Three Nuns Stand Their Ground in Alpine Convent

In a small town near Salzburg, three elderly nuns are making headlines.

The Nuns' Stand

• Sisters Bernadette, Regina, and Rita, all in their 80s, have been living in their old convent since September.
• They left a care home where they were placed last December.
• Church leaders are unhappy and want the nuns to return to the care home.
• The nuns refuse to go back.

Viral Sensation

• The nuns have been posting videos online.
• These videos show their daily lives:
• Praying
• Eating
• Sister Rita doing exercise (even with boxing gloves!)
• Their social media pages have gained a lot of followers:
• Almost 100,000 on Instagram
• Several thousand on Facebook

The Catch

• Church officials say the nuns can stay, but only if:
• They stop using social media.
• They limit access to the convent.
• The nuns have not agreed to these conditions yet.
• The decision is now up to them.

Life at the Convent

• The nuns have lived most of their lives at the convent.
• It has been a school since 1877.
• The sisters taught there for many years.
• Sister Regina was even the headmistress.
• The number of nuns decreased over time.
• In 2022, the church took over the building.
• The nuns were told to move to a care home in December 2023.

Public Support

• The nuns' story has caught the attention of many people.
• Supporters have been helping them with:
• Food
• Electricity
• Other needs
• The nuns say they would rather stay in their convent than go back to the care home.
• Sister Bernadette said: > "Before I die in that old people's home, I would rather go to a meadow and enter eternity that way."