Surprising things Elvis Presley has in common with the Catholic Church

November 5, 9:49 AMHouston Roman Catholic ExaminerVanessa Barnes

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Elvis Presley on NBC 1968 from Wilkipedia

Like me, many of you may be surprised to learn of the things I will mention in this article concerning Elvis Presley and the Catholic Church.

First of all, we Catholics certainly believe in 'life after death' and in that respect, Elvis is indeed still alive--somewhere.

Secondly, it is not for you or me to know--where.

The first thing I was surprised to learn is that Elvis actually recorded a song entitled, "Miracle of the Rosary" on his 1972 album, 'Elvis Now'. I came across the song and immediately thought it was a mistake; however, I learned it was not a mistake and admit loving it the moment I heard it.  The lyrics:

O Blessed Mother we pray thee/Thanks for the miracle of your Rosary/Only you can hold back/Your holy Son's hand/Long enough for the whole world to understand/Hail, Mary full of grace/The Lord is with thee/Blessed are thou among women/And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus/O Holy Mary dear mother of God/Please pray for us sinners/Now and at the hour of our death/And give thanks once again/For the miracle of you rosary'. (See video below)

Of course many of you will remember the movie he made with Mary Tyler Moore, "A Change of Habit" (1969). In that movie he plays the part of a doctor and Ms. Moore plays a nun, Sister Michelle.

It is told that one of Elvis' earlier performance (1955) took place at the Catholic Club located in Helena, Arkansas and due to his unique rock and roll style of music, he was allegedly told to never come back. At that concert it is also said he signed the leg of a female fan and that was not looked upon as appropriate behavior.

Actress Delores Hart who starred alongside Elvis Presley in Loving You and King Creole, left Hollywood in 1963 to become a Benedictine nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, Bethlehem, Connecticut.  She eventually became Prioress and Mother Hart now holds the distinction of being the only nun to be a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

There is also the true story of Sister Anne Michelle Mudd, a devoted fan of the late Elvis Presley.  See article by Bryan Crawford (culturalcatholic.com) on Sr. Michelle Mudd's rather interesting story here.

From Fr. Nicholas Schofield's (London, United Kingdom) blog he shares that when Elvis died in his Graceland bathroom, he is said to have been reading a book about the Holy Shroud of Turin - normally identified as A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus (1972)  by Frank O. Adams, which argues that the Turin Shroud really is Our Lord's Shroud.

   Delores Hart (after Hollywood) as Mother Hart

Listen to song 'Miracle of the Rosary' on video and see funny excerpt from the movie "Change of Habit'. Enjoy!