Christmas exemplifies the transformative power of faith and in Dolores Hart’s life that meant a journey from Elvis Presley to a cloistered abbey.
“The grace of God just entered my life in a totally unexpected way,” Hart, 79, said in an HBO documentary.
“God was the vehicle. He was the bigger Elvis.” That is the title of the HBO film – nominated for an Academy Awar.
“God Is The Bigger Elvis” can be seen on YouTube at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfwTSZzjh8E
It tells the story of a beautiful young actress who is now Mother Prioress Dolores Hart and lives in The Abbey of Regina Laudis.
It is an enclosed Benedictine Monastery and working farm in Bethlehem, Conn. Hart has been a Roman Catholic nun for more than a half century.
Most baby boomers remember another Dolores Hart. She appeared with Elvis in a couple of his early pictures: “Loving You” and “King Creole.”
“I often wonder why the Lord gave me an opportunity to audition for Elvis,” Hart told HBO.
“There were so many (actresses) in line that day. I prayed that I would get the part. I just can’t believe I got the part.
” Here’s a clip from “Loving You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvU2jIzbY8Y
She also starred in “Where The Boys Are,” a huge hit about spring break in 1960, featuring George Hamilton, Connie Francis and Tim Hutton.
During her youthful Hollywood career in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Hart worked with such actors as Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty and Montgomery Clift.
She was engaged to be married to an architect named Don Robinson, and she could potentially have signed a million-dollar movie contract.
That all changed in 1963, when she gave up the movie star glamour and the love of her life (Robinson) to become a nun.
“I never felt like I was leaving Hollywood,” said Hart, who still retains beauty, charm and sense of humor.
“The Abbey was like the Grace of God. I just loved it. It was a place where I could find myself and my own inner certitude.”
Before making the decision, Hart talked to the leader of the Abbey.
“I had a concern it was wrong as a Catholic to be in movies,” Hart told HBO.
“You could get aroused sexually by men. And my leading star was Elvis Presley.”
The Reverend Mother understood.
“Why not, you’re a girl,” she told Hart.
“Chastity doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate what God created. Chastity says you use it well.”
The Reverend Mother also told Hart she needed more time to make the decision to become a nun.
Hart expanded her relationship with Don Robinson. Eventually, the couple announced their engagement. Hart was fitted for a wedding dress and Robinson was designing their new home.
Then, in 1963, Hart received a letter from the Abbey saying she would be welcome.
“It was a terrifying time for me,” Hart said. “It was neck and neck (marriage or the Abbey).”
At an engagement party, she told Robinson about the letter. “I said, ‘Dolores, are you going to go to the Abbey and become a nun?’ Robinson told HBO. “She said, ‘Yes I am.’ “I totally collapsed,” Robinson said. “My love for her (could not be fulfilled with marriage).”
Hart was lost for words.
“It’s impossible to explain,” she told HBO. “How do you explain God. How do you explain love. I had loved Don but I was in love with God.”
The Abbey proved to be a challenge. There were strict rules of silence, chanting, singing, hard farm work and “10 people for every bathroom,” Hart said.
It was a long way from Hollywood.
“But I felt God had given me a mission,” Hart said. “I felt there was a reason for being here. I found a sense of peace and interior renewal. What I loved about the cloistered life was the capacity it offered for true communion with God.”
Hart has written a book about her remarkable life called, “The Ear of The Heart.” (Ignatius Press).
Don Robinson remained part of her life. For five decades, he would visit the Abbey, attend Mass and talk to Hart.
“I never got over Dolores,” Robinson told HBO. “I dated other women after Dolores, but I never found a love, like Dolores. I wanted to marry her but she wanted to be married to God.”
Don Robinson died in 2011, the year the documentary was released.
Near the end of the HBO special, Robinson and Hart meet near the chapel.
“I think about you all the time and you know that God blesses you,” Robinson says.
“I know,” Hart replies. “God blesses you, too.”
“I love you,” Robinson says.
“I love you,” Hart says.
Then the scene shifts to Hart alone praying in the chapel. The camera comes in for a close up and her eyes well up with tears. Then, she turns and walks away.
There is a lyric that Elvis Presley sang in that movie so long ago. It goes: “I will spend my whole life through/loving you.”
