the 2014 san diego sisters pride contingent with visiting sisters from los angeles, grand canyon and eureka


sister missionary p. delight


(aka: sister mish,


sister soami delux). photos by


toma iczkovits


AIDS poster boy). Guiding with science of the day and the clever humor of a committee of sisters, to encourage sexual health in our communities.” Since those early moments, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have grown immensely, spreading their continued message of tolerance throughout the U.S., raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS and other LGBT-related causes, as well as other community service organizations. Sister Soami DeLux indicated that, “In the U.S. we now number 40 fully professed, mission and aspirant houses in every region.” Nation- ally, their work not only includes the promotion of safer sex, but education about the harmful effects of drug use and other risky behaviors. The San Francisco order alone, is credited with raising over $1 million for various causes, or almost $40,000 on average per year between 1979 and 2007. They are also in the process of organizing an international network of orders in fact, mostly non-profit charity organiza- tions, to expand their reach globally. Sister Soami opined about their growing numbers, “Missionaries from OZ [SPI] went forth to England and we now have houses in Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork and possibly one forming in Wales. Australia and Canada have had convents since 1981 and in France we have nine houses of ‘Soeurs,’ with at least that many ‘Schwesters’ in Germany. Uruguay has been active for 15 years, Colombia and Argentina have ‘Hermanas’ manifestations and the Czech Republic, the Ukraine and Poland have their ‘Sostra” formations.” Many years and many orders later…It seems their mission remains as clear and as strong as the day it began. San Diego’s Asylum of the Tortured Heart, became a mission


in Spring 2005 and a full order in Summer 2006. Member Sister Donatella Soul explains what it means to be a part of the larger order, “It is a spiritual calling, a calling to the works of a nun. We are 21st-Century queer nuns and are not “pretending” to be nuns. It is a calling to Heyoka (sacred clown of the Lakota) to challenge norms, shake up complacency, to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable.” When asked to clarify common misconcep-


tions, Sister Soul passionately offered this, “The biggest, is that we are just another fundraising organization. Yes, we are an official 501(c)3 non-profit, but, most of all, we manifest for the spiritual support and uplifting of the darkness of low


There are many ways to approach activ-


ism, taking a spiritually-driven approach may be one the general public might


not have considered. I hope the viewer takes away the inspiration to seek for


themselves, how they can effect change, especially in these times.”


—sister donatella soul


self-esteem. SPI is the only non-profit organization in the world that I am aware of, whose mission is to go out into the community and help promote healthier levels of self-esteem.” Sister Amanda Reckinwith added her point of view, “The antiquated ‘We mock nuns’ idea is old and though its meaning is still out there and spoken. I counter that we are nuns, take that for what it means and use that lens to view us and our work.” She continued, “We do raise money, but that is not our primary mission or activity. If we earn some along the way, we give it to those who need it.” The documentary,JOY! Portrait of a Nun, is just one of


the many attempts to make the world aware of the order and its members. The award-winning film, released in 2012/2013 takes a seven-year, up front and personal journey, following one of the original, gay male founders of the order. As noted on the DVD’s back cover, “Spiritual sanctuary, sex, sisterhood and a gathering of faeries. Through an intimate lens, this feature documentary takes us on a journey with Sister Missionary P. Delight, one of the founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” Of the film, Sister Donatella Soul offered this earthly narrative, “I believe viewers can expect to be taken on a spiraling journey into the inner soul of the sisterhood, through the meanderings of the intimate life of Sister Mish. There are many ways to approach activism, taking a spiritually-driven approach may be one the general public might not have considered. I hope the viewer takes away the inspiration to seek for themselves, how they can effect change, especially in these times.” Sister Amanda discussed another way they plan to continue their mission, the Sisters of Perpetual Indul- gence’s Conclave in November 2017. “It is our annual gathering of the worldwide order, so we may execute our mission among ourselves. This allows us to evaluate our own initiatives to ensure alignment with the world’s culture. We are then able to re-energize and continue our universal work.” For more information on Conclave 2017, go to sdsisters.org/conclave2017.


FEBRUARY 2017 | RAGE monthly 19


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