Young "Nunnabe" (Wannabe Nun) Shares Journey On Twitter

Do you know many young people entering religious vocations these days? We're guessing you don't. Well, say hello to Audra. She's a 23-year-old runner, blogger, social media special projects coordinator and a "Nunnabe" (wannabe Nun). And she's using Twitter to both spread awareness of the vocation as well as to share her musings from her blog The Awkward Catholic where she focuses on "the awkwardness, meaning awesomeness, that is the Roman Catholic Church." Twitter is great for promotion - any PR person will tell you that. And this fact is pretty intuitive once you really get into Twitter even without that vote of confidence. If you know what you're doing and you don't spam people, Twitter is increasingly becoming one of the best ways to market your product, service and yourself. And it seems that the Catholic Church - the Nuns specifically - have caught on. There are many nuns and priests on Twitter and other social media sites and blogs, but one doesn't run across many Nunnabes online unless you know where to look. A Nun's Life is one such place. This is where young Nunnabes can explore the lifestyle and interact with nuns via online chats, blogs and podcasts - or in Audra's case, Twitter. A Nun's Life was just a blog written by a young nun back when Audra happened upon it and has since become a full blown online ministry. Audra helps with some of their social media projects and excitedly tells us that she "even gets to podcast prayer every other Friday." And in the process she has "learned so much about using twitter to promote and to connect with their followers." Probably the best part, we would imagine, is being connected to others sharing her desire to serve. Audra tells us she doesn't have any Nunnabe friends close by, but has many located all over the country - and they're connected by social media. Her connections increased after she wrote a post on The Awkward Catholic detailing the day she told her parents about the "nun thing." Many shared that they related to the story and thanked her for telling it. Audra's blog isn't an expose though. Instead, Audra focuses on writing posts with a humorous twist that attempt to dispel stereotypes about nuns and nunnabes. Because for Audra, "being a nun today means standing up for the poor and oppressed. It's no longer about just being a traditional teacher or nurse (although some still do that), it's about helping those who are at the margins of society - just like what Jesus did." And isn't becoming a nun a marginalized vocation these days? So it looks like Audra is getting a head start on those good works! "Using social media has been a huge help to my discernment and to others as well. When I started discerning with the Sister, Servants of the Immaculate heart of Mary in Monroe, MI (I know, it's a mouthful) there were very few discerners around. But in just three years the list just keeps getting longer. The nuns are more energized and love when nunnabes visit. It's been incredible to watch." Audra would love to see more Orders participating online, because she knows "that once women start visiting these Orders they'll become hooked. It happened to me." Help her spread the word, won't you? (Young nun photo from Shutterstock)

Social Pro Daily

Young "Nunnabe" (Wannabe Nun) Shares Journey On Twitter

Mary C. Long

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Mary C. Long