Sept. 22 (UPI) — A Catholic nun in Ohio celebrated her 105th birthday by hitting the links for a round of golf with the sisters from her convent.
Sister René Parman and her cohorts from Humility of Mary visited the Knoll Run Golf Course in Lowellville on Friday, two days before her 105th birthday, to engage in one of her favorite activities: golf.
“I think it helps you to know yourself. I do, really, anyway. And competing with yourself, mostly. I think that’s a fact. They’re very helpful. It’s a wonderful place to be — very meditative. It’s a beautiful place — grass, flowers and it’s quiet,” Sister Parman told WKBN-TV.
She began working to become a nun at the age of 18, but it wasn’t until her 40s that some of her fellow sisters introduced her to golf.
“They said, ‘Hit the ball.’ That was my only instruction that I ever received,” Sister Parman said.
The nun now plays golf every week, and has been instructing her younger colleagues on how to play the game.
“When we rode together, she was educating me on what I should be doing and let me know how to hit the ball,” Sister Barbara Noble said. “It was pretty special because she had the experience.”
Sister Parman said not even being legally blind keeps her from enjoying the game.
“Those two are kind enough to golf with me and tell me where my ball is when I get there. They tell me how far it is to the hole, and I use that club. Without them, I could not golf,”she said.
She said the game deserves a lot of the credit for her longevity and good health.
“I love to do it, and I think it’s wonderful exercise. It’s the one thing that kept me going as well as I have,” Sister Parman said.