Sister Monica Clare (born Claudette Monica Powell; 1966) is an American Episcopalian nun and TikToker. She is the sister superior and youngest member of the Community of St. John Baptist in Mendham Township, New Jersey.[1][2]
Biography
Claudette Monica Powell was raised in the Southern U.S., in the Southern Baptist tradition.[3] She became interested in nuns at a young age.[3] After studying acting at New York University,[4] she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for around 20 years in advertising, movie poster design, stand-up comedy, and television writing.[3][4] She married a man she had met through her job, but the couple divorced after two years. While attending therapy following the dissolution of her marriage, she began to entertain the idea of becoming a nun. She joined the Episcopal Church, feeling it aligned best with her views of women's rights and the LGBTQ community.[3]
Powell joined the Community of St. John Baptist in 2012, at the age of 46.[1][3] She made her final vows in June 2018.[5]
Sister Monica Clare manages the community's social media and website.[6] She joined TikTok in June 2021, accumulating more than 43,000 followers by the following month.[7] Her content has included videos on convent life, Episcopal teachings, and the convent's cat and dog, Jennie.[2][8] By late 2024, her TikTok account had more than 200,000 followers and had accumulated more than 2.5 million likes. Her account has been credited with attracting the community's two most recent postulants, the first in over ten years.[1] In 2024, she participated in campaigns which criticized the proposed United States ban on TikTok.[9]
Powell has written a memoir, which is set to be published in April 2025.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Petersen, Kirk (2024-12-02). "New Jersey convent welcomes its first new postulants in over a dozen years; TikTok played a role". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ a b Furman, Anna (2022-05-16). "Living the #ConventLife". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ a b c d e "At 46, I Changed Careers from a Stand-Up Comic to a Nun". Oprah Daily. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ a b Millard, Egan (2021-08-20). "Episcopal clergy entertain and evangelize in the virtual 'town square' of TikTok". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ "Sr. Monica Clare, C.S.J.B Life Profession". Order of the Ascension. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Crowley, Sharon (2022-09-21). "Nun's TikTok videos on faith and spirituality draw a huge following". FOX 5 NY. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Culture, Kate Fowler Internet; Reporter, Trends (2021-07-14). "Nun Shares Skincare Routine Online After Being Flooded With Requests". Newsweek. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Afshar, Melissa Fleur (2023-11-22). "Nuns adopt stray dog to live in their convent, now called 'Sister Jennifer'". Newsweek. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ^ Maheshwari, Sapna (2024-04-04). "TikTok Turns to Nuns, Veterans and Ranchers in Marketing Blitz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-01-29.