A retired Presbyterian minister with roots on the North Side was found guilty of violating church law in officiating at two lesbian weddings

Jane Spahr of San Rafael, Calif., is an openly gay ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She was ruled to be at odds with the church's constitution when she married the couples in 2004 and 2005.

A judicial commission with the Synod of the Pacific, a multistate governing body, ruled 6-2 that while Ms. Spahr "acted with conscience and conviction," she was guilty of misconduct.

It reversed a local Presbytery decision in March 2006 that said Ms. Spahr was within her rights as an ordained minister when she married the couples. The decision came with the recommendation that Ms. Spahr be rebuked.

Ms. Spahr said the decision made her sad, calling it second-class treatment for people who are different and "perpetuates myths and stereotypes that give license to violence."

Ministers in the Presbyterian Church must now seriously consider whether to preside at the wedding of two men or two women, said Janet Edwards, a local Presbyterian pastor who may face charges for conducting a lesbian marriage ceremony.

The decision is discouraging, said Sarah Taylor, an attorney for Ms. Spahr, because there is real apprehension that ministers who perform such ceremonies will be disciplined. For now, any minister found guilty of publicly marrying gay couples can be subjected to penalties from public reprimands to having ordinations rescinded.

Ms. Spahr said she would appeal to the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church's highest court. She has 45 days to do so.

The case becomes part of the ongoing dialogue on gay marriage that has roiled Presbyterian and other mainstream churches for a decade.