After nun’s body found incorrupt after burial, authorities preparing for thousands of visits this weekend
A city of 1,500 residents is preparing to welcome tens of thousands of residents this Memorial Day Weekend.
Many continue to travel to Gower, Mo., days after it was revealed that a nun’s body was found incorrupt four years after burial.
Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died in 2019 and her sisters buried her on the grounds there.
When the sisters at Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles Monastery exhumed her body, they discovered it preserved.
That news started spreading and many have already traveled to Gower.
Clinton County Sheriff Larry Fish prepared residents of what could be a very busy weekend in the community.
He's encouraging everyone not planning to visit the monastery to avoid the general area.
"We're doing everything we can to keep everyone safe and deal with this once in a lifetime opportunity,” Fish said in a Facebook Live.
The sheriff’s office is preparing for anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000 people each day on Memorial Day Weekend, which could lead to “very large pressure” being placed on the city’s infrastructure.
Fish has requested the speed limit of the road leading up to the church to be lowered from 55 to 35 in anticipation of this traffic.
Outside agencies are expected to provide assistance to Clinton County and Gower.
"Everything is hopefully going to work out well,” Fish said. “We're going to prepare for the worst of the numbers and hope for the best. Hopefully everything will go smoothly."
Along with Americans nationwide traveling there, Fish said residents from other countries could come in to visit.