Hey there,
Part of a saint’s canonization process involves exhuming the body. And it’s typically done more than once. There’s an identification that is necessary … and later they need to gather relics. There may be a third time to move the body to a new resting place.
Sometimes when they exhume the body, even after 20, 50, or more years, the body has not experienced normal decay … despite preservation measures, like embalming, not being done.
This is a phenomenon called incorruptibility.
Not all Saints are incorrupt. And not all incorrupt are Saints.
The Catholic church is very careful about declaring someone incorrupt. In fact, incorruptibility (or not being incorrupt) is not even a condition for Sainthood.
Incorruptibility is a mystery that hasn’t been studied a great deal. So not a lot is known about it.
This week’s issue of Genuflect uncovers the miracle of the incorruptibles. You’ll learn what incorruptibility is, what makes a body incorrupt, who they are, where to find them, and more.
Dig in and enjoy!
Keep Believing-
Katy Barrilleaux
Founding Editor, Genuflect
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Incorruptibles Explained
What is an Incorruptible saint? What makes a saint incorruptible? Who are they? How does the church look at this phenomenon? Father Dwight Longenecker explains.
What’s The Meaning of the Remarkable Phenomenon of Incorruptibility? | Simply Catholic
Natural or Wax?
Pope Benedict XIV set the incorruptible standards in 1734, though they’re a little loose. And as Max Lindenman discovered, the incorrupt bodies do not necessarily need to be incorrupt forever. And some of the incorrupt saints have been preserved with wax … wha?
Death Becomes Them | Busted Halo
First Incorruptible Saint
Saint Cecilia died in 177 AD and 777 years later when exhumed during a restoration was found to be incorruptible. Here’s the incredible story of this Saint’s life, death, and incorruptibility.
St Cecilia, First Incorruptible Saint | Roman Catholic Saints
Incorruptible Saint Bernadette
St. Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes, died in 1879 and was exhumed in 1909 and again in 1919 and 1925. Read the statements of the physicians who were present and provided official statements about what they found.
The Marvelous Preservation of St. Bernadette | National Catholic Register
The Incorruptibles
Did you know there are more than 150 incorruptible saints? Here’s a list of all 153 of them.
Incorruptible Saints | Roman Catholic Saints
Incorruptibles in Italy
It’s not uncommon for the bodies of incorruptible Saints to be entombed in glass in a church. Here are 8 you can visit in Italy.
Incorruptible Saints | Life in Italy
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