Resurrection and the life of glory that awaits us.
The relics of a person are exhumed in the ordinary course of action for the opening of the causes of saints, leading many to believe that such a cause has been or will be opened. As this is not the case yet, we completed the simple reinterment of our foundress, and are seeking advice on a possible opening of a cause in the future, especially as Sister has not yet reached the required minimum of five years since death in order to begin. Initial statements regarding Sister’s extraordinary physical state have already been procured, but we acknowledge that further studies must be done later, in an official capacity.
While we can attest to Sister’s personal sanctity, we know that incorruptibility is not among the official signs taken by the Church as a miracle for sainthood, and that all things must be subjected to further scrutiny, especially by the competent authorities in the medical field. The life itself and favors received must be established as proof of holiness.