Actress Patricia Neal and Mother Dolores Hart (photo courtesy of Barbara Middleton).
– Barbara Middleton
When actress Patricia Neal died earlier this month, Mother Dolores Hart, the former actress-turned-nun, lost a friend. Neal was a frequent guest and supporter of the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn. Dolores Hart is known for starring opposite stars such as Elvis Presley, Montgomery Clift, and Robert Wagner. At the age of 25, she entered the Benedictine Order at Regina Laudis. She’s still a voting member of the Motion Picture Academy. Mother Dolores Hart spoke with me last week about being converted to Catholicism by sweet rolls and the role that she played in Neal’s coming into the Church.
I understand that you converted to Catholicism at the age of 10. How did that come about?
My grandmother sent me to a Catholic school because it was closer and I wouldn’t have to cross the street car tracks. By age 9 I was quite taken with the whole experience of the Catholic Church.
The kids at school would fast. After Mass they had chocolate milk and sweet rolls. Those of us who weren’t Catholic would eat our breakfast at home. I was jealous of those kids who had breakfast there, so I told Sister that I would love to have bread with the children.
She thought I meant something more high-minded and told the principal, “I think this girl is asking for the Eucharist.”
She asked me, “Dolores, do you want to stay and go to the classes?” I replied that I’d be happy to do that; I would just have to ask my grandmother. I told my grandmother that I could have breakfast at the school if I went to the classes, and she agreed. So, I began going to the religious classes and I began to like it. While I waited after school, I would sit in the chapel and pray to the Lord and I began to like that very much. Eventually, I got hooked, and before I knew it the “bread with the children” meant more to me than just the sweet rolls.
According to what I’ve read there were a couple of seeds to your religious vocation – one being the role of Pope John XXIII while you were filming St. Francis of Assisi and another being the film Lisa. Talk about what led to your vocation?
It was quite startling when I met his Holiness. I wasn’t prepared for it. When I greeted him I told him my name was Dolores Hart. He took my hands in his and said, “No, you are Clara.” I replied, “No, no, that’s my name in the film.” He looked at me again and said, “No, you are Clara.” I wanted to sink to the floor, because I wasn’t there to begin arguing with the Pope. It gave me great pause for a number of hours. Being young, I dismissed it as one of those things that happened, but it stayed very deeply in my mind for a long time.
I think the imprint of that came back very strongly when I did the film Lisa. People sometimes associate that moment of clarity with the film St. Francis of Assisi because it was such a direct association. That was so obvious that I dismissed it entirely. I would not even look at it.
When we did Lisa, the story of this young woman who had been so violated by her experience as a Nazi survivor, the experience of taking on that role was one that quite knocked my socks off. In preparation for that role, I found a woman who had been at Auschwitz. I talked to her about what her experience meant for her.
She spoke about when the Nazi guard came into her room to take over her house. The worst thing she could imagine was when he grabbed her braid, took his knife, and cut it off at the root. Then he shoved it into his pocket saying, ‘This is the souvenir of the day.’ She told me that nothing that could happen that day was worse than that moment.
I knew how much long hair meant. I went through St. Francis of Assisi wearing a wig so that they wouldn’t cut my hair. Hearing that story, I couldn’t retain any of my holding back. I realized that the human condition was in such terrible pain that I wondered what one person could do. What can one woman do to face that kind of evil? The only thing that came to me was: The consecration of a woman was the only way to fight that. You have to believe that giving your body into that kind of prayer has a meaning. I found that the sense of holding that experience kept pressuring me to want to do something and wanting to deeply make some kind of a stand.
I understand that you recently lost your friend, actress Patricia Neal.
We were on our way to see her in Martha’s Vineyard when we received the message that she had passed. I was completely dumbstruck, and yet at the same time it was in line with what she wanted. She had announced to everyone at the supper table the night before that she loved everyone. She was in great spirits and gave a beautiful farewell. The next day her lungs filled up and there was no way to get her back.
Did you play a role in her conversion?
Patricia was sent to the Abbey by Gary Cooper’s daughter, Maria. After Patricia’s divorce [from poet Roald Dahl], in desperation, she went to France. There, she ran into Maria at a hotel. Patricia told her her troubles and Maria said, “I am going to send you somewhere where I know that you are going to be helped.”
We helped her through a very long recovery. During that time she wrote her own book – As I Am – with the help of Mother Benedicta. She regained her acting wings and did a poetry reading for our Abbey fair, during which a huge thunderstorm took down our tent. Her response was to build The Gary-The Olivia Performing Arts Center, so that would never happen again. She stayed with us over many months and returned often as a guest. She helped us by selling her book at the fair every summer.
She was the most faithful of human beings you could ever ask for. When I would inquire about her faith, she kept telling me, “Oh yes, I want to be Catholic, but not yet.” I would ask her, “What do you mean, not yet?” She said, “I like being Catholic when I’m here, but not when I’m not here.”
“That’s not going to do God any good,” would reply. “He wants you to be Catholic all the time.”
I didn’t believe in pushing her. Four months ago, when she was hospitalized with her illness, she called me and said she wanted to be a Catholic. She made the step at that time. She had waited a long time and finally threw in her towel on March 30, 2010.
Did you know Gary Cooper?
Yes. Every time I met him he was very gracious and charming to me. He always called me Miss Dolores. The last time I met him he was very close to his death. Maria invited me to go and see him. When I saw him I asked, “Gary, how are you?” He took my hand and said, “No, Miss Dolores, I want to know how you are? Have you gotten any work?”
I told him where I was in my career. He was so interested. I told him I wanted to know more about him. He said, “I’m on my way now. I just want to know if you’re doing well. That’s the most important thing.”
That was Gary. He was always interested in the other person.
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HI, Tim! What a WONDERFUL interview with my friend, Reverend Mother Dolores Hart! We have been spiritual friends for 36 years now and I knew how important the Abbey of Regina Laudis was to Miss Patricia Neal. Interestingly, Reverend Mother and Gary Cooper’s daughter, as stated in the interview, were good friends, so I knew that it had to be Maria Cooper Janis who suggested the Abbey to Miss Neal as a place of solace and contentment. One final statement—I was recently cast in a community theatre production of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” attending auditions at the last minute as a remembrance of Reverend Mother’s performance in the film, “Lisa,” and wrote to Reverend Mother after I had been cast, just weeks before Miss Neal’s death. Things in my life always seem to coincide with Reverend Mother, in one way or another. THANK YOU again, Tim, for a splendid article/interview! +God Bless you always!+
GOD,please be with all actors of the world.
And the singers-musicians too.
An excellent article. I have forwarded it to many friends online.
Thank you so much for this beautiful glimpse of a few lives that survived the Hollywood mill. It is good to know about faith surviving that world. Of course the culture was different during their “hayday” but still no less harrowing to the soul.
God bless Mr.Cooper and Miss.Neal,Real people.
I enjoyed the interview, which covered some of the same ground of that shown in a recent interview with Mother Delores Hart on EWTN with Raymond Arroyo. This version gave more attention to her famous link to the late Elvis Presley, which I would argue is how most people today came to know of her in terms of her film career. In it, she speaks with grace and love of her remembrance of Elvis Presley as a decent “Southern Gentleman” who was sincerely Christian in his manner.
Mother Hart was quite appealing in her “girl next door” persona in her two Presley flicks in the ‘50s: “Loving You” and “King Creole,” in each role conveying a pure, Donna Reed-like role in contrast to the less-innocent female counterparts in the cast. I recommend them to those who have not seen them, with the former being a great artifact of the era and the latter being an acclaimed musical drama set in New Orleans that was directed by Michael Curtis of “Casablanca” fame. I, of course, greatly enjoyed her in the film “St. Francis of Assisi.” She is an inspiration in her faith today. Thanks for the article!
I remember Dolores Hart in the movie “Where the Boys Are,” which singer Connie Francis also played in. I was quite surprised to hear later on that Hart had entered the convent.
Connie Francis had a very rough life also: her brother was murdered, she was had a sad marriage, and was raped while on a singing tour. I sure wish Sr. Dolores would get in touch with her if possible.
I was watching EWTN about a year ago and I stumbled onto an interview
of Mother Dolores by Father Mitch Paqua. Suddenly I remembered when I was a young man that a movie star had entered the monastery. It was right after I left the Carmelite Novitiate and came home. I became fascinated with Mother Dolores and was amazed when I found pictures of her on You Tube. What a beautiful young girl.
I wrote to Mother Dolores and she was kind enough to write back and send a picture. She did not have to do that, but it shows how thoughtful she was.
I believe that her vocation is testimony to the “Hound of Heaven” concept and how God does not make sense as we think of “sense”. He has His own mind and it is not ours.
God bless Mother Dolores Hart and let us be grateful for her willingness to answer the call when it would have been so easy not to. What an example to us all.
Jim Kubalewski
I never saw “Where The Boys Are”. Was it a good movie?
This is for Robert Sledz. You have to see “Where the Boys Are”. It is such a great movie. Mother Dolores was so great in this movie as were the rest of the cast including Connie Francis, who sang the title song, Jim Hutton, Paula Prentiss, Yvette Mimieux and George Hamilton who played Mother Dolores’ love interest. It is one of my all time favorite movies!!
I need to contact mother dolores for a matter of great importance. Does any one know her email address? If you do, please email me.
my email address is rereret@yahoo.com
Thank you, Ms. Gloria Applegate for that info. Very appreciative of you! ;-)
RJ
Excellent uplifting story. It shows in this world we still have many people working to bring peace and the word of God to those that are in despair .
I received my weekly edition of Entertainment Weekly and as I was skimming through the pages I came across the article of Dolores Hart and that she was a nun. I was always wondered what had happen to her as I was a big fan of hers since I was 9 years old. I loved all of the pictures she has ever done. “Where the Boys Are” is one of my favorite movies of all time also. I am so glad that she is serving the one big Actor in all of creation. She was a great actress of our time and as a little kid of 9, I had a great crush on her. I am sure she is very happy in what she is doing to help all mankind. I am also glad that she is still a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Science. Do you know where I can write to her? Thank-you Sincerely Anthony Libero
HI, Anthony! What a warm, wonderful comment! Here is Reverend Mother Dolores Hart’s mailing address, which can also be found on the Abbey’s web page:
Reverend Mother Dolores Hart, Pr, OSB
Abbey of Regina Laudis
273 Flanders Rd
Bethlehem CT 06751
I have been writing to her for 37 years! She’s a true spiritual influence, and a very important friend in my life.
+God Bless you, Anthony+
Does anyone know if Reverend Mother Dolores Hart is on EWTN very often?
Does Reverend Mother Dolores Hart appear on EWTN very often?
Tim, I bought an Alfred Hitchcock television series on DVD and one episode featured an actress who was so breathtakingly lovely I simply had to Google her name and learn something about her. It was, of course, Delores Hart. I’ve just read her amazing story and have been swept away by the inner beauty of the woman, which eclipses even her stunning physical beauty. Truly she is an inspiration, willingly giving up worldly fame and fortune to serve God and help her fellow man. There’s a humbling lesson for us all in the manner the Reverend Mother Dolores has chosen to live her life. I hope her story becomes more widely known for I believe it is capable of changing many, many lives for the good.
Dear Rev. Mother Dolores,
I love the wonderful way in which we connected,as per our recent exchanges you will have noted some decades earlier a Carmelite sister shared she had left Hollywood. At the time I was asking for prayer as I was being called to go of all places Hollywood!
Fortunately, I didn’t have to live there and was able to spend a more meditative existence in lovely Carmel By the Sea, while writing a series of inspirational works that are intended to further faith and inspire hope.
As you know, an incident in which I flat-lined during Emergency surgery led to the discovery of my life work.
Although, neurologically challenged I found peace and inspiration that subsequently gave rise to form via my recollections of the beauty around me.
With love and joy,
Glenda
hello
i r3member dolores hart ever so vivid as a young emigrant women in one of my first movie here in usa
i new she was special , there was a light shining from with in and i told everyone around me
its wonderful i just fund out she is around and well,did not think so much about it
i wish her always gods blessing.
it nearly brings tears to my eyes
so many years gone by
i am now in this country ober 35 years, and usa has been good to me
god bless u !
ursula
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