Three Austrian nuns—Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Rita, 81—defied church orders by leaving their assigned nursing home in early September and returning to Goldenstein Monastery, where they had lived for decades. Church officials had transferred them in December 2023, citing health concerns and the monastery’s deteriorating condition as part of a Vatican-directed reorganization. The sisters believed they were promised lifelong residence at the monastery, and their case now highlights tensions between individual vows and institutional directives as Vatican authorities weigh tradition against practical needs.
In early September, three elderly nuns quietly left their assigned nursing home and returned to the place they had called home for decades. Sister Bernadette, 88, Sister Regina, 86, and Sister Rita, 81, fled Kahlsperg Castle senior home and made their way back to Goldenstein Monastery, defying church superiors who had relocated them months earlier.
The nuns had been transferred to the nursing home in December 2023 under orders from Provost Markus Grasl of Reichersberg Abbey. Church officials cited their advanced age, precarious health, and the deteriorating structural condition of Goldenstein Monastery as reasons for the move. The building was deemed too large for the remaining order members, and independent living there was considered impossible.
The transfer came after the convent was handed over to the Archdiocese of Salzburg and Reichersberg Abbey at the Vatican’s direction.
Despite these justifications, the three sisters believed they had been promised lifelong residence at the monastery after the transfer. Sister Bernadette acknowledged her lifelong obedience to the church but stated the situation had become excessive.
Their case, now termed “nuns on the run,” highlights a growing challenge facing religious orders across Europe.
The issue extends beyond these three individuals. Aging and dwindling religious populations mean many elderly nuns and monks now live in facilities not designed for their needs. This reflects broader shifts in religious life, where practices like generous giving and institutional support have evolved over time. The church faces significant challenges in providing adequate retirement care, with officials emphasizing the importance of age-appropriate support on both practical and human-emotional levels, similar to family care in later life.
Research underscores the scope of this demographic shift. The German-Austrian Cloister Study surveyed 1,158 order members, including 622 nuns and 536 monks from 16 orders across 142 communities, achieving a response rate of 68.8 percent.
The study examines health outcomes and compares religious communities to the general population through various health measures.
The sisters’ community was officially dissolved in 2024, though they retained lifelong residence rights. According to the 2018 Vatican document Cor Orans, monasteries require at least 8 professed women to maintain autonomous governance. The fate of Sisters Bernadette, Regina, and Rita now rests with Vatican authorities, who must balance institutional concerns with the nuns’ deeply felt attachment to their spiritual home.
