Sister Christina Darling
Where this whole journey began
Sister Christina Darling has been a fundraising, consciousness-raising, love-spreading Sister of Perpetual Indulgence since 2013. Serving the LGBTQ community of Orlando, Florida, the Sisters take life vows in the same manner as our cousins, Catholic and Buddhist nuns. We never take anything too seriously...except our vows.
As a member of the Orlando order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, I vow to expiate stigmatic guilt and promulgate omniversal joy.
You are perfect just as you are and just as you choose to be. Now let's have some fun!
The Orlando Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Abbey of St. Gertrude de Nivelles
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Where it ALL began!
Queer Nuns:
Religion, Activism, and Serious Parody
By Melissa M. Wilcox
a little HERESy
a lot of heart
My ministry began in the Queer community. Back in 2012, I started the long process of becoming a fully-professed Sister of Perpetual Indulgence. I had always deeply respected the vital work that lived under all the glitter and shenanigans. You see, in the Queer community, we have a very complicated relationship with religion. That’s not to say Queer people aren’t spiritual and don’t need religion, quite the opposite.
What started as a silly gag in 1979 became a vitally important feature of our lives during the AIDS crisis - a crisis of intense spiritual implications. We held your hand when you were dying when your family wouldn’t. We mourned your death when your church shut the doors. We brought you joy when the world seemed like a vast sea of pain. We told you that you were loved, valued, worthy, and beautiful, and we meant it.
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Today, Sisters serve in 45 orders and 7 missions across the United States and 22 internationally. Our work has evolved to encompass the emerging needs of our vibrant LGBTQ+ siblings. But our intent is the same. Our painted faces are a mirror of the joy, creativity, beauty, and bravery we see every day in our communities.