God's calls for Dolores Hart: one of Hollywood's biggest actresses abandons fame and fortune to become a nun!
God's call to Dolores Hart
In 1957, Dolores Hart began starring in Hollywood films at the age of 18. With her unparalleled beauty and skill in front of the camera, she soon ended up alongside the “king” of rock, Elvis Presley. They even acted in two films together, which catapulted her career even further, leading her to be classified as one of the biggest names in the North American film industry. She was even nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress. At the same time, she was playing roles on Broadway, which earned her another nomination for Best Actress, but now at the Tony Awards.
Source: Mosteiro da Virgem
Source: social media
After playing in ten films, everything seemed to have settled down in her career: fame would never leave her and neither would the world! But that wasn't what her heart was telling her...
Her calling began to clarify itself when she played Saint Clare in the movie Saint Francis of Assisi. The story of this saint shows a woman who left the comforts of her family to follow the path of poverty and cloistered life, like her brother in Christ, St. Francis.
It was during the filming of this movie that God used Pope John XXIII as a key element in her drastic change of life. Having been a Catholic since the age of 10, she decided to visit the Pope, who welcomed her;
Pope John XXIII: O Clara!!!
Dolores: No Your Excellency, my name is Dolores (understanding that he had confused her name with that of her character).
Pope John XXIII: No! For you, it's Clara! That's your vocation!
Source: movie San Francisco de Assis
God's call would not stop in her life... When you acted in the movie “The Inspector”, you played a Jewish girl who managed to escape from the concentration camps. She felt this role as a guide, directing her to do something greater for her fellow human beings.
A third strong call came after eight long months of Broadway performances. Wanting to rest, she went to the Regina Laudis monastery in Connecticut on the recommendation of a friend. But as soon as she entered, she immediately felt deeply touched. After that day, she started visiting the monastery whenever she could, because she felt at home there, and even asked the mother superior if she could become a nun. But she was turned down, saying that she was still too young and was just tired and confused.
Accepting God's call
Dolores continued with her life and career, despite her fear of sinning against chastity and purity in the face of the unchristian environment in which she found herself. In the meantime, she continued to visit the monastery to try to find an explanation for what she was feeling inside.
Time went by and she even got engaged to a famous architect, Don Robinson, but close to the wedding date, she received a letter from the monastery saying that they would accept her. The problem: she needed to take her vows immediately.
After deep reflection, she listened to her heart, broke off the engagement, abandoned her fame and fortune and threw her life into the arms of God inside the monastery. Now Dolores would leave the life of the “rock king” to serve unconditionally the true KING of heaven and earth, Jesus Christ.
Her family, fiancé and closest friends were outraged, but they were never able to persuade her to abandon her new life dedicated to God, to others and to the cloister in order to return to Hollywood. At that time, director Hall Wallis (of the famous film Casablanca) even offered her a million-dollar contract with MGM and confronted her: “sign it or you'll never work as an actress again”. She refused.
After a while, and also after much thought, her now ex-fiancé supported her unconditionally, because he had always noticed something in her that didn't complete her. He promised to be her faithful Christian friend forever. He remained single and visited her every year throughout her life until his death.
A documentary about Dolores' life from Hollywood to the monastery, including her participation, called God is The Big Elvis, even contended for an Oscar in its category. Watch a short trailer below:
Source: HBO Brasil
Below is an interview with Mother Dolores, in which she tells several details of her profound change of life:
Source: NETTVCATHOLIC
From 1973, Dolores was appointed superior of the Benedictine nuns at the monastery. She also wrote her autobiography, released in 2013, called The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows - a great success and already in its third edition.
Source: Abbey of Regina Laudis
In the book, in the documentary and in her interviews, she says that she is always confronted with the question to this day: “how did you have the courage to give up such a fortune and fame for the rest of your life at such a young age?”. The answer is always right:
Mother Dolores: “If you heard what I hear, you'd come too!!!”
Referências: Abbey of Regina Laudis, Mosteiro da Virgem, A12, Miracula Dei, Legado Católico, NETTVCATHOLIC, HBO Brasil