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Long before the world knew , for the extraordinary preservation of her body in the grave, two alumnae of 91����� Aquinas College were among those who knew the nun for her decades of devotion to religious life.

�When they found the coffin and got the lid off, they saw that not only her whole body was in a remarkable state of preservation, but even her religious habit. We didn�t know what to expect, but we certainly weren�t expecting that!�

Sr. Mary Josefa (Kathleen �07) Holcomb, O.S.B., overlapped with Sr. Wilhelmina at the Abbey of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, for nine years, and Sr. Sophia of the Holy Eucharist (Gina Marie �08) Eid, O.S.B., for seven-and-a-half. Both helped to care for the elderly nun over the years. �As time went by, she had withdrawn a little from the normal flow of community life,� says Sr. Sophia. �But that allowed some private time for the novice helpers. There was this one-on-one with her that was very edifying. It was beautiful to hear her talk about the things always on her mind � Our Lord and Our Lady, the things that we needed to pray for in the world.�

As young nuns, Sr. Sophia and Sr. Mary Josefa were especially impressed by Sr. Wilhelmina�s nearly 80 years of exemplary Benedictine life. �It was an important part of our formation to see religious life lived so long and so fully,� says Sr. Mary Josefa. �To see that example of fidelity to the very end was a huge grace.� Adds Sr. Sophia, �We have a 72-inch ruler in the Abbey sewing room. When I celebrated two years in vows, Sister celebrated 72 years. I remember I looked at the ruler and compared the two inches at one end with the whole length of it and I was awestruck.�

Sr. Wilhelmina�s fidelity through the years was especially remarkable, since much of that time coincided with a period of turmoil in the Church. As numerous religious congregations relaxed the traditional demands of their vows, such as wearing a habit, Sr. Wilhelmina remained steadfast � a trait that ultimately led her to found the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. When she died in 2019, she was laid to rest in her habit � which, as the sisters discovered earlier this year, seemed to have a mysterious steadfastness of its own.

�When Mother Abbess decided to complete the St. Joseph�s altar and to have sisters� relics placed in the altar � as it�s customary for a Benedictine monastery to have their founder�s relics in the abbey church � she had a rotating crew of sisters digging up the grave,� said Sr. Mary Josefa. �When they found the coffin and got the lid off, they saw that not only her whole body was in a remarkable state of preservation, but even her religious habit. We didn�t know what to expect, but we certainly weren�t expecting that!�

The state of Sr. Wilhelmina�s body made headlines in May, which brought numerous pilgrims to the congregation�s motherhouse in Gower, Missouri. �There were a lot of other people going on pilgrimage � hundreds, maybe even thousands,� says Sr. Sophia. �They were coming from all over. It was beautiful.�

While the sisters themselves await a proper investigation by Church authorities, they cannot help but see God�s hand in the discovery. �It was an assurance for us that Sister�s humble life was precious in God�s eyes, and that He preserved her in some way for us to see,� says Sr. Mary Josefa. �It was significant that He preserved her habit, because she suffered so much to keep it. To see the habit intact really spoke to us � a sign of God�s fidelity in reward for sister�s fidelity.�