The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul sent an email to its students late last week offering “counseling and psychological services” to students who may have encountered a nearby celebrity street preacher.
The preacher, Sister Cindy, is a well-known social media personality who sports over 350,000 followers on TikTok. During her appearances on campuses around America, she asks students to refrain from sexual promiscuity using the abbreviated phrase “ho no mo.”
Her visit to St. Thomas drew an audience of several hundred, most of whom appeared to be students. The crowd cheered and chanted her slogan. Cindy even noted that St. Thomas is her favorite of the schools she’s visited.
@sistercindyforrealSt Thomas University! My fav campus so far! St. Paul Minnesota! Catholics choose to be Hos No Mos ##beahonomo ##sistercindy♬ original sound – Sister Cindy
Most students seem to enjoy the spectacles that are Sister Cindy’s campus appearances. The sister, who is not actually a nun, was also greeted by a large crowd of cheering fans who chanted her “ho no mo” slogan at the University of Minnesota. This warm reception is not unique to Minnesota either. Dozens of videos show thousands of students across various campuses cheering and clamoring to take pictures of and with the preacher. It seems that most students find humor in her presentations.
St. Thomas, however, didn’t get the joke.
“Earlier today, a widely followed TikTok personality visited the surrounding neighborhood in St. Paul,” St. Thomas wrote in an email to its student body. “This individual — who has been known for preaching themes of intolerance, hate and sexism at colleges across the country — spoke for about an hour in offensive and crude terms.”
“Although we could not require her to leave, some of our staff members handed out flyers to students who were passing through the area,” the email continues. “These flyers encouraged students to not attend [Cindy’s presentation].”
The message also notes that “public safety officers were monitoring her presence to ensure she did not enter campus grounds” and provides a link to school-sponsored “counseling and psychological services,” presumably for those who may have been traumatized by the sister’s message.
Alpha News spoke to several students at St. Thomas and the U of M who said that while some of their classmates do find Sister Cindy’s message legitimately offensive, most regard her performances as a form of comedy, even if they disagree with the message.
Cindy is sincere in her Christian beliefs about chastity, according to Newsweek. However, she notes that her over-the-top style of presentation is satirical, designed to parody “slut walks,” per FSU News. Slut walks are campus events where women parade nude or mostly nude to promote feminist ideals. The slut walk movement rose to prominence a few years ago and enjoyed both media buzz and attention from academics who wrote peer-reviewed articles and even books on the topic.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
