The lady you see to your left is Sister Helen Prejean of Dead Man Walking fame. A Roman Catholic sister of the Congregation of St. Joseph, she's a vocal advocate for ending the Death Penalty.
I came across a news article that stated Sr. Helen "officated" the wedding ceremony of Eva Amurri and Kyle Martino. Amurri is the daughter of actress Susan Sarandon who portrayed Sr. Helen in the movie Dead Man Walking.
At first I was irritated beyond belief to be hearing about a sister yet AGAIN overstepping the boundaries of her ministry. She is NOT a priest, and thus should NOT be officiating any sort of wedding (within the Church or outside the Church).
That being said, I quickly remembered that the Sacrament of Marriage does not need a priest in order to occur. The ministers of marriage are the man and wife, themselves. A priest is not necessary, but strongly encouraged. The man and woman (supposing both are baptized) are the only ones capable of providing the "external signs" of the Sacrament (vows).
So while I'm still not happy to hear about a sister taking part in a ceremony like this, I truly believe that hers is a unique case. She is obviously very close to the family and has made a strong, spiritual impact on Sarandons. It is my hope that the newly-wed couple continues to build onto that foundation and seek the culmination of that faith within the Catholic Church that Sister Helen, herself, is a professed part.
I came across a news article that stated Sr. Helen "officated" the wedding ceremony of Eva Amurri and Kyle Martino. Amurri is the daughter of actress Susan Sarandon who portrayed Sr. Helen in the movie Dead Man Walking.
At first I was irritated beyond belief to be hearing about a sister yet AGAIN overstepping the boundaries of her ministry. She is NOT a priest, and thus should NOT be officiating any sort of wedding (within the Church or outside the Church).
That being said, I quickly remembered that the Sacrament of Marriage does not need a priest in order to occur. The ministers of marriage are the man and wife, themselves. A priest is not necessary, but strongly encouraged. The man and woman (supposing both are baptized) are the only ones capable of providing the "external signs" of the Sacrament (vows).
So while I'm still not happy to hear about a sister taking part in a ceremony like this, I truly believe that hers is a unique case. She is obviously very close to the family and has made a strong, spiritual impact on Sarandons. It is my hope that the newly-wed couple continues to build onto that foundation and seek the culmination of that faith within the Catholic Church that Sister Helen, herself, is a professed part.
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