Watch: 'I jumped into the moment': Nun dances and sings on luzzu boat ride

A Maltese nun filmed happily breaking out in song and dance on a Luzzu boat trip is drawing smiles across local social media feeds. 

The video, uploaded by Luzzu Tours Malta, shows Sister Michaela Paris dancing with a smile to the popular Sister Act track ‘I Will Follow Him’. 

As the boat sways through the waves, another nun tries to hold Sister Michaela so she doesn’t lose balance. But the small waves don’t stop the performance, as she continues to spin and shake her arms in the air on the luzzu, as other nuns joining in while seated.

As the video pans around the rest of the boat, passengers and the captain are captured smiling at the unexpected scene, which ends with the 55-year-old nun whistling. 

Uploaded on Sunday evening, the reel had over 4,000 likes and been shared more than 600 times as of Monday afternoon. Hundreds of users praised Sister Michaela’s personality and said the video put a smile on their faces.

“The moment I heard the music, I just jumped into the moment!” Sister Michaela told Times of Malta on Monday. 

“Music is my life, and the moment the captain started to play the song, I just got up, let myself go and moved! I remember one of the Sisters trying to hold me and support me, but I told her it’s fine, I can dance.”

The lively, spirited nun is not new to song and dance, having performed in the 2015 Malta Eurovision Song Contest together with the Ekklesia Sisters with the song Love and Let Go.

Sister Michaela said she had booked a boat trip for herself and the five other nuns who are based at the Ursuline Sisters of St Angela Merici home in Msida, for a day to "unwind and relax." 

“We wanted a break from the daily work routine, and I love the sea, but rarely find the time to go to the beach, so I thought it would be lovely to book this trip for the sisters,” she said.

The boat crew were surprised to see six nuns boarding the luzzu, telling them it was the first time they recalled having nuns on the trip.

The nuns visited Malta's southeast coast and bays such as St Peter’s Pool before watching the sunset at Delimara. 

“The sunset was so beautiful, everything about the trip was wonderful. On the way back, I couldn’t help but joke with the crew, I told them, ‘You have everything on the boat, good food, good commentary, but no disco!’.”

To which the captain replied: “Just you wait and see!”

As the boat made its way back to shore, I Will Follow Him blasted through the speakers and got Sister Michaela on her feet. She said the song and dance continued all the way back to the port.

“It was such a lovely experience, and I saw the other passengers also smiling and enjoying it.”

Sister Michaela is known for her lively and joyful spirit. Photo: Sister Michaela Paris

Sister Michaela described music as a form of therapy for her. It helped her during her dark times growing up and facing abuse, she said. When she joined the Ursuline Sisters at 18, she had the opportunity to join the choir, which brought her full of “overwhelming happiness”.

She did not know the video was to be posted on social media, and on Sunday evening, she began to receive messages from friends and family sharing the video. 

"It has to be you to do something like this!" one message read.

"I had no idea the video was going to be posted online, but seeing how it actually brings a smile to people's faces makes me happy," Sister Michaela said. "And the people who know me know that I am just being myself."