A nun was allowed to marry a Canadian couple in a Catholic wedding ceremony because of a shortage of priests, bishops and deacons.
Sister Pierrette Thiffault pronounced the couple — identified only as David and Cindy — husband and wife at a Catholic parish in Lorrainville, Quebec on July 22.
"It was a new experience for me . . . It was good for the diocese," Sister Thiffault told the Catholic News Service.
She officiated after Bishop Dorylas Moreau of the Quebec Diocese of Rouyn-Noranda contacted the Vatican about the shortage of available church personnel for wedding ceremonies and was granted permission.
Canon law permits a layperson — either man or woman — to officiate at a wedding when a bishop, priest or deacon is unavailable.
Bishop Moreau noted his diocese has just 16 priests for 35 parishes and no deacons. However, there are more than 75 nuns.
Sister Pierrette told La Croix International: "It was a mission of evangelization, that's for sure . . . It is a beautiful step forward for women in the Church."
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