2024 Manifestations

December Bingo

December 28: The Blazing Saddle

The Priory closed out the year with one last bingo at The Legendary Blazing Saddle. Sister Anita Biscotti held a winter clothing drive as well as her novice project. We collected over 300 winter items to help those in our community that need it most!

We love all of our bingoers and are already planning for next year. Happy new year, and stay tuned for more shenunigans! 🥰

DMGMC Winter Concert

December 7: Hoyt Sherman Place

The Priory happily partnered once again with the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus for their Winter concert: Thankful. The concert was a joyful celebration of the holiday season, embracing its magic, traditions, and festive spirit. It reflected the excitement that builds as familiar sights and sounds -- twinkling lights, jingling bells, and glittering decorations -- usher in a time of gathering and warmth. The program blended both lighthearted fun, with songs of Santa, snow globes, and ugly sweaters, and deeper reflections on gratitude, love, and community.

More information on the DMGMC can be found here:

Day With(out) Art

December 1: Des Moines Art Center

The Priory partnered with the Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, Free Mom Hugs, and One Iowa for A Day With(out) Art, an international day of action and awareness in response to the AIDS crisis. Founded in 1989 at MoMA, this event is a call to action, care, and reflection on AIDS’ impact. Art gives voice to the silence, inspiring compassion and support for those affected.

More information on our partners for the day can be found here:

Bingo - Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund Fundraiser

October 26: The Blazing Saddle, Des Moines

Our fourth bingo of the year was a fundraiser for the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. We had an amazing turnout and saw some great costumes! We raised over $600 and couldn't have done it without our amazing community!

More information on the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund can be found here:

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East Village Promenade

November 29: East Village, Des Moines

The East Village Holiday Promenade is becoming a tradition for The Priory. We love visiting the local shops and interacting with the public.

Bar Ministry

November 9: The Garden & The Blazing Saddle

A nice evening out quickly devolved into Shenunigans, as it usually does. We introduced the community to our newest Postulant, Kitty Khaos, and have been apologizing ever since 😂

Bingo - Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund Fundraiser

October 26: The Blazing Saddle, Des Moines

More information on the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund can be found here:

Facebook

Not-so-Spooky Story time

October 19: The Little Book, Des Moines

The Priory returned to Highland Park to spread joy and eat pastries! The Little Book hosted a Halloween themed story time for the kids and our siblings were happy to oblige. We had a fantastic turn out and entertained the children with stories and singing. We also made a side-trip to ChaCha's Highland Bakery for some delicious baked good.s Who doesn't love carbs? 😂

More information on our Highland Park friends can be found here:

The Witches Walk

October 10: Ames

The Downtown Ames association hosted Witches Walk 2024 in conjunction with several downtown businesses. Many business stayed open late to offer adult trick-or-treating with snacks and beverages available to participants. The Tarte's made their inaugural appearance and represented the Priory well. We look forward to attending again next year.

More information on the Witches Walk can be found here:

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Queers & Beers

October 4: London Underground, Ames

Apparently people liked us so we got invited back to Queers & Beers 😂 The Tarte's entertained the Ames crown and introduced our newest aspirant to bar ministry. We'll be back again in November.

More information on the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network and London Underground can be found here:

St. Louis & Memphis Exequaturs

September 27-29 & October 3-6

We had the privilege of attending Exequaturs for The Fourth City Sisters - Abbey of the Glittering Arch and The Blue Suede Sisters, Abbey of the Two Kings in September and October. An Excavator is a party thrown buy houses in the SPI to celebrate becoming a fully professed house in the organization. Siblings travel far and wide to attend Alka-Seltzers to recognize the new house, reunite with old friends, and meet new siblings from all over the country, and world sometimes. Quetzalcoatls give the celebrating house a chance to show of their city and allows Siblings to let their veils down and party with friends. The spelling and pronunciation varies among siblings, hence the many variations in this

paragraph. 😁

More information on our Sister houses can be found here:

Wheatsfield Co-op Groovy Golden Jubilee

September 15: Ames, IA

The final Stop on our Ames Invasion was the Wheatsfield Co-op Groovy Golden Jubilee. Wheatsfield has been an Ames staple since 1974 and offers food, services and education to cultivate a healthy environment and socially just community. To celebrate 50 years of service, they threw a party featuring local vendors, community groups, local artists, and cake. Lots and lots of cake. We had an amazing time and had some great conversations with a new community that wasn't always sure what to make of us. It was a good reminder of why we do what we do and that our work is always needed.

More information on Wheatsfield can be found here:

September Bear Happy Hour & Variety Show

September 14: The Garden Nightclub, De Moines

The Capital Bears held a variety show during September Happy Hour to kick off fundraising for their annual Adopt-a-Family program. This is the Bears 7th year of helping ensure that local families have a brighter and happier holiday season. Sister Helda Magnum joined other local performers to put on a show for the children and helped raise over $500.

More information on The Capital Bears can be found here:

Ames Pride

September 14: Ames, IA

Next stop on our Ames Invasion: Ames Pride. Ames Pride was established out of a need to build community for LGBTQIA+ people in Ames, Iowa State University and the surrounding area. They are committed to building relationships within the community and creating bridges with other groups in the Ames area.
This was our second year attending Ames Pride and we loved every minute of it. We met so many great people, explored the library (and the Tartes became card carrying members) and then rocked out to Leslie Hall. We’re already looking forward to next years festivities.

More information on Ames Pride can be found here:

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Queers & Beers

September 6: London Underground, Ames

We ventured north in September to Ames, IA. For our first event, the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network invited The Priority to Queers and Beers, a monthly gathering at London Underground, the unofficial gay bar of Ames. We had a great time mingling and met some amazing new friends. We can’t wait to go back and keep spreading joy.

More information on the ISU LGBTQA Employee Network and London Underground can be found here:

ILW

August 23-24: Embassy Suites, Des Moines

ILW hosted it’s 36 annual celebration of the leather and fetish community in Iowa, hosted by The Blazing Saddle, Iowa’s oldest gay bar located in the East Village of Downtown Des Moines.

The Priory was on hand to help out however we could. We worked clothing check for the dungeon and dance parties both nights, and we saw some things. Mind you, we wanted to see those things, why else does one work a clothing check?

Saturday night we were honored to give the blessing to start the event off right. We emphasized inclusivity and diversity in all aspects of the event. We were joined on stage by members from the City of Fountain Sister and several other Sister houses joined the debauchery of the weekend.

We look forward to supporting the new title family however we can and wish then an amazing year!

More information on ILW can be found here:

Stage photos credit: JD Fetish Photography

Buddy's Corral Last Call Karaoke

August 16: Buddy's Corral, Des Moines

We mingled, we sang, we made fools of ourselves. And not necessarily in that order!

After 20 incredible years, Buddy's Corral in the East Village sadly closed its doors on August 17, 2024. Buddy's was a staple to the Des Moines community and offered a safe space to all who needed it.

The Priory ventured out the night before to grace the stage with our unique singing styles. We met some amazing people and sang the night away with a packed crowd.

The entire community will miss Buddy’s and we thank them for offering a home for so many over the years.

Priory Meet & Greet

August 11: Facebook Live

We meeted, we greeted, we answered all the burning questions (we really should get a cream for that).

We are on the brink of being elevated to a fully-professed house of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and wanted to give our friends (and frenemies) one last chance to harass, scratch that, get to know us better.

Ever wondered how many nuns it takes to change a lightbulb? Or how clown nuns practice their juggling? Or why oblong pancakes are superior to regular pancakes?

If you missed the event, we forgive you, Check out the video below to get a glimpse of our insanity as we answered all the silly, strange, borderline un-nunlike, and semi-serious questions from our stalkers across the country.

Seriously, y’all are obsessed with us. It’s ok though, we love the attention😍

Direct Link:

CommUNITY Gay-me Night with The Q Exchange

July 26: Park Fair Mall - Des Moines, IA

The Priory was delighted to join our friends, The Q Exchange, for their monthly CommUNITY Gay-me Night. The Q Exchange is a local A LGBTQ+ organization that provides a safe, affirming and welcoming space for the community to gather and connect. They host a variety of events each month from group meetings, to cooking classes, to game night, and much more.

The Q Exchange has been a joy to partner with and we look forward to many more events with them.

More information on The Q Exchange can be found here:

DMGMC & SFGMC Concert - All You Need is Love & Music

July 9: Lauridsen Amphitheater - Des Moines, IA

The Priory was honored to work with the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus as they hosted the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus for a joint concert in Des Moines - All You Need is Love & Music. We mingled with the choruses before the show and instantly fell in love with the SF Chorus. They were SUPER excited to see us based on the 30+ gay gasps we heard upon approaching. They were excited to take a photo with us and comically apologized for Sister Roma. Their words, not ours 😂

The "Love Tour" by SFGMC brought their message of unity, love, and hope to various communities in the heartland. From July 7-9, 2024, the 300-member Chorus, led by Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg, toured Iowa and Nebraska, partnering with local LGBTQ choruses and advocacy groups at each stop. The tour concluded with a headline performance at the 2024 GALA Chorus Festival in Minneapolis where the DMGMC also be performed.

More information on the groups can be found here:

DMGMC
SFGMC

Bingo - Priory Fundraiser

June 30: The Blazing Saddle - Des Moines, IA

Our third bingo of the year was a fundraiser for The Priory.

We had a great turnout and had a lot of bingo virgins. We had a blast mingling with the crowd and raised over $600. This money will be used to provide more fun and frivolity as we gear up for our next bingo in October.

Rolling into Pride

June 25: Skateland - Des Moines, IA

We came, we rolled, we didn’t break any major bones! Snyder Strategies, LLC hosted a free skating event at Skateland for Central Iowa Rainbow Families and all members of our community. Novice Sister Lei Meianna Davenporte and Novice Guard Garrison laced up their skates and were quickly zooming around the track. Novice Sister Sue Filet laced up and made it all of 5 feet before remembering that she still did not know how to skate. 😂

There were a few, minor wipeouts during the event but no one sustained any permanent injuries. The event had a great turnout and everyone had a blast. We can’t wait until next year to attend again. And hopefully work on our skating skills before then 🙂

Coffee & Sister Story Time

June 22: Highland Park Neighborhood - Des Moines, IA

We were thrilled to be invited to The Little Book, a new, queer owned, bookstore in the Highland Park neighborhood in Des Moines. Opened in February 2024, they “aim to be a space where queer families know they are safe, welcome, and celebrated.”

We started the day with coffee at The Slow Down Coffee Co., and end up on an impromptu tour of some local business. We then made our way to The Little Book to continue their Pride celebration that featured local queer artists and performers: musical storytime with Craig Peterson, a gallery show by Cat Rocketship, and storytime/sing-along with The Priory. To top things off, The Little Book donated a portion of their proceeds from that day to the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund!

More information on the the businesses we visited can be found here:

DMGMC - United in Song

June 15: Temple Theater - Des Moines, IA

The Priory enthusiastically supported the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus (DMGMC) during their "United in Song" concert at the Temple Ballroom in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, June 15th. Novice Sister Helda Magnum, a classically trained vocalist, initiated contact with the choir to offer assistance at their events, which evolved into her novice project.

We are thrilled about future collaborations, including an upcoming special concert in July where they will support the joint performance of the DMGMC with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.

More information on the DMGMC can be found here:

Capital City Pride

June 7-9: Des Moines, IA

The Priory took Capital City Pride by storm and were joined by some of our lovely sister houses: Cornhole Sisters: Convent of Aksarben, City of Fountains Sisters, The Emerald City Sisters, Abbey of the Sacred Ruby Slippers and MOPI. We spread joy and frivolity around the pride grounds on Friday night and were incognito for Saturday festivities. We also snuck in a Conclave and Sister Clara's house Saturday afternoon.

Sunday we were up bright and early to prepare for the Pride parade! We unveiled a Priscilla, Queen of the Desert themed float and marched a gaggle of clown nuns and guards down Grand Avenue. We twirled for the Beaverhausen's and put on a spectacle for all the queers and allies!! To top it all off, we took home first prize for the best Pride entry! We're still exhausted but it was a magical weekend for all.

More information on the Capital City Pride and our sister Houses can be found here:

Sister Story Time & Community Ministry

May 25: Sidekick Coffee & Book & downtown Iowa City, IA

We took Sister Story Time on the road and traveled east to Iowa City for the day. We read to the children and then the clowns descended on downtown Iowa City for some food and frolicking in the Pedestrian Mall.

More information on the Sidekick Coffee & Book can be found here:

Community Ministry and Karaoke

May 11: East Village, Des Moines

A few nuns got a wild hair up their habits and decided to have a rapid fire ministry session across the East Village. They started out at Bear Happy Hour, then popped over to Buddy's Corral for some karaoke (we really need to learn the lyrics to "I'm Coming Out!"), checked out Trash Disco night at Black Sheep and closed up the night at The Blazing Saddle.