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More than 2 million views later, four religious sisters’ social media experiment has paid off, big time.
Four members of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George are stationed at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas — three are students and one leads their group while volunteering as a teacher at St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School across the street.
Sister Christina Hasler, the group’s leader, said that Sister Peter Marie Tran first came to her with the idea of having a social media presence, and she agreed to give it a try.
The group also spoke with their U.S. superior, Mother Mediatrix Bexten, a Benedictine College graduate and longtime friend, and she gave the group parameters.
Sister Peter Marie, from Rochester, Minn., (shown above) created the video, which features the four members of the Benedictine College community — herself, Sister M. Clare O’Connor from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., and Sister Mary James Becker from Spencer, Wisc. — participating in the Instagram reel trend demonstrating what contemporary Christian songs they know or don’t know. The group then followed up, at Sister Christina’s suggestion , with a new video featuring songs from the 1980s and 1990s that she would be more likely to know (see both below, or to see them on Instagram, click here and here).
Sister Peter Marie was surprised at the popularity of the video, and its follow up. She hopes it can help the group attract vocations.
She said her own vocation was sealed at a diocesan summer camp. “I remember hearing His voice in my heart saying, ‘Whether you choose to become a Sister or not, I will still love you the same,’” she said. “This declaration of his unconditional love was what led me to say Yes to following him in this vocation.”
Now she is a Mass Communications major and Ex Corde Media Fellow. She is also helping the sisters create their policy for limiting use of technology in the wisest way possible.
The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George have a long history with Benedictine College. In 2012, seven sisters sang the Raven Fight Song after taking final vows, to celebrate their alma mater.
The college has been a great home for the sisters, said Sister Peter Marie.
“I think at Benedictine, there’s a beautiful openness to how the Lord moves in each heart,” she said. “It’s so beautiful to see the faith alive and rooted here in the students.”
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Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is honored to have been named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the best private college in Kansas by The Wall Street Journal, and one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. Benedictine College is dedicated to transforming culture in America through its mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.
