Introducing Sister Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley
also known as Rowena The Rotten Roadside Root
I am Sr Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley – and this is my story of how I came to be!
I am a product of the 80’s both in terms of my coming out, my initial contact and ongoing association with Order of Perpetual Indulgence (or Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as it was known then), the popular TV culture, dance parties and music of that era. Days which were a little spicier then because we as a gay community were still on the wrong side of the law, the police were still anything from ambivalent to hostile towards the gay community and law enforcement could be openly oppressive.
I was first introduced to the Order or Sisters through friend of mine who was already involved in the Order and was in fact the first biological female to join the order. She was known as Sr Regina Di Majestica – such a humble Sister’s name - LOL (I knew her as Jane) she would wear a false moustache to try and masculinise her pretty face – but to me her efforts were in vain, she still had a pretty face with just a false handle bar moustache parked above her upper lip! Her words of encouragement to me to come and join were and I quote: -
“Rod, I think you would make a really great nun! Have you ever given any thought to joining the Sisters!?”
I made first contact with the Order in early to mid-1987. I attended nuncheons (Sisters monthly business meetings) regularly during 1987 to get a better idea of what the movement was about and more about those who were a part of it at the time.
I was accused by my sisterly peers at the time of being somewhat of a voyeur, because I would come to nuncheons and habited events but it would seem to them that I had remained on the sidelines and uncommitted to joining. They can be an impatient lot those Sisters!
I did my first manifestation in habit as a sister marching in the 1988 Mardi Gras parade with the Sisters in a borrowed habit loaned to me by Mother Inferior (Fabian Lo Schiavo). This was against protocol because by all account’s sisters should have their own habits when manifesting – yes, I had broken a cardinal rule to join that Mardi Gras march. I had also broken another cardinal rule which was I still had not chosen a name of my own at the time and was out in habit manifesting as a shamelessly nameless Nun.
The art of choosing a name. The challenge was on for me to come up with something that identified me uniquely within the collective that was original and hopefully reflective of me as a sister.
I mentioned being a product of the 80’s and at that time one of the very popular gay community parties was the Sleaze Ball held annually in the long weekend of October. I had donned what I will describe as a femme fatale look, picture if you will(?) Bleached blonde champagne silver coloured hair that was short cropped, girly make up with black lipstick, a black body-hugging vest top with zipper accents. Black leather briefs, black fishnet stockings and lacey suspenders, black come “fuck-me” Italian boots – with horse riding spurs attached, and black fingerless elbow length gloves also with zipper accents sown into them to match the vest! I was a bit of a sight!
During the course of my wandering throughout the Sleaze Ball in my femme fatal look, time after time, punter after punter, kept coming up to me and remarking how much I looked like the actress Rowena Wallace who was acting at the time in the popular TV series “Sons and Daughters” and her character was that of “Pat the Rat” a role for which she won a TV Week Gold Logie. So, Rowena I was to be and Rowena I became, but there was more to come. What about the Doyleys?
My own biological mother is a rather talented craftswomen, sowing, knitting, embroidering, and crochet. As a result of this there were actually quite a lot of crochet doyleys and anti-macassars placed around my house in deference to her fine work. I had on one particular occasion invited a number of friends to my house as an after party, recovery party location (where the original party we were at had descended into chaos and was close to resembling a war zone that we felt a need to escape from). One member of this group of party refugees upon seeing the doyleys dotted around my house made the rather unflatteringly loud comment that I was a “Fucking Doyley Queen!” (yes, Brian M – I remember you!) So rather than shying away from this observation and undeniable matter of fact, I decided to embrace it and own it – literally.
So, this was the gestation of Sr Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley, yes, I actually do have them and keep them. I also now wear them as a part of my habit where the guimpes I wear are usually a repurposed doyley. Wearing the doyley publicly is also a metaphorical statement for me where as a community – we should not be hiding in the closet!
In closing, the driving force for my continued participation with the Order after all these years are our four tenets. There is a great universality in these words of wisdom for everyone in all our communities not just for some and for me the glue that binds the collective.
I will also mention that there are rare occasions that I have used other sisterly nom-de-plumes where I go by the names of:-
Sr Rowena the Rotten Roadside Root and Sr Sharon Two Stones of the Immaculate Deception.
But they are peripheries to my general day to day manifestation as Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley.
Sister Rowena Keeper of the Holy Doyley
