Going from the Oscars to the Franciscan University of Steubenville might seem like quite a distance. But long distances and surprising turns are nothing different for Mother Dolores Hart.
Fresh from her walk down the red carpet at the Oscars — as a documentary about her life was nominated — Mother Dolores Hart will speak on her journey from actress to nun on Friday, March 2, for the third annual John Paul the Great Fine Arts Lecture series at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Mother Dolores starred in ten movies in five years, including co-starring in one with Elvis Presley in her 20s. But instead of pursuing her acting career, she opted for the cloister.
A leading role as a nun in Francis of Assisi took Hart to Rome where she met Pope John XXIII. During a 2008 interview for CatholicExchange.com, she said the encounter was “very instrumental in helping me form ideas about my vocation.”
“I never considered my decision as ‘walking away from Hollywood’” she said, according to a press release from Franciscan University. “I felt it was more walking into something more significant and by that, I took Hollywood with me.”
Mother Dolores resides at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut.
The John Paul the Great Fine Arts Lecture series, which was inspired by the pontiff’s participation in underground theater and playwriting during his youth in Nazi-occupied Poland, is sponsoring Mother Dolores’ lecture.
For more information on this event, please contact chairman of the Fine Arts Department, Professor Shawn Dougherty, at 740-284-5392.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
