We’ve been to the Vatican. And, apart from the couple touching each other’s crotches in full view of horrified tourists as they made out (the architecture is pretty incredible), we were most shocked by the amount of nuns texting. We really shouldn’t have been, though, as it turns out that nuns can be just as tech-forward as the rest of us.
Chicagoan Sister Helena Burns, who is part of the Daughter of St. Paul convent, is in fact so pro-tech that she has dubbed herself a ‘media nun’ and has over 14,200 followers on Twitter. ‘I want to use the latest, most modern, most efficacious media… To reach the greatest number of people with the holy spirit,’ she told [*The Atlantic.
*](http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/the-nun-who-got-addicted-to-twitter/360431/)
And, as a resul,t Helena uses social media – blogging, posting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine – just like the rest of us. ‘During the day, while I’m doing my other work, I’ll keep zipping over to social media.’
It all fits in with her remit as a nun – her particular order was set up by Italian priest Giacomo Alberione in 1915, who wanted the Catholic church to embrace media better. 'The Catholic Church is very good at education, tending the poor, soup kitchens, supporting families in need, missionary work. But when it comes to media, we don't value it enough,' she says.
As such, she is part of the sorts of Facebook groups you might not have heard of – Imagine Sisters is one ‘that aims to inspire the imaginations of young women to consider the beautiful call to consecrated life as a sister'. The group, which is full of the #nunsrock hashtag and images such as a nun talking at a pulpit along with the caption ‘Preach It, Sister!’, nuns hanging over the edge of a canyon with the caption 'Hang in there! Lent is aleady halfway over!', and another picture of a nun showing off a glinting gold ring on the third finger of her left hand and smiling next to the caption ‘Jesus proposed: I said yes!’, looks like a pretty jolly place to be.
However, don’t try any sarcasm over there. ‘Every time I try a bit of sarcasm, it never works,' she says. 'They can’t hear your voice, they can’t see your face – it’s bad enough in real life, so I don’t do it online.’
Tweet, Jesus!
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.