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 History of the Order 
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By Sister Phyllis Stein the Fragrant, Mistress of Sistory
They were met with shock and amazement, but captured everyone's interest. Their next appearance was at a softball game where their pompon routine all but stole the show and by the time the Castro Street Fair had rolled around, they were ready to recruit more. In the fall of 1979, Sr. Hysterectoria and Reverand Mother went to the first International Faerie gathering and encountered even more men with the calling.
In October the city saw its first fundraiser with Sisterly flair: a bingo/disco benefit for gay Cuban refugees. So many people turned out for the event that a second seating had to be thrown together to accommodate all of the bingo players. After four cards had been played, everything was moved to one side and the disco ball began to spin. This marked one of the largest fundraisers by a small community organization: over $1500 raised in one evening. The Sisters continued to raise tempers, eyebrows and funds throughout the next year, stacking up multiple letters to the editor in protest of them. But their popularity increased. They could be found at many events, fairs and fundraisers spreading joy and cheer, postcards and t-shirts.
1982, the city's health scene had hit crisis levels. STD's were spreading at a pandemic rate and the "gay cancer" was contaminating everyone with fear and prejudice. Sr. Florence Nightmare, RN and Sr. Roz Erection (also an RN) joined with a team of Sisters and medical professionals to create Play Fair, the first safer sex pamphlet to use plain language, practical advice and humor. It was so well received that it had to go through a second printing within just a few months. June brought the Second Annual Dog Show in the Castro. The Sisters were joined that year by Jeanne Dornacker and Shirley Maclaine for the first AIDS fundraiser. Pushing the political envelope, Sr. Boom Boom ran under the 'Nun of the Above' ticket in the race for Supervisor of San Francisco. Amidst all of the brouhaha about whether or not she should be allowed to run, she campaigned hard, spoke eloquently, and won over 23,000 votes. Frightfully close to winning. The first AIDS Candlelight vigil in 1983 was orchestrated by the Sisters, led by the banner "Fighting for our Lives," created by the Sisters. One of the many speakers to the crying, angry crowd was Sr. Florence Nightmare, RN. She was not only a health care professional, but advocate for PWA's and was herself inflicted with the virus. Her article "Well and Good," in the Sentinel, combined observations of a man living with AIDS and practical insights of a medical professional. She and her "friend" (don't we mean lover?) appeared on the August 8 cover of Newsweek. The article, about gays and AIDS, was the first time that the topics were handled in a fairly unbiased manner and that the entire nation was able to come face to face with AIDS. The Sisters were honored with five Cable Car awards for their efforts the previous year, including outstanding theme event, outstanding athletic event, and outrageous parade float. Not bad for such a young group. The Sisters went all out to greet the Pope during his visit in 1987. While many in the city were not pleased to see him, we were beside ourselves. We rolled out the red carpet in his honor and held a full-on exorcism in Union Square. That, and a few other actions and antics, landed us the prestigious honor of being placed on the Papal List of Heretics. (Way to go gals!) The fifth exposition basketball event thrown by the Sisters, "Rally 'Round the Quilt", a fundraiser for the NAMES Project, distributed over $5400. The event was played in 1988 between the gay community's women's team and the men's team at Kezar pavilion. In 1989, for their 10th anniversary, the Sisters threw a huge gala event, Sistericus, invited all of the Sisters from around the states to join in the celebration, helping to raise much needed funds for Project Open Hand and Aids Emergency Fund. Later that year, during the insanity that this city calls Halloween, the Sisters took to the streets with donation buckets. All of the money collected was donated to the The Mayor's Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. They also realized that this was an untapped market with lots of energy and potential, and began working on planning an event for the following year.
The Sisters on parade Artist Thomasina DeMaio approached the Sisters soon after stating that she wanted to create portraits of the girls in paint and clay. Months and months of hard work culminated in a large art exhibit/ performance art piece, Angels in Whiteface, that is still being talked about today. The event treated the hundreds present to performances by Doris Fish, Ambisextrous, Sr. Vice N Virtue's trapeze act, Sr. Psychedelia's rise from the dead, and Pope Dementia's Altered boys, flexing their muscles wearing only thongs and smiles. That Halloween was the first of the Sister's four year charge of Halloween in the Castro. The Sisters brought safety and focus to the spontaneous party that happened in the tiny neighborhood. They single-handedly produced a show that featured the city's most fabulous performance artists, a dance stage and a forum to show off outrageous and elaborate costumry. The small, voluntary donation requested allowed the Sisters to raise thousands of dollars each year to give out as community grants the following spring. The next year saw a large outreach to the international communities. Srs. X, Vicious, and Psychedelia went forth into Europe to spread the Word and form Missions. By June, the Sisters brought the large show/performance art piece, Dimanche D'Indulge, to Paris to celebrate the investiture of the Paris order. This was also where The Condom Saviour Consecration and Vow were first premiered, and have been performed many times since.
Sister Sam came out in 92 and wanted YOU! The Queer Army enlisted the energy of angry people for the Holy Wars against homophobia in the church and the government. Draft cards were distributed and there was no excuse not to enlist. One of the first actions of our pink-camouflaged army was to distribute condoms on USF campus on February 14. The campus had already denied permission for the distribution on the Catholic College campus. Police escorted Sisters off of the campus and held the student collaborators on charges. The next mobilization was against Rev. Coal and his gospel of hate at the Capitol Christian Center in Sacramento. Demonstrators chanted outside of the Easter Morning services, finally drawing security and parishioners from the inner sanctum. While most of the congregation hid behind Bibles and spewed hate, one choir member, a teenager, came and joined the demonstration. Sr. Lost and Found, as he referred to himself, later came to the sisters for help once he was rejected by his church and his family. During 1993, while demonstrating in Washington, DC, orchestrating huge events in our own city, celebrating life and spreading joy, the sisters also struggled against the pandemic. In rapid succession, the sisters lost five of their members, which left them reeling in anger and despair. It only served to empower the order and to refocus their fight, so that their 15th anniversary brought new energy and drive to the Group. 1994 was a year of renewed energy and focus in the community, and they seemed almost ubiquitous.
Members attended, for the first time, Burning Man and served holy communion wafers and tequila to a parched and needy congregation. Now, in a time where there are more than twenty convents worldwide, we brought to Washington, DC a quilt panel, 24' by 24', commemorating over thirty 'nuns of the above.' We know that there are many more whose names have escaped us much as their lives escaped them, but their energy and love live on through us and for us, and sometimes on us ( a handi-wipe, please). Photos Courtesy of The Sisters of Preprtual Indulgence Web site: www.thesisters.org |
Sister Phyllis Stein the Fragrant, Mistress of Sistory 
Sister Risque and Sister Penny Costal 
Sister Roma! 
Sister MaryMae Himm 
© 1997-99 BEI