It was April of 1915 and Donald MacIsaac of Hillsdale had arrived in Glendale to marry Katie Anne MacInnis, a lady of that parish. When the wedding party got to the glebe house they found Father Donald MacPherson madly packing up in order to catch the next train. He had just got his call to join the army as a chaplain.
The priest didn’t have time to perform the marriage but he hurriedly scribbled a note on a page of paper and told Donald to show it to Father Colin Chisholm in Port Hood and everything would be fine. Donald took the paper and went off happily.
Five years later, Father MacPherson was at the Judique picnic and he bumped into Donald and Katie Anne.
“And how are things going, Donald,” inquired the priest.
“Oh, we’re doing just fine Father,” said MacIsaac, “and I still have your paper.”
Shocked beyond words, Father Donald grabbed MacIsaac and his “bride”, shanghied two people to be witnesses and hustled the foursome up to the glebe house for a quick, but official, marriage ceremony.
For five years Donald MacIsaac, being illiterate, had thought he had a marriage certificate!
[Source: Allan Gillis, as told to him by Allan Graham, Judique]