As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer the following blessing of the color PINK:

We’re goofy
We’re silly
We blow bubbles in our gum!

We’re bright
We’re fun
We’re just so full of JOY!

Rejoice in pink, for pink is the color of fun, party, silliness, and joy!
Rejoice in pink, for pink pussy hats are a symbol of the resistance!
Rejoice in pink, for we’re all pink on the inside!

Through our rose colored glasses, we can see the best of the world around us.
We can see a world of freedom, of welcoming, of love!
We will never be anything but loud.  We will continue our pussy riot until our voices are heard!

Hit the town
Fool around
Let’s go party!

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer this blessing of the color PURPLE:

Purple is a rich and vibrant color, with deep layers hidden within its folds.  It is the color of royalty, because it embodies depth and power.

Purple represents the bisexual and genderqueer concept of “both”.  Lighter shades of purple represent androgyny. These all represent the merging of blue and pink.  It is not surprising that purple is used in so many flags within our queer community, for it reminds us that we can all mix together and be beautiful!

Purple represents Spirit!  The spirit of the queer community runs through us all.  It lifts us up in times of struggle, and it cheers us on through celebrations.  There is a richness to purple, a depth, a power. The same can be said of our community!  We are diverse! We are the combination of so many different things! We are a beautiful tapestry of all the many who have found a home with us!

We honor the depth and richness of our community when we think of purple.

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer the following blessing of BLUE:

Blue is the color of emptiness, of blood being ready for oxygenation.
Blue is the color of calmness, of relaxation after a long day.
Blue is the color of coldness, of winter ice covering a pond.
Blue is the color of maleness, of masculinity.

Blue is the color of serenity, of the ocean on a calm afternoon.
Blue is the color of a reset, of the sky on a bright beautiful day.

Blue is the chance for a new start.

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer this blessing of the color Green:

Psychedelic herb!
As if from another world,
Lime green brings us joy!
Brand new life, start fresh!
Go!  Says nature in the spring.
With shades of Kelly.
Though light green is pale
It represents the spectrum
Of beautiful hues
The earth is rich and full of life!
Nature surrounds us in its gentle embrace.
The fresh blooms on every tree,
Every plant brings smiles to our faces 
As they bring their joy into our lives.

​As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer this blessing for the color Yellow:

Who's that sun shining in the sky?
It's me!  It's me!
I said who's that sun shining in the sky?
It's me!  It's me!
Uh huh!  Uh huh!  Uh huh!  Uh huh!  Uh huh!

Y-E-L-L-O-W !
Yellow Yellow Yellow!
Yellow pee,
Yellow sun,
Yellow is just all the fun!
Y-E-L-L-O-W !
Yellow Yellow Yellow!

We are crisp!  We are fresh!  We put urine to the test.
Does it run clear?  Brightly colored?  Will it flush with all the rest?
Full of life!  Harmony!  Throw some citrus in as well.
We shine brightness on the world, lots of glitter you can tell.

Warm as day!  We are gay!  In the best possible way!
Our neutrality of gender can’t compare!
And so we celebrate this color
Like there is no other
Yellow - is the color of happiness!

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's novice project, we offer this blessing of the color ORANGE:

There are days that we struggle. 
There are times that we weep.
There are difficult roads that we must walk.

We are living in a confusing time, a time of division and separation.  Communities pitted against each other, families fighting over their own differences.  There is a shadow over our world right now that we are feeling deeply, and it hurts our souls.

Only in the darkness can we see the stars.
Only in times of struggle do we find our strength.
Only in our hardest days do we discover our path forward.
​
So we honor the color orange.  We are reminded of the healing power of vitamin C in a ripe, sweet, delicious, juicy orange.  It is a color of healing. Of strength.
The monarch butterfly spends its whole life building to a transformation into a beautiful orange being, spreading its beauty around the world!
So we look to the future, and send love out into the world; so we can heal the pain and bring ourselves and our communities together.

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N. Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer this blessing of the color RED:

We are scarred by the violence that has befallen our community, that can sometimes leave us afraid.
We are scarred by the AIDS epidemic, that decimated a generation.
We are scarred by the toxic masculinity, that tries to tell us we are somehow less than.
These scars have dug a trench within our hearts.  

Our hearts bleed red.  
Red with passion.
Red with love.
Red with blood, for blood is life.

Battle lines have been drawn, because we are ALIVE.  Because we are STRONG. We revel in our perseverance, our will to survive.  We build families and surround ourselves with those we love, and those who love us.  

​And we do all this because we are enough.  We will live freely and be happy!

Usually, you will see the guards out with our Sisters, staying more-or-less in the background, empowering our nuns to take center stage in their various ministries. However, on one day of the year, the guards run the show: when they put on the annual homage to all things grilled, Guard B-Q.

Guard B-Q takes place on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend at The Loft (3610 Fifth Avenue) in Hillcrest. At this event, the guards handle everything — they plan, they cook, they take orders, they sell jello (heyyo) shots, and they do prize drawings; all to benefit The San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence general fund which supports local charities.

Guard B-Q isn’t just a typical grilling event at a local bar; Guard B-Q gets the entire community involved. The guards take special care to make sure that the food they serve is high-quality, that the atmosphere stays light and fun, and that nothing is taken too seriously. As Guard Inya puts it, “It's always been one of the most special [events] to me.  It's rather like a ministry of presence as an event.  It's still a fundraiser, but there's less focus on the selling, and more on the being of the community."

You can tell that a lot of love goes into Guard B-Q every year from the campy naming of items like “Guard Inya Face Cheeseburger” and “The Famous Quarter-Pound Isaac Weiner,” to the Facebook posts and memes about the event filled with humor and innuendo, and the enthusiastic way that the entire Guard Corps get involved in the process. Guard B-Q is a very special event that bonds together our House and community members.

Guard B-Q is special not just to the guards, but to the nuns as well. Sister Bianca Tempt comments, “Our guards form a support network that helps us feel especially cherished >swoon< as we werq . . . our magic. Any time I can return the favor, well, I’m all in.” 

Sister Bianca is not alone in her sentiment. Novice Sister Gwenn N. Dowtte agrees and adds, “I love and support our guards! The Guard Corps is usually the silent support group for the Sisters, and I always know I can count on them to watch my back when I'm out in face.”

Guard B-Q started about six years ago and, with the exception of one year when it took place over Independence Day weekend, it has been held on Memorial Day weekend Sunday, and always at The Loft (3610 Fifth Av). “St. Andrew, the owner of The Loft, has always been a great supporter of The San Diego Sisters,” says Guard Isaac Weiner. “A major reason why this event is such a blast is because of him and the awesome staff there.”

Guard B-Q started as an extension of The Sisters' Memorial Day Weekend Barbeque fundraiser that was originally produced by the House in 2013 and 2014 with Sister Raven Lunatic as Grill Mistress. The Guard Corps made the barbeque event their own in 2015 and have since expanded the offerings and sides and overall JOY of the event.

​It remains a mystery as to who came up with the name Guard B-Q. Was it Guard Inya, who was Captain of the Guard at the time Guard B-Q started? Or was it Sister Ida Know? Or was it Guard Isaac Weiner? Regardless as to who named the grillfest, Guard B-Q has become an annual tradition and a cherished event. ​

For a look at the fun that was had at  last year's Guard B-Q, visit the FaceBook album of Saint Angel con Cuernos here.

Guard B-Q is May 26, 2019, noon until five PM, at The Loft, 3610 Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest. Bring cash for food and prize drawing tickets!

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. 

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.

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).​

Paul also wrote the press release for The Passion of Adam:
​

The Last Passion of Adam
​
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.
​

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. 

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.
​

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.

Vivvi The Force and Sister Donatella Soul