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发帖数: 2273 | 1 Nun famous for kissing Elvis prays for miracle
December 23, 2011
By STEPHANIE REITZ
Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Conn. (AP) — In the little town of Bethlehem, a cloistered nun
whose luminous blue eyes entranced Elvis Presley in his first on-screen
movie kiss is praying for a Christmas miracle.
Dolores Hart, who walked away from Hollywood stardom in 1963 to become a nun
in rural Bethlehem, Conn., now finds herself back in the spotlight. But
this time it's all about serving the King of Kings, not smooching the King
of Rock and Roll.
The former brass factory that houses Mother Dolores and about 40 other nuns
cloistered at the Abbey of Regina Laudis needs millions of dollars in
renovations to meet fire and safety codes, add an elevator and make handicap
accessibility upgrades.
Like 73-year-old Mother Dolores, the order's nuns have taken a vow of
stability with the intent to live, work and die at the complex. The order
was established in 1947 in Bethlehem, a small burg in Connecticut's rolling
western hills.
Now, the historically self-supporting nuns have launched a fundraiser for
the $4 million renovation project dubbed "New Horizons." They don't have
much money, but they have Mother Dolores: a starlet-turned-supplicant whose
unique story might lure the attention and donations of generations of movie
fans, particularly those who adore all things Elvis.
"This work may not be in my lifetime that it's finished, but we're sure
trying," Mother Dolores said of the upgrades, which are budgeted to run
about $2 million for the fire code and accessibility compliance work and
another $2 million for improvements to the housing and other facilities.
They hope to break ground in January.
They're not in imminent danger of needing to move out, but many of the older
nuns can no longer navigate the narrow steps to the main building's third
floor and must live in another building. And without adequate fire escapes,
the monastery has caught the eye of local inspectors, though they've worked
closely with the nuns on the improvement plans and haven't ordered them to
close the building.
For Mother Dolores, the monastery has been home since she was a 24-year-old
actress in 1963 and walked away from Hollywood for a life of contemplation
and prayer as a postulant.
The abbey's chapel, workshops, livestock pastures and other features are
part of her soul now, and its wood-paneled monastery is the only home she's
known for 50 years. Its theater holds a special place in her heart,
harkening to the former career that landed her on talk shows, in magazines
and twice as Elvis Presley's co-star.
Dolores Hart was a vivacious, quick-witted blond starlet when she charmed
Hollywood in the 1950s and early 1960s. She shared a kiss with Presley in
the 1957 Paramount film, "Loving You" — a modest liplock over which Mother
Dolores still fields frequent questions about whether the King was a good
kisser.
"I don't know why they ask me. It's right there on the screen to see; it's
right there for the looking," she said Thursday.
Hart acted in 10 movies alongside stars including Montgomery Clift, Myrna
Loy, Connie Francis and Anthony Quinn.
She said she was engaged to be married before joining God's service and
leaving the acting world behind. She broke off her engagement, though her
fiance remained a close friend and was a frequent visitor and supporter of
the abbey until his recent death.
The nuns also received support and help over the years from Mother Dolores'
longtime friend and fellow actress Patricia Neal, who was buried at the
abbey after her death in August 2010.
Mother Dolores is still a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences, receiving copies of movies to watch in her small room —
or cell, as they're known in the order — to help select yearly Oscar
winners.
Her own movies, including the highly popular "Where the Boys Are," were made
before stars routinely could negotiate to collect later royalties, she said
, so that's not a potential source of income for the upgrades to the abbey.
The abbey is financially independent from the Archdiocese of Hartford and
supports itself through the sale of everything from artisan cheeses and hand
-crafted pottery to recordings of its choir. Mother Dolores even recently
signed autographs at a New Jersey convention, a rare foray out of cloistered
life as a favor for a friend, and one that helped boost the fundraising
efforts.
Sister Angele Arbib, a coordinator of the New Horizons renovation and
fundraising efforts, said the order is applying for grants and the nuns are
trying to spread the word among the abbey's supporters, but are not
disclosing publicly how much they've raised so far.
Unlike some orders, the Abbey of Regina Laudis has retained a steady number
of nuns and new postulants, including two starting in the next few weeks —
but that can't continue if the housing and other facilities keep eroding
with age.
"We have focused on building our community, which has been wonderful, but
now it's time that we really have to address our space," said Sister Angele,
63, who left a thriving career of managing opera singers when she was 50 to
join the order.
"None of this, not one single thing we're doing, is an extravagance," she
said of the upgrades. "It's to make it possible for us to grow, for the
elderly among us to live with as much independence as possible and to allow
us to live together in surroundings that let us continue our service."
Sister Angele said the nuns are not in any imminent danger of needing to
move out, though she acknowledges they'd be in dire straits if they had not
anticipated the problems early enough to prepare the upgrade plans and
launch the fundraising efforts.
As word has spread of their needs, supporters of the nuns and those who've
visited the abbey, prayed in its chapel and picked up items in its gift shop
have tried to help in ways of their own.
Liz Carpenter, a Watertown resident who owns the Children's Dance Workshop,
said its children have raised $600 to help through a raffle. She's been a
grateful supporter since the nuns helped her through a cancer battle about
10 years ago and now volunteers to clean the church once a week.
"I wanted to teach the kids that it's important to give back," she said of
their fundraiser, "especially for a place that does as many wonderful things
as this one does."
—— Tax-deductible donations to New Horizons may be sent to the Abbey of
Regina Laudis, 73 Flanders Road, Bethlehem, Conn., 06751. The order also
plans to soon offer online donation services through its website, www.http://www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com. (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) |
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