Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

Aspired January 2025

Elevated to Postulant: June 2025

Home town?

Petaluma

Big Sisters in the Order?

Sister Tooty Too Too Sweet, Sister Chappie Lips, Guard Ian Avirtue

Why did you join?

I’ve wanted to be a Sister ever since I met a member of the Order back in 2003. It took me two decades to fully grow into that calling, but when I was ready, I knew this was the right path. I’ve always felt a deep desire to serve my community and with the Sisters, I’ve found a way to do that with heart, purpose, and a healthy dose of joy. I’ve long been drawn to satire and the power of humor to shine a light on hypocrisy and injustice. The Sisters let me bring that spirit to life: challenging norms, lifting up others, and having a whole lot of fun along the way.

Religious beliefs, if any?

The universe is so large and complex that if there is a creator being or beings, they would be so far beyond our understanding that assigning them a name, shape, or gender would be more self-serving than descriptive. I think that any attempt to define such a being would say more about our own limitations and desires than about the nature of the divine itself.

Mission and aspirations?

My mission is to help people build connections and find their community. I came out just as the world was beginning to open up after the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when so many of us were carrying the weight of isolation and loneliness. For me, finding other queer people during that period was both vital and incredibly difficult. I realized I didn’t want anyone else to feel that alone. So I made it my goal to become a bridge, someone others could turn to for connection, support, and resources. Since then, I’ve worked in a variety of ways to create spaces where people feel seen and belong. As I continue my journey with the Order, I plan to carry that mission forward, helping even more people find their place and their people.

Rules by which I live?

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

-Chief Tecumseh, View of the Ethical Life, 1810

Favorite quotes?

“Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.”

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.”