In-line skating was a habit that a couple of nuns thought they might have to give up when they took their vows of obedience, chastity and poverty.
“When I entered, I left my Rollerblades at home, thinking, ‘I’m not going to use them,'” Sister Caritas Sparke told ABC affiliate KIII.
But Sparke was mistaken.
The SOLT Sisters — named after the acronym for their church, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity — cruise around the Bayfront area of Corpus Christi, Texas, and certainly attract a lot of attention from visitors and residents alike.
“Most often, you get a shocked look,” Sparke told KIII.
Weekly, these holy rollers wear their full habit, strap on their in-line skates, coast down the coast and pose for pictures when asked.
Even professional skaters have taken notice.
“We did meet a group of roller derby women … and it was actually really cool,” Sister Mary Elezibaeth Albers told KIII. “They invited us to their roller derby match.”
Albers and Sparke hope their skating around shows a different side of convent life from what most people are used to.
“I think they think we’re probably pretty cool,” Sparke said, laughing. (abcnews)