from movie star to heavenly star

7/28/2019 From Movie Star to Heavenly Star

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From Movie Star to Heavenly Star

Actress-Turned-Prioress Celebrates 50 Years of Religious Life: An Interview With

Mother Dolores

by Joseph Pronechen, Staff WriterFriday, May 10, 2013

Fifty years ago, actress Dolores Hart shockedHollywood when she made a momentousannouncement: She was leaving Hollywood tojoin a contemplative Benedictine monastery.Why would a movie star on a fairy-tale rise leavethe movie industry?

Her career took off in 1957. As a young college

student, she debuted opposite Elvis Presley in hisfirst film,Loving You, in which she was the firstto kiss him on screen.

In six years, starring with the biggest names inthe industry, she had 10 very successful feature

films to her credit, plus TV roles and a Tony Award nomination for her debut onBroadway. And she was engaged to a Los Angeles architect.

But in 1963, she entered the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn. Today, 50 yearslater, Mother Dolores Hart is prioress of the abbey.

In her autobiography, The Ear of the Heart:An Actress Journey From Hollywood to HolyVows (Ignatius Press) co-authored with lifelong friend Richard DeNeut and releasedMay 7 she tells her amazing life story, from her birth in Chicago to becoming Catholic,from her Hollywood adventures to monastery life.

The book title comes from a quote by St. Benedict meaning to listen with the "ear of ourheart" to the voice of God inviting us to follow him.

Mother Dolores has been granted the rare privilege of traveling outside the cloister for ashort time to talk about the book. With a similar privilege in 2012, she became the only

contemplative nun ever to walk the red carpet and attend the Oscars because an HBOdocumentary about her life, God Is the Bigger Elvis, was a nominee for "Best DocumentaryShort Subject." She remains the only Oscar-voting member of the Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences who is a nun.

Days before her books release, Mother Dolores spoke with the Register at the abbeysChurch of Jesu Fili Mariae (AbbeyofReginaLaudis.org).


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Her China-blue eyes sparkle with a genuine friendly welcome, and her thoughtfulconversation is often punctuated by a delicate chuckle or little laugh that springs not justfrom the answer, but also from an abiding joy that radiates from her.Surely the people in Hollywood were dumbfounded when you announced your decision to

leave the industry for the abbey.

They were shocked angry. My boss, Hal Wallis, just couldnt believe it. He sent me amessage that said, "Dont leave. Because if you do, Ill make sure you never work again inHollywood!" [She laughs.]But, eventually, he became a very good friend. His wife is still alive and sends us a basketof fruit every month.People from the film industry still keep in touch with you, I understand. Do many ask for

prayers?I think that to me is a reflection of the depth of genuine spirituality in many of my co-workers. They dont necessarily call me because theyre Catholic and Im Catholic and theycan trust our mutual understanding. They come from many different walks of life and havebecome actors or actresses. Some are persons who work in the industry in other areas. Buttheir reach back to me is one of faith that prayer is a resource.Prayer is not something you just teach a little child as a pious action. Prayer comes from thedeepest heart of human beings who want their life to continue or they want the life ofsomeone else to continue. The call for prayer is a belief and faith that their needs can beanswered.Who is one of those friends?A very dear friend of mine is Patricia Neal. She told me one of the first times she camehere, "Well, I guess Ill be Catholic before I end this whole thing." I said, "Patricia, you cando better than that." She became a Catholic on her deathbed here at the abbey and is buriedhere. So you just have to wait and let God do his work sometimes.Someone says in the book, "Young people especially respond to her." Why is that?[A gentle laugh punctuates each explanation.] I think its because I kissed Elvis as my firstmajor movie experiment. And they all somehow want to get close to that. I dont think Ihave ever yet talked to a young person who hasnt asked me, "Mother, what was it like tokiss Elvis?"The fact was that we were in the studios with about 150 workers around us, lightseverywhere, and about two minutes into the scene the director said, "Cut!" and I said, "Ohdear, whats wrong?" And he said, "Get a makeup man. Her ears are turning red. Shesblushing."Did your role of St. Clare in the film Francis of Assisi have any influence on yourvocation?

Im sure that it did. I think that, if anything, being in Assisi the four to five months that ittook to do this film was a very deeply penetrating experience having to live in the veryshoes of St. Clare and St. Francis because Assisi hasnt changed much since they werethere.


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I also had the great gift of being able to see the body of St. Clare, visible in her incorruptstate. It was just very penetrating. I dont know that at that time it made me think, "Oh, Ishould be a nun." If anything, it made me appreciate the richness of the Franciscan call andto realize also that the Benedictines were very much a part of St. Clares life, too, because,apparently, she had to live with them for a certain time.

During the filming, was there a strong spiritual presence or awareness?Brad Dillman, who played St. Francis, was astonishing, because, when he was dressed inthe robes of St. Francis, he refused to smoke. He said, "I cant do that because the childrenwill see me smoking, and theyll go around saying, St. Francis smoked. Why cant I?"Brad is not Catholic either but he had the honor of a dignified gentleman. He knew thateven when he wasnt in the character on screen he was projecting an image.I realized that, too, because, when we were sitting together waiting for a scene, one of theyoung people would come up and say, "You sign my book for me?" And I would writeDolores Hart. "No, No. Chiara!" Theyd want me to sign St. Clare. Or theyd want Brad tosign St. Francis. We had a hard time convincing them.That happened with John XXIII too, didnt it? During filming, you went to the Vatican and

were introduced to the Holy Father as Dolores Hart, the actress playing Clare, but heinsisted in Italian, "No, you are Chiara!" Another saint also means much to you. Why did

you choose Thrse for your confirmation name, after the Little Flower?

I found her a very gutsy little person who had to do what she did [getting permission toenter the convent so young] because she had very little help, except the piety of herfamily though, oftentimes, thats not as helpful to people [some of whom may]withdraw and run away from the very pious and very good example.I think that her faith was extraordinary and why the Church made her a doctor of theChurch. Its an amazing thing for someone who would seem so far from that kind of adignified title. But she really was because she stood by the faith with a conviction that wasso absolute. Even when she couldnt believe, even when she was in the "dark night," shemaintained a strength of character. I think her witness was extraordinary.What did you find as your biggest challenge in the abbey?The biggest challenge for me was learning Latin. I still dont know it, and I still have to goback and read it and say, "This is what it means." I cant pick up a Psalm and read throughit like some of the novices can. I just never, never could get over the hump. I failed Latin inschool, too! [She chuckles.]Please share one of your many happy moments here.I think one of the happiest times was when Mother Abbess let me receive a gift from myformer fianc, Don [Robinson], of an African grey parrot. I couldnt imagine that I wouldever be allowed to keep a parrot. That was 22 years ago, and I still have him. [She shares aphoto of her parrot, which is all gray with a bright red tail.]I understand vocations are rising at the monastery, three new this year and two entering

soon. Do you think you had a hand in bringing vocations to the monastery?


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Yes, I think there were a few vocations that were stirred up. But it wasnt that I broughtthem in. I think I showed that anybody can do it. I was such a wild card, you know! [Shelaughs.]No wonder the abbey started New Horizons, its first-ever fund campaign to expand space

to accommodate all of the new vocations.The fire department challenged us to redo our main building. We were going to make alittle bakery out back. But the department made their proposal about what to do, and it was$4 million dollars! Well, we just about passed out.You founded The Gary-The Olivia Theatre on the grounds to present summer productions,

and you say in your book, "Our abbey theatre brings together the vocations of the actorand cloistered nun." How do you see acting and vocations going together?

In the old monasteries in Europe, at Matins, the prayer in the middle of the night, becausepeople couldnt understand the language sometimes they would have little plays in thesanctuary to depict what the Gospel was about. This was at 2:30 in the morning and wasvery much a Benedictine thing that was done. So I figured if they can do plays in thesanctuary in the middle of the night, we can have a theater.And its part of hospitality. The theater only picks up an honest gift of hospitality becausewe always try to choose something that has the message of life, peace, work, a mystery thatis important to deal with in ones state.The wonderful couple of Tom and Sally Camm are really devoted to helping me bygetting the plays on and do the work of directing and getting the cast. Theyve made thetheater come alive every summer with a new version of whats been on Broadway.Whats important for our readers to know that youre rarely asked about?The one thing is the Gregorian chant, and what a gift it is to be able to sing and to pray atthe same time. I think that I would hate to see people lose that part of the Tradition of theChurch, because the chant goes back over a thousand years.People come to the chapel, to this church, sometimes to just hear the chant sung [the nunschant the Mass and full Divine Office eight times every day in Latin, as prescribed by St.Benedict].I think thats a very beautiful and wonderful gift for someone: to be able to sing theirprayer. It changes something inside of you in a way I cant describe. But I think its deeplyprayerful. And you have to believe in what you sing.

Joseph Pronechen is the

Registers staff writer.

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