A former nun and a Catholic priest, who found love while praying together, have tied the knot. Lais Dognini, who transitioned from a nun to an influencer, first encountered Jackson Dognini, a priest, when he offered to pray for her during her battle with depression, according to Brazilian media. The couple secretly wed in March and made their relationship public via an Instagram Story this week.
Both Lais and Jackson had devoted several years to the Catholic Church before they met over six years ago. At that time, Lais was serving as a missionary. Despite sharing the same missionary spaces, they had never interacted beyond formal greetings. Jackson had spent five years in seminary training for priesthood, while Lais had dedicated two years of her life to prayer and service in a Carmelite convent.
However, when Lais was diagnosed with depression and left the convent to focus on her recovery, Jackson, who was still in seminary, reached out to her, expressing his prayers for her wellbeing. Initially, he believed that she would eventually return to her religious life. However, their exchange of messages gradually evolved into a friendship.
Jackson later chose to leave the seminary after a prolonged period of introspection about his calling. In April 2024, the couple began dating, got engaged in October of the same year, and finally got married in March. Lais, who now shares snippets of her unique life with her 16,000 Instagram followers, wrote, “It doesn’t seem like much, right? But let’s face it, we’re adults now and we know what we want in life.”
The couple’s decision to marry was met with admiration from their supporters. One Instagram follower commented, “It wasn’t an escape from their calling, it was a reunion with it.” Another follower added, “God writes correctly through lines we didn’t even know existed.”