Missouri
Who Was Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, Whose Body Is Now the Center of Attention in Missouri?
When the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles exhumed the body of their foundress, Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, on May 18, they found the unexpected: Four years after her death and burial in a simple wooden coffin, her body appeared remarkably well preserved.
The news quickly spread on social media about the unusual state of the remains of the contemplative order’s African American foundress, drawing hundreds of pilgrims to the monastery in rural Missouri.
Questions remain to be answered about whether an investigation will take place to examine her remains scientifically. In the meantime, many people want to know more about this woman who, at the age of 70, founded the order of sisters best known for their chart-topping Gregorian chant and classic Catholic hymn albums.
A Vision of Jesus
The second of five children born to Catholic parents in St. Louis on Palm Sunday, April 13, 1924, Mary Elizabeth Lancaster (she took the name Wilhelmina when she made her vows) was raised in a deeply pious home.
According to the current abbess, Benedictine Mother Cecilia Snell, as told in a biography published by her community, the future Sister Wilhelmina had a mystical experience at her first Communion at age 9 wherein Jesus invited her to be his.
“She saw something of him at her first Communion. Maybe not very clearly, but she saw he was so handsome,” the abbess said.
“He said, ‘Will you be mine?’
“And she said, ‘He is so handsome, how can I say No?’”
After this experience, at age 13, her parish priest asked her if she ever considered becoming a sister. Though she had not, she was quickly moved by the idea and wrote to the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore seeking permission to join, “but she was too young [so] she had to wait a little bit longer.”
The excerpt of the letter reveals a stunning straightforwardness and enduring faithfulness, given that she would die having lived 75 years under religious vows.
“Dear Mother Superior,” it reads. “I am a girl, 13 years old, and I would like to become a nun. I plan to come to your convent as soon as possible. I will graduate from grade school next month. What I want to know is whether you have to bring anything to the convent and what it is you have to bring. I hope I am not troubling you any, but I have my heart set on becoming a nun (of course I am a Catholic.) God bless you and those under your command. Respectfully, Mary Elizabeth Lancaster.”
Catholic Education and a Lifelong Vocation
Growing up under segregation, Mary Elizabeth was once taunted with the nickname “chocolate drops” as she ran through a white neighborhood on her way home from school, and although she also was ridiculed as the lone Catholic among Baptist and Methodist peers, she refused to harbor resentment for her treatment.
When the local Catholic high school became segregated under the Christian Brothers and public school seemed like her only option, her parents went to great efforts to ensure that their daughter and her schoolmates could continue their Catholic education.
According to Sister Wilhelmina, as recounted in her biography, her “parents, who did not want me to go to the public high school, got to work and founded St. Joseph’s Catholic High School for Negroes, which lasted until Archbishop Ritter put an end to segregation in the diocese.”
She graduated as valedictorian of the school her parents helped to found and then entered the Oblate Sisters of Providence, one of only two religious orders for Black or Hispanic women. She would remain with these sisters for 50 years under vows.
The Habit and the Traditional Latin Mass
During her 50 years in religious life, Sister Wilhelmina witnessed the changes brought by Vatican II and sought to preserve the habit, even constructing one of her own when the sisters stopped producing them.
“She spent so many years fighting for the habit,” said Mother Cecilia, who said Sister Wilhelmina took seriously the idea that the habit signifies the wearer as a bride of Christ.
According to her biography, she made a habit for herself, creating parts of the headdress out of a plastic bleach bottle, even as her sisters no longer wore theirs.
As the Catholic Key reported, her homemade habit may have saved her life when she was working as a teacher in Baltimore and the stiff, high-necked collar known as the guimpe deflected the knife of a disgruntled student.
Her biography tells of an occasion when a sister, passing her in the hallway, pointed at the traditional headdress and asked, “Are you going to wear that all the time?”
“Yes!” Sister Wilhelmina responded and would later quip, “I am Sister WIL-HEL-MINA — I’ve a HELL of a WILL and I MEAN it!”
After years of trying to get her order to return to the habit, she happened to hear about the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter starting a group of sisters, and she had rediscovered the Latin Mass and fell in love with it, Mother Cecilia said.
“And one day, she packed her bags — and she’s 70 years old, and she went to found this community — just a complete leap of faith.”
In 1995, with the help of a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the community began. Over time, it would take on a more contemplative and distinctly Marian charism, with a special emphasis on praying for priests.
In her proposal for a new community, Wilhelmina said she wanted to return to regular observance, something she petitioned for during the general chapter of the Oblate Sisters of Providence. “The wearing of a uniform habit, the surrendering of all monies to a common bursar, the obeying of lawful authority in all departments, the guarding of enclosure and of times and places of silence, and the living together an authentic fraternal life,” she wrote.
In short, in her new community, she imagined a return to the ordinary discipline of religious life.
The new community, which began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, followed St. Benedict in his Rule and chanted the traditional Divine Office in Latin. In 2006, the community accepted an invitation from Bishop Robert Finn to transfer to his Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri.
In 2018, their abbey, Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus, was consecrated with Mother Abbess Cecilia as the first abbess, with Sister Wilhelmina under her authority. In 2019, seven sisters left the abbey to establish the order’s first daughter house, the Monastery of St. Joseph in Ava, Missouri.
Today, the sisters continue to lead lives of silence and contemplation, following St. Benedict’s Rule. They partake in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and use the 1962 Monastic Office, with its traditional Gregorian Chant, in Latin.
Devoted to the Blessed Mother
Sister Wilhelmina is remembered for her love of Our Lady, even in the last years of her life, when she was suffering from fragile health.
Regina Trout, a former postulant who cared for Sister Wilhelmina and is now married with children and a lecturer in biology at Purdue University Fort-Wayne, recalled seeing her visibly moved.
“Whenever you would talk to her about Our Lady, you could just see that spark. She loved Our Lady so much, and that came through so strongly,” she said.
Sister Wilhemina’s last conscious words — ”O Maria,” sung two days before her death as part of the hymn O Sanctissima — were a reflection of her deeply Marian piety as well as the charism of the chart-topping music that glorifies God that the Benedictine Sisters of Mary are known for.
“She loved our Blessed Mother,” Mother Cecilia said. “That’s what she would tell everybody coming here. ‘Pray the Rosary. Don’t forget to pray the Rosary.’ Love the Blessed Mother. She loves you.”
“Her death was beautiful,” the abbess told EWTN’s ACI Group. “God arranged everything.”
“We were singing ‘Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all.’ When we got to the rest of the song — ’Had I but Mary’s sinless heart, with which to love Thee with, O what joy’ — she opened her eyes and looked up.
“I mean, she had been comatose. We know she could hear us, but she was just not responsive at all for a couple of days. And then she just looked up with this face full of bursts of love.”
For the abbess, it seemed like “she was just already in heaven” in those moments.
The Missouri Tigers (7-3, 3-3 SEC) dropped a thrilling game against South Carolina to essentially end their College Football Playoff hopes. But there’s still two regular seasons and a bowl game left.
First up, the Tigers will finish the true-road game schedule in Starkville, Miss., where they will face Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6 SEC).
The Bulldogs ended a seven-game losing streak with a 45-20 win against UMass two weeks ago, but dropped a 33-14 game against Tennessee last weekend to stay winless in conference play.
Missouri opened as an 8-point favorite according to Circa Sports.
Here’s a glance at Mississippi State and what Missouri will face at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Mississippi.
When: 3:15 p.m. CT, Saturday
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi.
TV: SEC Network
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network
The Tigers and Bulldogs have played only four times with Mississippi State winning the two matchups since Missouri joined the SEC.
The most recent matchup was a 51-32 Bulldog win in Starkville in 2020 and Mississippi State won 31-13 in 2015 in Columbia.
Missouri won 47-30 in a non-conference matchup in Columbia in 1984 and a 14-3 non-conference road matchup in 1981.
Scoring offense: 27.6 (No. 72)
Scoring defense: 34.4 (No. 117)
Rushing offense: 146.9 (No. 82)
Rushing defense: 214.5 (No. 126)
Passing offense: 238.9 (No. 53)
Passing defense: 246.3 (No. 103)
OFFENSE
Michael Van Buren Jr., QB
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound freshman took over the quarterback spot in Week 4 against Florida after transfer senior Blake Shapen hurt his shoulder and was knocked out for the season.
In eight games, Van Buren Jr. has passed for 1,415 yards and completed 107-of-196 (54.6 percent) of his passes. He has nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
His best games came at Georgia and against Arkansas.
At Georgia, he completed 20-of-37 passes for 306 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and got shoved by Georgia coach Kirby Smart.
Against Arkansas, Van Buren completed 22-of-31 (71 percent) of his passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, but he did have two interceptions.
He hasn’t had another two-interception game, though he did throw one each against Georgia, Texas A&M and Tennessee.
He has not been a rushing threat this season, never totaling more than 15 yards in a game and racking up -5 yards on 57 attempts this year when including sack yardage.
Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels, RBs
The pair of running backs have combined for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns, both averaging between 50-60 yards per game.
Booth, a 5-10, 205-pound senior, leads the way at 597 yards and four touchdowns, while also catching 10 passes for 124 yards and four touchdowns.
Booth has grown into the lead back the past four weeks with games of 79 rushing yards and two catches for 31 yards and a score against Texas A&M, 93 rushing yards and a 54-yard receiving touchdown against Arkansas, 76 rushing yards and a score against UMass and 125 rushing yards and a touchdown against Tennessee.
Booth also often returns kicks, taking 11 back for a combined 281 yards (25.55 per return).
Daniels, a 5-10, 200-pound junior, has 509 yards and four rushing scores to go with seven catches for 72 yards.
His best game was a 92-yard performance against UMass, but he has games of 77 yards and a score against Florida and 75 yards against Texas.
Kevin Coleman, WR
The 5-11, 180-pound junior has totaled about a third of the team’s total receiving yards with 756 on 62 catches with five touchdowns.
He has surpassed 100 yards three times, a four-catch, 103-yard game against Arizona State, an eight-catch, 103-yard performance against Georgia and an eight-catch 100-yard performance against Arkansas.
His touchdowns came one each against Eastern Kentucky, Arizona State, Toledo, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
He has also returned 11 kicks for 134 yards (12.18 per return), but most of that came on five returns against Eastern Kentucky in the first game of the season.
DEFENSE
Isaac Smith, Safety
The 6-0, 205-pound sophomore leads the team with 101 tackles in nine games played. He recorded 20 tackles against Tennessee last week.
He has broken up two passes and forced a fumble against Florida.
Corey Ellington, Safety
A 6-3, 200-pound senior, Ellington leads the Bulldogs with three forced fumbles in just seven games played. He forced one each against Florida, Texas and Arkansas.
He has totaled 39 tackles this year with nine each against Arkansas and UMass, and he has one tackle for loss against Texas to go with three pass breakups.
Brice Pollock, Corner
The 6-1, 190-pound sophomore, leads the Bulldogs with seven pass breakups. He had one each in five of the season’s first six games, then two against UMass.
In 10 games, Pollock has 38 total tackles with his season-high of six coming against both Arkansas State and Texas. He has one tackle for loss coming last week against Tennessee, one forced fumble against Georgia and an interception against Georgia.
Nate Noel vs. Mississippi State’s front 7
The Bulldogs have allowed a lot of rushing yards this year. An SEC team having the No. 126 rushing defense per game out of 133 teams is crazy. The only other power-conference team below No. 120 is Oklahoma State at No. 132 (shoutout my Cowboys, what a year).
Noel, Marcus Carroll, Jamal Roberts and Kewan Lacy all have an opportunity to dominate the game and keep pressure off of Brady Cook as he continues to recover.
If the Mizzou running backs are able to take advantage of a really struggling run defense, that will be big for the Tigers.
Missouri’s offense vs. the red zone
Mississippi State allows a lot of yards and a lot of points. The Tigers cannot continue to struggle in the red zone as they have all year.
Settling for field goals might be enough to win this game, but if the Tigers are regularly sending out Blake Craig, that’s a bad sign. This is not a defense that should be able to stop any of the running backs, Theo Wease or Luther Burden in tight situations.
Mizzou should be reaching the end zone every time it gets to the red zone this week.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Zaxton King’s 18 points helped Missouri State defeat UT Arlington 78-68 on Tuesday night.
King shot 5 of 14 from the field, including 2 for 5 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 6 from the line for the Bears (3-1). Vincent Brady II scored 14 points, shooting 4 for 9 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. Jalen Hampton and Dez White both added 12 points and Hampton had 12 rebounds.
The Mavericks (2-3) were led by Jaxon Ellingsworth, who posted 19 points and six rebounds. Darius Burford added 14 points and nine rebounds for UT Arlington. Raysean Seamster also had 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
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The 2024-25 Missouri boys high school basketball season is about to tip-off and it is a great time to take a look at the Top 25 teams in the state. Follow our rankings each of the season as we track who moves up, or down, based on the results.
The Red Devils feature a roster full of college prospects. They appeared in the Class 6 championship game last season and returned most of their production. Jahadi White Jr, Jamison White, Jonny Jordan, and Ben Winker all hold Division 1 offers.
Jimmy McKinney leads Vashon as their new head coach. His first year roster is led by Missouri State signee Trey Williams and Dehrio McCaskill. His son Jimmy McKinney Jr. is a highly touted 2027 prospect. The Wolverines have championship DNA.
De Smet return as Class 5 champions with a potential move up to the Class 6 in the coming weeks. They return all key starters & role players. North Dakota State signee Riley Massey and 2026 prospect Ian Thomas lead a talented backcourt.
Oak Park is coming off a 27-5 season that led them to Mizzou Arena in March. They’re loaded with upperclassmen that have experience. 6’5 guard Corbin Allen leads the way and fills up the box score.
The Bulldogs have a tough task trying to replace the production of Dontrez Williams. With that being said their core of PJ Farmer, Trace Sadler, and Tristan Wiggins will make noise in Class 5. They’re deep at the guard position. Marquel Murray was a big transfer statewide.
Burroughs will be a tough out for most programs in the state. They have a frontline that’s tough to match up with. 6’9 Tristan Reed and 6’10 Sheek Pearson are both high-major prospects. The Bombers won 27 games last season.
The Trailblazers feature a dominant backcourt duo in Mizzou signee Aaron Rowe and Exavier Wilson. The two have years of chemistry built. Blake Pingeton completes the roster as a 6’7 swingman. Could this be the year for Tolton in Class 4?
Staley have established themselves as a top overall program in the state. Chris Neff is an excellent coach. 6’7 senior Xavier Wislon is their go-to guy. Scoring at a high clip will be senior guard Avian Webb. This group went 23-6 last season.
Principia will be a squad to watch early. They’ve compiled a ton of talent in the 2026 and 2027 classes and are led by legendary coach Jay Blossom. No doubt they are a factor in Class 4. Keep an eye out for 2026 guard Quentin Coleman.
The Statesmen are young but talented. Justin Mathes is a tremendous coach that has talent at his disposal. One thing is a given, they’re going to compete. 2027 Scottie Adkinson has built a reputation as one of the best nationwide. 2028 Miles Simpson will play early and often.
Vianney lost Eddie Smajic and Symon Ghai but still have a well-rounded team around Southern Illinois signee Luke Wlash. They’re a strong three point shooting team coming off a 25 win season.
A top program in SWMO, the Chiefs have much of their core still in place. Reese Kimrey and Jackson Shorter will form an excellent pick & roll duo. Mitch McHenry knows what it takes to make deep playoff runs as a coach.
Battle has some of the best guards in Missouri. Their up-tempo style will apply pressure on the defensive end. Last season they went 20-8 while playing a tough schedule. 2027 Brandon Rooks is a name to know.
One of the best returning teams in Class 6. This is a group who clicked late in the season. They have chemistry and should continue to build in a winning direction after a 20 win season.
Helias is a sneaky good team following a handful of transfers this off-season. They have a host of 2026 prospects who will make major contributions. A contender in Class 5.
Springfield Central retains Keion Epps and Bryce Walker from a team who went far last season. Replacing Tyrique Brooks and his production as a committee will be key to keeping continuity.
The Bruins are an older squad with a host of players who produced last season. Reese Minnix and Brady Davidson are a formidable frontcourt tandem. Last season they went 22-6 with nearly all of their scoring coming back.
The Dragons are a wild card. They could end up being much higher when it’s all said and done. The star is Zyree Collins who some consider the offensive best player in Missouri. He’s surrounded by a strong supporting cast.
A team with tons of potential. The Broncos are a group that could make noise in 2024-25’. Junior wing Tre Paulding is someone that can be special for this team. They play a tough early slate in conference.
Howell were a few possessions away from making state last season. Their 24-6 team from last year returns senior Will Paulson who’s a 6’7 forward leading them in scoring. Their backcourt is explosive as well.
Rogersville is built around two important pieces. One is their coach, Jon Schaefer, who’s a top coach in Missouri. The other is 2027 point guard Chase Branham. He’s one of the best prospects in the state regardless of class holding a Mizzou offer.
Westminster have won and won often under Dale Ribble. He has developed a strong culture around the program and they’re a safe bet to stay on this list. JD Robertson is a key senior while sophomore guard Will Powers is a name who could emerge.
The Jays will look a lot different in 2024-25’. They’ll be led by new coach Ethan Williams. The first year coach will be in good hands at the forward spot. 2025 Arkansas Baseball commit Jordan Martin is a machine on the court.
The Lions are a team going through a rebuild but make no mistake about it, they’ll compete and win their fair share of games. That’s the culture on North Spring Avenue. A tough out for anybody in the state due to their defensive ability.
Rolla will look to win their district following a 22-6 season last year. They’ve proven to compete well vs. tough competition and have a dynamic talent in 2026 Ethan Brown. The junior guard has a chance to lead this team in all major categories.
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