Incorrupt or Not?! Thoughts From a Mortician 

My very best friend in the world is a nun and I can promise you that the sisters will not be lying for any financial gain, these ladies give up their whole lives for the love of God and the good of others, they are truly wonderful, Why in this time of the world not caring for others and all the corrupt people who only care about money and power can’t we just believe that this beautiful person is blessed by God ?

As a priest of almost 38 years, something like this wouldn’t either make or break my faith in the Risen Lords Jesus, Christ! Some have speculated, that when someone is very Holy, that their entry into heaven is so completely immediate that the glory of heaven galvanizes their mortal remains even as they are being separated from those remains. There have been quite a few incorruptible‘s in the Catholic Church, and in some cases like Saint Clare of Assisi, I believe they tried to preserve the preserved corpse, and then it turned them dark! In my personal opinion, incorruptibles are only a small but significant indicator of the wider body of evidence that there is life after death! To me, the ultimate reality is the apostles blood witness to the resurrection of Christ! And truly, the increasing credibility given to life after death when people are revived ever being considered clinically dead is helpful also. I appreciate the fact that ultimately, you are respectful, and admit that these are questions that need to be squarely addressed. I certainly trust that there are no financial motives for the sisters, revealing this. God bless you, and all of us who strive to know the mysteries of life! I know I found my answer in the Risen Christ!

Why is nobody talking about her SCENT I am here in North Dakota and have come across a few people that have already been there before they put her in her glass case they said her SCENT was of pure holiness just a beautiful smell that touched the depths of there souls❤

Keri, I agree with your statement that hopefully, she will not be known more for her state of death than all of the good that she did for other's in her lifetime.

Catholic gravedigger here, who works for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. I can tell you that from our perspective, and within our community, we have a healthy does of skepticism surrounding this particular issue. Its not that we are in disbelief. Its that those of us who work in death want more information, especially as it concerns matters such as rhe condition of the grave, soil, etc, just like you brought up, Kari. This was really well done by you. Thank you for the the sensitivity and care you took in approaching this topic.❤

The Catholic church is very careful to do a very deep examination to avoid any suggestion of a hoax. The answers may take years to discover all of the facts. We need to separate the "Hollywood" theatrical image of incorruptible body from the actual truth of incorruption 🙏📿✝️

I am a Christian catholic for me is true i believe it's a miracle from above JESUS's miracle completely miracle ... sister wilhelmina please pray for us and the whole world 🙏 ❤️

To those that don’t believe no explanation is possible. To those that believe no explanation is necessary.

I guess the one thing they don’t teach in Mortuary School is that if it isn’t done with chemicals and a “trocar” it’s not possible. Read Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions” Pay close attention to the chapter that focuses on the “anomaly”. Certain things may never be explained by human standards. I’m not Catholic but if she’s incorrupt……she’s incorrupt. Certainly no harm done.

How did they exhume a casket from two circular holes?

Many thanks for this Kari. I know there are multiple variables affecting decomposition rate, but non-embalmed interred bodies are pretty much just bone after 6 months.. So incorruptible or not this is a rare phenomenon. Hopefully more information will, indeed, be forthcoming.

I agree with you. They should show her in her real state right now. Not putting any wax on her or anything that can make her look like she’s not decaying.

Kari thank you for addressing this. I have been hoping you would. I've been very curious how this could happen.

Hi Kari. Unless is missed something, i am curious as to why, this lovely woman, was disinterred in the first place. She seemed like such a lovely woman, during her lifetime, and God blessed her with long life. But she's at peace now, why disturb her rest?

Sister Wilhelmina, pray for us!🤍❤️🙏

Wanted to comment on the gravesite. You said that it was dug 2 weeks ago but I read the body was exhumed on the feast of St. Louis de Montfort which was April 28…so closer to 5 weeks ago which is still not very long. HOWEVER I happen to live in Kansas not too far from where this is and we’ve had a lot of rain in very short period of time, including some flash floods so it’s possible that the fresh dirt has washed away and if you look closely at the gravesite you can see water puddles. Also those who say this disturbing or “leave her alone”, please do not be ignorant or disrespectful of our religion. Viewing and moving the bodies of holy people to chapels is part of our 2000 year old tradition especially for those who are saints, so Sister Wilhelmina would have been very aware of this practice and would be honored. Even the bones of the man believed to be St. Peter were moved to be inside of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.

There is something very odd about this whole thing!! The hands just put me over the edge

Incurrupt would be perfect She is not

The holes are from pilgrims taking dirt from her grave as relics. The two holes weren’t from them removing the casket. The hole was refilled

Holy woman of God ❤️..what a beautiful testament to God's awesome power, praise God!! Thank GOD she was not cremated!!!

I just find it sick that they have this black woman’s body on display like a science project. Gawking at it & praying on it like some kind of pagan ritual.

This scenario is morbid. There is no way I am lingering over a deceased body. Taking graveyard dirt is beyond morbid. This Catholic is one who would never voluntarily go to visit those bodies. Attending the funeral is more than enough.

This is exactly why I want to be cremated. I would NEVER want my body dug up and looked at!

I Love Your Thoughts! Be Blessed!

Call it what you wish, but call it a miracle for the particular faith, Catholic in this case.

Kari I'm still here some days are better than most covid long haulers love watching you I retired last week which at 52 it's hard I still try and help out as much as I can at the funeral home He's to be my grandpa's

I believe in it because of what happened with my great grandfather, who a few years after his burial, appeared in dreams of relatives asking them to relocate his grave because present grave site was going to get flooded. After repeated dreams relations had him exhumed. He looked like if only buried yesterday. Impressed by it, the relatives reburied him in courtyard of a mosque which was later expanded by my father who credited his grandfather for his wealth.

They should have left the body in the state that it was. Keep the in behind glass so it can't deteriorate more.

Hmmm…there is a lot of skepticism here from everyone. I wonder if your thought pattern applies to all incorruptibles or just this one. You know the first African American. Maybe it’s the dirt…maybe it’s the annual rain fall…maybe it’s the racism you find in places like Missouri. This woman was buried in a pine wood coffin that was not sealed. It was cracked in half and had a hole in it. She was not embalmed. She was buried in 2019. She should be all bones.

Sister wilhelmina is a Saint 🙏🙏🙏🤲🤲🤲🤲🙌🙌🙌🙌

Hmmm. I’ve been studying human decomposition for over 11 years at this point, and I have some thoughts. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said a lot of “incorruptible” bodies are masks and facades with fabric hiding the more unseemly bits, because I am certain that is the case here. I found other images from before she was more heavily cosmetized, and you can see that her legs and feet in addition to her arms and hands are completely desiccated, her abdomen has dried out with the ribs and pelvis prominently exposed, and the face doesn’t look nearly as full. I also think that there were patches of mold, which is to be expected after four years in the ground. Post-cosmetization, it’s flagrantly obvious that her socks were stuffed, there’s loads of padding under her habit, and the exposed skin looks not only lacquered, but swollen somehow. I hate to rain on someone’s parade and believe me when I tell you I love a weirdly well-preserved corpse just as much as the next decomposition geek, but this seems to be more science than miracle. Taking a cursory look around, there seem to be some clues as to why she mummified instead of taking the more conventional route, so to speak. Starting with the big one, the soil. You had this question in your video, and I’m happy to say I have an answer. The soil in Buchanan/Clinton County, MO, is mostly loam and loess. You can actually see this if you take a closer look at the grave photos. Those two soils, for the uninitiated, are very fine and sandy, well draining, and dry. They’re the stuff that made the dust bowl the dust bowl. You really couldn’t ask for a better soil to preserve remains in, if you’re not counting sand, because both of those will not only drain quickly after rain, but also help to wick away moisture and dehydrate things. Speaking of rainfall, Gower, MO, gets about 27 inches a year. That’s sort of on the low-moderate end of the spectrum. Rain also only tends to fall heavily, like, 4-5 inches in a month, for a couple of months out of the year. With well draining soil and a grave that must’ve been in a particularly dry spot in the cemetery, the body probably wasn’t sitting in that rainwater for long. The temperature, both soil temperature and atmospheric temperature, also tend to stay pretty moderate and mild in that region of the country, without too many scorching heat waves or deep freezes. The last thing I want to speculate on is the nun herself. Reports say that she died at the age of 95, and in final photos she was on oxygen and did look like she had some sort of health complications, though I don’t dare guess what specifically. She was also a small woman from a height perspective. Assuming that she died a natural death, meaning no chemo or other drugs that would cause edema, we can assume that she likely went into the ground a bit on the dehydrated side. Add into that a burial in a full habit and veil which created a protective shield from the elements and other environmental factors like insects, and it suddenly starts to make sense as to why she is the way she is. Best guess is the right soil plus the right spot in the cemetery plus the right climate plus the right burial practice equaled one “incorruptible” but still decomposed human body. Not a miracle, just some luck and some really cool science. If people want to call that a miracle though, my secular self is not going to get in their way.

I'm an incorruptible, an immortal. Where I died, others buried me, I came to and had to dig myself out, 4' of dirt. I'm fortunate they were tightwads and used a cardboard casket.

Question everything. Even the church will question this.

Thank you for acknowledging our faith.

This is what bugs me about this topic. There are a plethora of other incorruptible saints who have been beatified and the general response is that it’s a sign from a God. A miracle from God. Pundits were not chiming in and questioning things like pH of the soil, temperature, holes in the ground, etc. Now, these factors are being asked by everyone. And yes I’m going to say it regardless of who doesn’t like it, I believe these speculations and questions are coming from a racial place. Let it had been a white woman who was a nun or a little white girl and found “in corrupt” there wouldn’t be as much speculation. Guaranteed. For some reason it’s so hard to fathom that just like a white person, an African American can also be “incorrupt” as well. Is that so hard to believe?? Or is it such a grotesque thought that a black woman may be beatified and possibly made a saint in a church that was founded by Europeans?? And as far as the usage of wax, so what! Big deal. Yet again another factor that’s being called out but other white incorrupt bodies have been waxed as well. So in my opinion, give this woman the same level of dignity and respect and let her attain sainthood as she deserves without all the speculation and doubt.

I have the utmost respect for kari.. for speaking the truth, especially in a world where honesty almost ceases to exist.. im at a loss for words that people out there believes this without a doubt, even after seeing her pictures when she was actually alive compared to now. You cant get an honest fair shake for anything anymore in this world... god bless you kari..

Ask yourself this. Even if she had been embalmed, with the best available process, underneath damp Mississippi mud, with no crypt, just a wooden coffin that split down the middle....how could this be?

The gravesite was covered back up after the coffin was removed as was stated by the Sisters . The two holes are from people who took a sample of the soil as relics which was allowed by the Convent.. Check your facts before making such statements

One thing I've learned from your channel, many of us have a fascination or curiosity about our loved ones that have passed. I used to think I was morbid, but have come to find that a lot of people feel the same way. I know it would possibly be disturbing, but given the chance, I would like to see what my deceased husband looks like now. 😳 This leads me to a question, if a body is disinterred, are family members allowed to see the body? ❤

Only one man died was buried but saw no corruption. Her face does look good for being dead and buried for four years. There is a scientific explanation as to why her face doesn't show decomposition. What I find shocking is the apparent lack of odor. That tells something has been done to the body at burial.

I personally dont feel someone who was in the ground for only 4 years can be considered incorruptible.. Many bodies from the past who qualified for incorruptible had been buried for years to be considered that.. I think this was a very premature assumption

Thank you GOD IS GOOD ALLELUIA AMEN BELIEVE IN GOD ALLELUIA AMEN

Church Officials will have more questions than you can ever think of. Don't you worry about that.

It is all for money and followers… so sad religion must do tricks

All great points. Although I am a devout Catholic, I have my doubts on some of these modern 'miracles'. Sometimes the information just not match the photographs. My feeling is: I do not need miracles to convince me of Jesus' divinity and the sovereignty of God - or the existence of the Holy Spirit, as the love between them. I am as certain of that as I am that I exist. No miracle - except if He came down from heaven for all to see - could increase my faith or love for Him.

There's a great deal of skepticism coming from people who're in the death care industry. I would have to be there to see for myself. A photo alone & a write up will not do it for me.

I am a Roman Catholic but let me just share something... Here in our country (Philippines), there was once a famous female pornstar who died in 1984 then 29 years after her death, her body was exhumed in 2013 to be relocated beside her father's remains. However, upon opening the casket, relatives found her body to be in a perfect mummified state, with details on her skin still clearly visible. Similar cases have been reported in the cemetery, where saltwater sometimes seeps into underground tombs, preserving the human remains like a mummy. To make the long story short... Incorruption of the body doesn't only apply to Saints but to Sinners as well. It depends on the composition of the earth where you're burried in. Great insights on this matter Kari. 👍

She looks like someone put some kind of wax or something

Remember people, part of the process toward sainthood is when Doubting Thomas gets to put his 2 cents worth into the process.

Catholics will thoroughly investigate it

The Catholic church has not said anything about her being truly an incorrupt body. The Bishop even said her body cannot be taken as a relic. People are going to see her body, but the authority of the Church has to investigate everything before affirming that claim. As a Catholic, I prefer to wait for the investigation. I know there is nothing impossible for God, people who have been so pure in this life in their bodies, thoughts, and souls can be preserved from decomposing. I say this because people are accusing the clerical part of the church of making this up. This is not the case. We Catholics live under obedience according to Jesus' teachings "They who hear you, her me" so only if the pope and bishops after investigating this matter well, we will see this as a miracle.

her embalming looks excellent. her hands appear to de decomposing more than other visible parts. if some want to spiritually believe her body is incorrupt as a source of inspiration, then more power to them.

Finally a rational analysis 👍

She was 95 years when she died and thus required to decompose faster and according to investigative reports she was not embalmed. This is divine

God forgive me but I don't trust religion...they said she was NOT embalmed...it would be great if they allowed Kari to examine her. Yes they're making a bundle of money in "donations" over. Science asks questions...let see if they don't try to shut us up. Kari go after them!

Kari, ABOUT the body not decayiing: PLEASE reply.. what is your thought on processed foods if WE know scientifically our bodies become what we eat. Consider the fact that Fries and Other preserved foods...such junk foods can be left for years & they Dont even decay, ..you raised the question If the woman's body....had been. chemically preserved, SINCE society is more severely now normalizing an artificial diet of saturating the body in junk/preserved foods, (My Fist ORIGINAL belief was that junk food-diets erode human bone, decays teeth & shortens human life) but On second thoughts ...is there any posibility that a Body gets "preserved" by enduring a diet of eating "preservatives" ?

Well, it was inevitable, with the nature of your channel, that you were compelled to address this matter. I'm certain that 98 % of people trained in Mortuary Science are extremely skeptical, to include myself. Nonetheless, this is gathering momentum and is clearly being perceived as a "Supernatural Occurrence" by the masses.

Kari, if you find out more on this story please update us

I can't get over that there is no odors from her body, that part puzzles me, I have always been a bit creeped out by these things and having traveled to the Vatican and did see some saints under glass, they look like mummies to me.

This is the first I've heard of this.

Totally agree with you! What are they covering up??? And more importantly…why?

It looks like someone altered her body

Thank you for this! I randomly got recommended a vid about her body and I was very interested

What do morticians always say whenever there's a question about decomposition and the different stages? "It depends on the environment...." It's all biological facts and has nothing to do with being incorrupt.

Id like to know what her family thinks of this and if they have any say in what happens.

Well done ✅🏆💯👍

We will never understand the mystery of Christ This is a true act of God Sister willimina Was a woman of God Just like blessed Carlos The young boy who died at 15 Just like Saint Bernadette From lourdes Who's now dead almost 140 years And st. padre Pio Saint Mother Teresa The list goes on and on the Read this beautiful book incorruptibles So believe And be baptised In the name of the father The sun And the holy spirit ❤

Very sensitive, valid, and forthright points raised on incorruptibility, yet still respectful to the members of the Catholic faith. I was also wondering why they put masks and waxes to the "supposedly" incorruptible saints of God, I mean aren't they supposed to be incorruptible? I have learned that incorruptibility of saints isn't exactly absolute incorruptibility. From Bri Campbell: "In the realm of Catholicism, an incorrupt saint is one whose body experiences little, no, or delayed decomposition after death. It is believed that divine intervention has allowed a number of human bodies to forgo the normal decomposition process as a symbol of the deceased’s holiness while alive on earth, and can also be perceived as the person’s mortal remains being prepared for the resurrection of the body at the end of time." In addition, preserved bodies are divided into three categories: deliberately preserved, accidentally preserved, and incorruptible. After passing tests and declaring a saint or a holy person to be incorruptible, various ways are being done to avoid the further hastening of the body's decomposition such as wax, glass encapsulation, etc. I don't know if these make a lot of sense but I hope it sheds a bit of light on the matter. I would also like to invite everyone to watch and listen to some explanation by Fr. Mark Goring regarding the topic (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e0m7H-JmDMM.html). Have a blessed day.

If people have faith over something like this, I just allow it. Personally, I think science probably has the explantion.

I do believe there are incorruptible bodies of saints but some are not really that incorrupt. I'm not sure about this one. "those hands?" St Bernadette is beautiful, St Cecilia and St. Padre Pio are. I'm sure there are more. I am Roman Catholic and we do not have to believe this as dogma. There are years of investigations to declare someone is a saint but I don't believe this is part of it. Miracles are involved.

No one has examined her. Her hands look like they are covered in paraffin wax.

She has to b protected from ALL the people that r touching her. Her veil & casket r made from same material;yet veil is OK & the rest not- they say.

The fact that there was no odour of decay. That woman speaking on this video has no faith and is most certainly not a traditional Roman Catholic. She is a doubting Thomas. The incorrupt body of this beautiful nun is the work of God.❤

No one can escape decomposition, we are all mortal beings, only in The lord Jesus, we will be raised, and have immortality..for those, who are saved!the only one who defied corruption, was Jesus, when death couldn't hold Him..this body belongs, to the earth, were God created us from! This is no miracle, it's either a money racket, scheme, to pay for the soil, or people are just superstition..

A true incorruptible does not need any wax covering. However, some dead for centuries have began showing signs of decay, where a little wax here and there was purely "cosmetic"! It wasn't applied to cover up gross rot and decay. Eastern Orthodoxy has several it's said. A king who was decapitated in war and lost his right arm from around the 11th century was exhumed to be removed, where his body is still in tact and very flexible. But to be pronounced a Saint requires more than a nondecaying body, it requires miracles, real miracles, distinct from hoaxes. Which thiscase here it could be political, where it could have been demanded, etc. Where it happens. Then there's St.John of San Francisco and Shanghai. As I understand it,he wasfound deceased in a humid or moist environment where there should have been decay, but last I heard he's still intact and there's said to be miracles. Contact the Vatican as they are said to do more research to prove legitimate or hoax. They could have put antidessicants around her.

The Catholic process of inquiry is pretty thorough. I believe if her order says she was not embalmed then to the utmost of thier knowledge it is true. Since cloisterd nuns ordenarily are not that would hardly be unusual. In the case the nun was to be buried far from her convent she would be embalmed but that is seldom the case.

No doubts here. The body was found intact. No foul odor.

To what matters is the reminder that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Hence, our bodies should be treated with the love and fear of God in accordance with the scriptures. Any other thing is more or less a distraction to the message of the love and mercy of God.

If you wanted to scientifically comment on it - you also could have been present and examining the body. The Catholic Church will do a thorough investigation. Were you present? Did you look at the dirt? Did you examine the body? You are presenting a lot of questions. The Church has not made a ruling on this and will be doing a scientific investigation as they always do with possible miracles. They will ask these questions; they will do a scientific investigation. It seems you are implying a great deal that is a matter of speculation. Have you read about other incorruptible bodies in the Church? Perhaps this would give some thought about other incorruptible bodies which have been scientifically proven. There are believers and there are many people who believe this is a miracle. Historically the Catholic Church has done scientific investigations on Incorruptible bodies that have had different conclusions - some miracles, some not. In this case, honestly much of the Church actually has an interest in ruling against the incorruptibility of Sister Wilhelmina because of the Traditional movement she was involved in. Thank you.

This is something for the Black community to be proud of.

Go see her!!!!

Not that I would ever be considered a saint....this is the reason I'm being cremated. No reason to dig me up and disturb my Pease. Let the poor woman in Pease. Does family have a say in all of this?

People who hate the Catholic Church and don’t understand. Will attack Catholic Belief’s. Especially Miracles. Because They don’t understand the TRUE Catholic Church. Very SAD.

Sr Wilhelmina pray for us

Did a qiuck loom online, they are saying she was covered in a protective wax as she was displayed, and that she was buried in most clay, kari hope that info helps helps.

As there is no 'list' as to what makes a body incorrupt in the Catholic church it can complicate things. However if the body was embalmed or preserved (covered in resin etc) in anyway prior to burriel then it is not incorrupt. Any mumification would also rule it out. Also it does not have to be the whole body which survives to be declared as incorrupt eg there is one saint where only his tounge remained undecomposed but this was enough to have him declared incorrupt. This is also no longer seen as a miracle but as a 'favourable sign' it no longer makes them a saint but it might improve their chances.

All i know is theres a bible verse that saids from ashes you came from from ashes you will become. So we become ashes at the end!

Wow

Interesting that you made this video. Last week I was reading about the Blessed Carlo Acutis who died of leukemia at the age of 15. It is said that his body is incorrupt but in reality it isn’t. Work was done in his face.

Im so glad you spoke about this. Waxes makeup I had thought of too! She want embalmed. So,Minus makeup & waxed is she the way a body would resemble if not emblem too? SMH.

The fact that the grave does not look consistent with one that would have been opened recently is sketchy.

What will be will be if no substantiated answers come then let her R.I.P,🙏🙏🙏👋👋🇦🇺

I naturally am repelled by dead tissue as is normal. However, I do believe that relics can carry the aura of a person.

Girl. Thanks. For shedding light on the hysteria. I was just about to drive 1000 miles to see this. But after watching your video…ehh. Probably not.

If this is true then the church should welcome a respectful examination of the claims made! Thats my thoughts

WAY too many factors that could play into this. Pics look like alterations have been made. But like you said, what is the Ph level? Was there a preservation material put in with her? Many more questions than answers!

😢 She's, not the first person to be considered in corrupt, I, lived in Rome, and seen several incorruptibles, they were all white nobody questioned them, Kari, you have your opinion, but I, noticed, you didn't disavow, the many other people, who have Achieved this status, are anybody else.

What happened to Rest In Peace?

She is a saint thank God

I am a great skeptic in regard to this Kari, and I agree , there is a lot of questions to be asked. I don't know what the great fascination with this is,in particular with the Roman Catholics in this society. They seem to be grasping for some sort of proof of the resurrection, which I personally do not subscribe too.