The free videos of sex in a swim suitKardashians are undoubtedly the most famous Snapchatting sisters in the world. But a community of sisters of a different kind are currently blowing up Snapchat in a whole other way.
They call themselves #MediaNuns; an international ministry of social media-loving Catholic nuns who go by the official name of "The Daughters of St Paul."
SEE ALSO: Devastated Snapchatters talk about the heartbreak of losing a Snapstreak after hundreds of daysThe Daughters of St Paul like to do things a bit differently to other nuns—they use media and technology to preach the gospel. And, Snapchat is just one of the ways some of these nuns try to reach people.
Sister Chelsea Bethany, 26, has been a nun since she was 20 years old, and she's definitely better at Snapchat that you or I. Her snaps aren't just about God. She also uses them to shine a light on what it's actually like to live in a convent—a way of life most of us know very little about.
Tapping through Sister Chelsea Bethany's snap story (@srchelsea on Snapchat), you'll see snaps about the food she's eating—most recently, candy corn, pizza and fries—along with snaps about God.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable "I want to give people a peek into the everyday life of a #MediaNun," she says. "I am a realreligious sister, and because there aren't too many sisters on Snapchat, I thought it would be a cool way to give people, especially teens, a look into religious life."
Sister Chelsea Bethany wants her snap stories to be "a place of encouragement," as well. "Maybe the snap on my story about God is the only religious—or even just positive or uplifting—thing people see all day."
She says most of the time her snaps about "everyday life stuff"—be it "funny, or ridiculous, or by some miracle, profound." For her, Snapchat is all about "what's happening in the moment" but she often posts "words of encouragement" that she feels God is saying to her.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Sister Chelsea Bethany thinks that Jesus' disciples would "totally" be doing what she's doing if Snapchat had existed during those times. Of course, she says, "it totally depends on personality."
"Just like not all the sisters are on Snapchat because it doesn't fit their personality or communication style, same with the disciples. I don't know that every single one of them would have actually been on the platform," she adds.
Ultimately, though, she says that "desire" to evangelise is shared by her, her 89-year-old fellow Religious Sister and the disciples. "We want to share God with people! We have encountered a love that is so incredible we can't help but want to share the good news," she says.
Sister Theresa Aletheia, another Snapchattin' nun, is in agreement with Sister Chelsea Bethany. "We see ourselves as doing what Saint Paul would be doing in the world if he were here today," says Sister Theresa Aletheia. She says that Saint Paul—an apostle who travelled around the Mediterranean to spread the Gospel—would "definitely be out using the most modern means available to reach the most people with the Gospel message."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Sister Theresa Aletheia, 36, (username @pursuedbytruth) is currently studying for a Master's in Theology and Philosophy. Her recent snaps show her reluctantly studying for her midterm. "I'm supposed to be doing my midterm for metaphysics right now. I don't wanna do it," Sister Theresa Aletheia tells her followers in one recent snap.
She says when she first started using Snapchat about a year ago she found it "absolutely ridiculous." She says that before entering the convent, she was a bit of a Luddite and wasn't terribly interested in social media or tech. "God had the last laugh because now I am a member of the Daughters of St. Paul who are informally known as the 'media nuns' because we are called to spread the Gospel using modern media," says Sister Theresa Aletheia.
"People are often struck by our joy."
She says that the founder of the Daughters of St. Paul—Blessed James Alberione—always said: "Don’t speak only about religion, but speak about everything in a Christian way."
Which is why, she says, the sisters talk about "all kinds of things." "We share about our daily lives, life in the convent, just normal everyday stuff. Our sisters are pretty down-to-earth," she says. These everyday insights about life in the convent are interspersed with snaps about Jesus.
"We do share about Jesus explicitly but we also just generally share the joy that our faith has brought us," says Sister Theresa Aletheia. "People are often struck by our joy."
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable So, how do people respond to these Snapchatting nuns? Sister Theresa Aletheia says that some people react "very negatively" to them "but that's to be expected."
"We represent much more than ourselves and that can touch something very deep in a person, something he or she may not even realise," she says. But, others respond to the nuns' online activity with "surprise," some share intimate moments of their own lives, and others ask for prayers.
"When I see the snap with a lot of screenshots, I know it hit hearts."
Sister Chelsea Bethany often gets young women asking her about religious life because they know she's "on the other side of the screen." She finds people frequently thank her for posting little prayers or reminders. She says teens are bombarded with "so much negativity" and that her posts "remind them that they are loved in the midst of chaos."
"When I see the snap with a lot of screenshots, I know it hit hearts," she says.
Though snaps about Jesus are by no means everyone's cup of tea, these nuns are using innovative means to preach the gospel. For younger generations, the snaps offer a glimpse into the lives of young nuns and life in a convent. Keep snappin', sisters!
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