John Wayne, for many, was a Hollywood legend who symbolized true masculinity and American values. To Father Matthew Muñoz, though, he was simply “granddaddy.”
“When we were little we’d go to his house, and we’d simply hang out with granddaddy; and we’d play, and we’d have fun: a very different image from what most people have of him,” Father Muñoz told EWTN News on a recent visit to Rome.
Father Muñoz was 14 years old when his grandfather died of cancer in 1979. In his lifetime, “The Duke” won three Oscars, the congressional Gold Medal, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Of all those achievements, though, Father Muñoz is most proud of just one: his grandfather’s conversion to the Catholic faith.
“My grandmother, Josephine Wayne Saenz, had a wonderful influence on his life and introduced him to the Catholic world,” said 46-year-old Father Muñoz, a priest of the Diocese of Orange in California.
“He was constantly at Church events and fundraisers that she was always dragging him to, and I think that, after a while, he kind of got a sense that the common secular vision of what Catholics are and what his own experience actually was were becoming two greatly different things.”
Father Muñoz’s grandparents married in 1933 and had four children, the youngest of whom—Melinda—is his mother. The couple civilly divorced in 1945, although, as a Catholic, Josephine did not remarry until after Wayne’s death. She also never stopped praying for her husband’s conversion, a prayer which was answered in 1978.
“He was a great friend of the archbishop of Panama, Archbishop Tomas Clavel, and he kept encouraging him, and finally my granddaddy said, ‘Okay, I’m ready.’”
As a result of a change in Panamanian leadership, Archbishop Clavel was exiled from his native land in 1968. Three years later, Cardinal Timothy Manning, then the archbishop of Los Angeles, invited Archbishop Clavel to Orange County, where he served as pastoral leader to half of Orange County’s 600,000 Latinos.
By the time of Wayne’s request, however, Archbishop Clavel was too ill to make the journey to the film star’s residence.
“So Archbishop Clavel called Archbishop McGrath,” Father Muñoz said, explaining that Archbishop McGrath was the successor to Archbishop Clavel in the Archdiocese of Panama.
“My mom and my uncle were there when he came. So there’s no question about whether or not he was baptized. He wanted to become baptized and become Catholic,” Father Muñoz said. “It was wonderful to see him come to the faith and to leave that witness for our whole family.”
Father Muñoz also said that his grandfather’s expressed a degree of regret about not becoming a Catholic earlier in life, explaining “that was one of the sentiments he expressed before he passed on,” blaming “a busy life.”
Prior to his conversion to Catholicism, though, Wayne’s life was far from irreligious.
“From an early age he had a good sense of what was right and what is wrong. He was raised with a lot of Christian principles and kind of a ‘Bible faith’ that, I think, had a strong impact upon him,” said Father Muñoz, recalling that his grandfather often wrote handwritten notes to the Almighty.
“He wrote beautiful love letters to God, and they were prayers. And they were very childlike, and they were very simple but also very profound at the same time,” he said.
“And sometimes that simplicity was looked at as naivety, but I think there was a profound wisdom in his simplicity.”
Father Muñoz summed up the hierarchy of his grandfather’s values as “God coming first, then family, then country.” It’s a triumvirate he sees repeatedly reflected in his grandfather’s films. He believes those values are much needed in Hollywood today, and, if “the Duke” were still here, he’d be leading the charge.
“My grandfather was a fighter. I think there would be a lot of things he’d be disappointed and saddened over. But I don’t think he would lose hope. I think he would look at the current time as a moment of faith. People are in crisis, and they’re looking for something more meaningful, more real,” Father Muñoz said.
“So, I think he would look at the situation and say, ‘Don’t get discouraged!’ I think he would say, ‘Get involved. Don’t go hiding in a shell and getting on the defensive from Hollywood. Get involved and be an agent for the good.’ I think he would do that. That’s what he did in his time.”
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That a grandchild (now a Priest) can thank a grandparent for modeling faith in the world is a testimony to living the Christian life—It is real, this faith of ours and it certainly makes an impact on the quality of life we “choose” to live. I did not say his grandfather was perfect but that he was a “friend” of God and tried to live honestly and justly.
I think there is a very strong message in John Wayne practicing his faith. He has always been a role model for strength and honesty. If you add his faith into the mix, it’s the perfect trifecta. I am so glad Father Munoz shared such a great faith story about his granddad. Bless them both.
it would be inspiring if these letters to God were published with the families’ permission. I would buy several copies one for me and for gifts to those I know whe need to return to the faith.
Loved this! John Wayne was a great soul and one of my heros!
I think John Wayne would have been and is very proud of being the Grandfather to such a beautiful loving priest, Father Matthew Munoz!!!
I never knew that John Wayne was a Catholic convert—however, now that I do, it adds a whole new dimension to my understanding of a man whom I’ve long held in admiration.
I have been a huge John Wayne fans since I was a little boy. Really enjoyed this article. Again great article. Thanks so much for writing.
Good article!! Only one correction needed: John Wayne won just one Oscar. I believe he was nominated three times though not completely sure.
I too have an interest in seeing Mr. Wayne’s letters to G-d published. I’d buy at least one copy.
dtp
AMDG
I miss John Wayne very much, he was a great man. I do think that he would be very dissapointent in hollywood today for it is heading in the wrong direction. The movies today are too violent and the language is awful, makes me think that they don’t know how to write a good story for just about every other word is the word with f in it.
It seems he really was a man with true grit.
I don’t admire John Wayne for being the All-American archetype. Rather, he’s a reminder of our common struggle as humans. His personal life wasn’t perfect, and neither were his characters. But they sure tried pretty hard to make things right.
Good ole’ John Wayne! I named my son after him if that tells you anything. I knew he converted and am glad too hear this particular story. It’s awesome his grandson is a priest!God bless!
Here is hoping that Father Muñoz or others in the family put together and publish a short “booklet” of these beautiful “love letters to God” with some short stories and devotions in between. John Wayne is still the 3rd most popular actor in America. It seems very clear that such a booklet could be a vehicle to bring many more souls closer to God. There is no nicer compliment that could be paid to the Duke than to say that his prayers were very simple and childlike for as the Good Book says such are the kingdom of Heaven. God bless you Father Muñoz for sharing these memories.
I always liked John Wayne as a real heroic type, an honest man. Now there’s even more reason to see him as a great figure. Thank you for the beautiful article and to you. Fr. Munoz, for the wonderful testimony to your grandfather. He surely is very proud of you.
John Wayne has always been a great hero to me even though he died nine years before I was born. I am very glad that Fr. Munoz decided to tell the story of his grandfather who was in a great way “Mr. America”. I never knew Duke was Catholic, only until recently after my own conversion to the Catholic Church. I, too like others who have comment on this article would love to read some of these little “childlike” letters to God from Duke. Now when I watch another film of John Wayne’s I will think about how he found his way to know that God was calling him to come home. Fr. Munoz, I truly believe your grandfather is proud of you and is praying for you as you are going through your priestly vocation. God Bless,Nikita.
I read about John Wayne’s conversion in a book by Susan Tassone about the Souls in Purgatory. According to her story, he met a Sister Agnes, at the hospital where he was dying. She told him she would pray for him after he passed. He didn’t think that made sense to pray for someone after death. She explained our Catholic beliefs about Purgatory and that made a great impression on him. He later asked to see this nun and told her he was wanted to learn about the Catholic faith and was later baptized.
He also became a Freemason in 1970…but I didn’t see that in this kind article about a man we all loved and respected…so did he renounce his fraternity? Just curious…
“A Member of Glendale DeMolay Chapter during his high school days, Duke was also a freemason, like his father before him, receiving his Craft degrees in July 1970 in Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56, Tucson, Arizona. A Senior DeMolay, he was also awarded the DeMolay Legion of Honor in 1970. In December of that year, he joined the York Rite Bodies in California and became a Shriner in Al Malaikah Shrine Temple.
Initiated : July 9, 1970
Passed : July 10, 1970
Raised : July 11, 1970
Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56, Tucson, Arizona”
Back in the 1940’s my Dad was head of new accounts at Valley National Bank in Tucson, Arizona. When Norman Cook came in to open an account, he and my Dad hit it off. Norman happened to be the production manager for a movie being made in the area. That film was “Red River”. Norman asked my Dad if he and my Mom would be interested in coming down to watch a day’s filming. Of course they were! After the work wrapped up, they were invited to a deluxe “chuck wagon” BBQ dinner, where they were seated next to John Wayne and across from Montgomery Clift. My parents found Monty polite, but cool and distant. John Wayne, however, was expansive, warm and very friendly…he even asked my mother to dance. She, embarrassed at never having “square danced”, and nervous about the prospect of dancing with John Wayne, turned him down. He did give her his autograph, on a card she had in her wallet…”Good luck, Evelyn. John Wayne”. We would laughingly tease her as the gal who turned John Wayne down! Fast forward to 2002, we happened to attend Christmas Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra, CA, and Father Michael Munoz was the celebrant. After Mass I cornered him and dragged him out the car where my 93 year old widowed Mom was. I introduced him as John Wayne’s grandson, and told him the story about my Mom turning down a dance with his grandfather. Father Michael Munoz was just as warm and gracious, I imagine, as his grandfather had been, jokingly telling my Mom, “it was a good thing she didn’t dance with him, because he had enormous feet and might’ve stepped on her toe.” I was grateful he took the time to come visit a few minutes with people he didn’t know and make my Mom’s day. The next year she passed away, and I like to think she took up that one dance with John Wayne in Heaven.
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