P is for...Prioress!

Text by Sister Amanda Reckinwith,  Commentary by Sister Candy Cide, Edited by  Sister Donatella Soul

Fully Professed Members of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

This April 26 marks the 66th birthday of Paul Salomon, Prioress for The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, The Asylum of the Tortured Heart. In remembrance, Members of the House have been sharing memories and stories about Paul this month. 

Paul Salomon (b. April 26, 1953)

His secular name was Paul Salomon and he was born on the 26th of April in 1953.  From his college years, he lived in the Southland and made his way to Los Angeles in the early 2000s , then to San Diego in early 2005.

Sister Amanda Reckinwith on Paul and the beginnings of the Sisters in San Diego: "He was Jewish, non conformist, a leatherman and one of the most persistent individuals I had ever known.  He became the Fourth Mister Sister Leather from the Los Angeles Sisters' contest and moved down here to San Diego right after he competed in the Mr. L.A. Leather 2004 contest (won by Marc Watrel).  Upon moving to San Diego, SIR Nicholas of the San Diego Eagle hired Paul as a bartender.  From Spring of 2005, he got to know many of the rather colorful personalities in San Diego's leather community, many of whom spent hours hanging out during the day and night at the Eagle.  One by one, he talked just about all of us Original Mission Founders into coming together to start an Order of the Sisters in San Diego."

The Passion of Adam

The Passion of Adam (Latham: on cross) promotion featuring the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Paul convinced the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to travel down to San Diego for "The Passion of Adam", a send-off party for Mr. San Diego Leather 2004, Adam Latham, to compete at International Mister Leather (IML) 2005. During that event, many of the Eagle patrons and future San Diego Sisters played roles in support of the L.A. Sisters, albeit with the corraling and cajoling efforts of Paul. Significantly, Paul came up with idea of a Processional and character parts. He worked closely with Butter, who became San Diego Sister Pollyanal Buttercup.  Those two minds put together a lot of what you see in the Hymnal (pdf below).​

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Paul also wrote the press release for The Passion of Adam:
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The Last Passion of Adam
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Adam Latham, Mr. San Diego Leather 2004 will make his run for the title of International Mister Leather over the Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago. Eighty men from around the world come to International Mister Leather (IML) to compete for the title as the best representative and spokesperson for the Leather Community. As Mr. San Diego Leather 2004, Adam Latham will participate in four days of judging in hopes of becoming one of a select group of Leathermen to hold the Mr. IML title. As the contest approaches its 30th anniversary, Adam is a strong favorite to bring the title back to San Diego for the first time since Michael Pereya took the title in 1988.
Join the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as they invoke the Leather God Your Anus to sanctify Adam in a ceremony that is unique and rarely performed. Adam's ascension before the congregates gathered at the Temple of the Eagles (San Diego Eagle) begins at 9pm on Saturday April 23. He will receive the Ten Commandments of Leather from the God THOR as a prelude to revelation of his 14 passions. The ceremony continues as Adam is anointed by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence by taking confession and then absolving his guilt through an act of penance.
The secret ceremony concludes with Adam being affixed to the temple's shrine and where he is then reborn as the Sisters, Dancing Drag Queens, and Disciples chant secret incantations to the music of Abba. With renewal of body, mind and spirit, Adam will emerge with the blessings of the ancients to propel him to victory in Chicago. This event of a lifetime will provide proceeds to benefit the Hillcrest Youth Center and San Diego Leather Pride. To share in the glory and sanctification of Adam Latham, Mr. San Diego Leather 2004 by the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence be at the San Diego Eagle 3040 North Park Way in San Diego's North Park at 9pm on Saturday April 23.
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Paul also worked with the Eagle to coordinate the photo shoot with Adam Latham upon the cross. The final image may be viewed on the promotional poster above. The cross is still at the Eagle in North Park and in active use. 

A Mission is Born

The day after The Passion of Adam, Sunday 24 April, 2005, many of the Original San Diego Mission Founders had a brunch at the Lumberjack Grill (now the North Park Diner on Ohio, just north of University) where Los Angeles Sisters spoke with and coached the group on starting a Mission of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence here in San Diego. This was when L.A. Sisters Candy Cide, Tragedy-Ann, and Unity Divine became Mothers to the Mission. Titania Humperpickle, Shugga Butt, Boner Doner, Erotica Psychotica, Margarita DeVil and Dirty Sanchez all contributed to the development of The Asylum of the Tortured Heart.
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Paul Salomon manifested as Novice Mission Sister Iadora Cox at Palm Springs Pride, 2005.

Paul became a Postulant with the Los Angeles House for a short time. Sister Candy Cide of L.A. said, "It was a bone of contention because he felt that his honorific 'Prioress' should automatically give him black veil status. L.A. felt that he should go through the steps like everyone else did. He didn’t like that at all."

In August of 2005, Paul decided to move to Palm Springs. There was no Palm Springs Sister House yet. In commemoration of Paul's contribution to the inception of the San Diego Sisters, he was named Prioress of the San Diego House. The idea came from the Carmelite Order and was not meant in the way of leader as "first, among equals", but in the way of the first catalyst that created the Mission in San Diego.  Paul was allowed manifestation rights as a "white veil", or Mission Novice, and he manifested at Palm Springs Pride in 2005.

Ultimately, Paul earned his black veil with the Palm Springs House and Iadora Cox became a Fully Professed Sister of Perpetual Indulgence.

Paul moved back to Charleston, West Virginia. Illness descended upon him in the fall of 2013. He joined The Nuns of the Above on or about December 2, 2013. Paul is survived by his son Rick Salomon and a continually growing superfluity of San Diego Sisters.

Sister and Prioress Iadora Cox joined The Nuns of the Above in December of 2013.