Three elderly nuns from Austria, Sister Bernadette (88), Sister Regina (86), and Sister Rita (82), have become a global social-media phenomenon after breaking away from a care home and returning to their former convent at Kloster Goldenstein near Salzburg. The story, which began in September 2025, has captured widespread public attention, along with sharp criticism and institutional pressure.
According to media reports, the three women fled the old people’s home in which they had been moved against their will, claiming it was no substitute for the community and spiritual life they once knew. With the help of former students and supporters, they managed to re-enter their old convent, an act that quickly went viral. Their Instagram account, under the handle @nonnen_goldenstein, drew tens of thousands of followers in a matter of days, with posts documenting daily life, shared prayers, personal reflections, and even light-hearted moments like exercise sessions.
Within two weeks of their return, the account had already passed 50,000 followers; by late November 2025, various outlets report numbers ranging up to 100,000 or more. Their growing digital following helped turn what might have remained a local disagreement into a global conversation about religion, aging, autonomy and the intersection of faith with modern media.
As the “insta-nun” story spread worldwide, the religious authorities responded. According to statements from the church leadership, the sisters were offered permission to remain in Goldenstein, but under strict conditions. The convent would provide full medical care, pastoral support and security; in return, the nuns must cease all social-media activity and refuse outside visitors.
The sisters’ representatives dismiss the proposed deal as a “restraint contract,” arguing it aims to silence them. They claim the agreement lacks real legal substance and denies them their only means of public protection and support. As of now, no final agreement has been signed, and the dispute may be escalated to the Vatican for a definitive ruling.
Public reaction to the sisters’ return to social media has been a mix of admiration, solidarity, and skepticism. Supporters view their actions as courageous efforts to reclaim dignity, faith, and independence in old age. On social platforms, many comments express admiration: “In their 80s, yet so full of life,” read some messages under their posts. News outlets describe the trio as “rebellious nuns” who defied not just age but ecclesiastical authority.
Critics, both within and outside the Church, have raised several issues. Some clerics argue that the public exposure and media-style presence clash with traditional expectations of humility and seclusion for religious sisters. Others question whether the sisters’ social-media fame turns faith into a spectacle. For an institution historically defined by quiet devotion and community, the rise of “celebrity nuns” poses tough questions about what religious life should look like in the digital age.
At the same time, similar stories elsewhere indicate this is not an isolated phenomenon. In Brazil, two younger nuns from the congregation Copiosa Redenção, Sister Marizele Cassiano and Sister Marisa de Paula, went viral earlier this year after spontaneously beatboxing and dancing during a Catholic television program. Their performance garnered millions of views and helped them connect with youth through music and faith.
For many observers, the success of these “digital sisters” reflects a larger shift in how religious identity, spiritual outreach, and community-building are evolving. Social media offers a space to humanize nuns, to show not only prayer and austerity but also humor, vulnerability, daily struggles, and joy. For older women who often feel marginalized or invisible in secular media, it can also offer new visibility and purpose.
Yet the debate remains heated. Is this a valid form of evangelization, adapting religious life to a digital world, or a dangerous commodification of faith? As religious institutions struggle to respond, the nuns themselves continue to insist: they are not seeking fame, but connection, to God, to community, and to a world that often forgets people like them. What happens next may depend on whether the church hierarchy, legal system, and broader society are willing to accept that devotion can look different now. For the moment, the three sisters at Goldenstein remain in their convent, offline, but far from forgotten.
