Older nuns becoming familiar with newer technology

In a bid to help senior sisters become more tech-savvy, a series of classes in computers is being offered at the Convent of Mercy in Albany.

Sister Gail Rieth, RSM, is instructing her peers in how to navigate the information superhighway.

"One sister was terrified," she noted. "She said, 'People have told me I could break a computer.' I said, 'You can't break a computer. The computer can break, but you're not going to break the computer.'"

Lessons

The sisters have learned how to write and save email; how to set up email groups; how to access the internet to do research and read news; how to send e-cards; and how to proceed cautiously while web surfing to avoid spam.

"A whole new world opened to them" said Sister Gail, who has worked in computer education.

Her classes are geared around one-to-one interaction, which she believes is the best way to learn how to use a computer. She asks the sisters what they want to accomplish and then tailors lessons to build the skills they need.

In touch

For many sisters, the internet provides the chance to keep in contact with relatives and friends scattered across the country. That's certainly true for Sister Mary Amata McDermott, RSM.

"I had a vague knowledge of email and have several relatives who live at a distance," she said. She is now learning how to write relatives in North Carolina, Florida, California and Colorado, as well as a priest in Brazil.

When portions of one of her favorite magazines, Arizona Highways, went on-line, she went to Sister Gail's course to find out how to access them.

"Some days are more discouraging than others, but I can't see not trying," Sister Mary Amata said.

Practice makes perfect

Sister Helen Yonkers, RSM, also uses technology to keep in touch with family members, including four faraway nieces. She loves to receive pictures of her seven-year-old nephew and other family members.

She first came into contact with a computer while a chaplain at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. She took a few lessons but was too busy to follow through and admits that "if you don't practice, you're sunk."

Sister Helen even used email to keep in touch with an ailing cousin, who could no longer reach the phone fast enough to answer it. The internet became a handier way of supporting her.

Misconceptions

Sister Gail said that many seniors have two misconceptions about the computer: that they have to be good typists and that they are too old to learn.

"I don't care if someone only works with one finger," she said. "It's not something that should keep you from it."

Indeed, she noted, knowing how to use email can be a boon for elderly sisters who can't write as well as they used to due to arthritis or other conditions.

"You are never too old to use a computer," Sister Gail declared. "My dream would be that every sister has some experience with computers and that all of our community can move into the technological age. I refuse to let the Mercies in Albany be left in the dust."

(3/25/04) [[In-content Ad]]