The Amazing Spiritual Quest of Shia LaBeouf – ‘Padre Pio’ Star Receives the Sacrament of Confirmation Into Catholic Church, Says He Wants To Become a Deacon
Film fans and Christian believers alike: rejoice!
Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf has been formally received into the Catholic Church with the sacrament of confirmation by Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron, on New Year’s Eve.
This follows a surprising but incredibly sincere awakening of the actor’s faith, after the long immersive work he undertook to play the role of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in Abel Ferrara’s movie Padre Pio.
LaBeouf’s confirmation sponsor and LaBeouf co-star in the film, Capuchin Friar Brother Alexander Rodriguez further revealed that the actor wants to become a deacon ‘sometime in the future’.
Brother Rodriguez said that LaBeouf began entertaining the idea of the diaconate during the making of the movie. “He just spontaneously said, ‘I want to become a deacon,’ and he still feels that way,”.
The sacramental ceremony took place at Old Mission Santa Inés Parish, in Solvang, California.
That’s the same Capuchin parish that LaBeouf first went to train for his role as a Franciscan friar in the Padre Pio film.
Like many other people, I first found out about LaBeouf’s story a few months ago when I bumped into his 80-minute-long interview with Bishop Barron – the same prelate who now officiated in his Confirmation ceremony.
I was amazed by the seriousness and sincerity of his spiritual quest, so I’m leaving it here in case you want to check it out.
Watch: Shia LaBeouf’s with Bishop Robert Baron
New Catholic Register reported:
“In the interview, he said that he was agnostic before finding God. He said he had a bar mitzvah as a 13-year-old boy but never embraced the Jewish faith.
Despite his successes as an actor in big-screen films such as Transformers, Fury, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Holes, his life was in turmoil. In trouble with the law multiple times, LaBeouf currently faces a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend accusing him of being physically abusive. Estranged from his mother because of his downward spiral, LaBeouf told Bishop Barron he had reached the point where he despaired of living, saying: ‘I don’t want to be here anymore’.”
When LaBeouf got the lead part in Abel Ferrara’s film Padre Pio, an Italian priest and saint who received the stigmata, a road of self-discovery opened ahead of him.
He spent an immense amount of time with Franciscan friars at Old Mission Santa Inés to prepare for the role.
“He began diving into Scripture and the works of important Catholic writers. In his interview with Bishop Barron, LaBeouf spoke about his view of Jesus prior to his having read the Gospels as someone who is ‘soft, fragile, all-loving, all-listening’ but with ‘no ferocity, no romance’. What he encountered in the Gospels was a very different, masculine Christ, he said.”
Playing the role of the saint while being immersed in his monastery and town added to the intensity.
“’It’s enormous pressure, but it only served the film’, he said. ‘There are scenes where we’re running Mass and these aren’t actors in the seats. These are God-fearing people who love Pio and you feel it, and it only adds to the stakes’.
Despite the pressure, LaBeouf said that ‘I have never, in the course of my entire career, been on a set where the film felt easier to make’.”
Capuchin Franciscans – Western America Province on Facebook.
“Exciting News!
We are thrilled to share that our dear friend Shia LaBeouf has fully entered the Church this past weekend through the sacrament of confirmation! The Capuchin Franciscan friars are overjoyed to welcome him into the fold and witness his deep commitment to his faith journey.
Shia LaBeouf, known for his incredible talent and passion in the entertainment industry, has embarked on a profound spiritual journey that has led him to embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church. His decision to fully enter the Church is a testament to his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God and live out the Gospel values.
As Capuchin Franciscans, we believe in the transformative power of faith and the incredible impact it can have on one’s life. We are humbled and grateful to walk alongside Shia as he takes this important step in his spiritual journey.
We invite you to join us in celebrating this momentous occasion and to keep Shia LaBeouf in your prayers as he continues to deepen his faith and seek God’s guidance in his life. May his example inspire others to explore their own spiritual paths and find solace in the loving embrace of the Church.”
The actor found some guidance even in the least expected places, like Hollywood.
“LaBeouf, a product of an interfaith marriage, was raised both Jewish by his mother and Christian by his father and had both a bar mitzvah and a baptism. The actor has said in previous interviews that he was drawn to Catholicism amid alcoholism and difficulties in his personal life, including a December 2020 lawsuit filed by former girlfriend FKA Twigs, who accused LaBeouf of ‘relentless abuse’, sexual battery, assault and emotional distress. The trial is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14.
The actor converted to Catholicism after filming Padre Pio, and told The Hollywood Reporter that Mel Gibson had taken him under his wing and introduced him to things like Latin Mass.
‘[Gibson] was cautious with me. Many years ago, I went to his house and told him to his face that his religious views and politics were a hindrance to his craft. He giggled with grace and told me to read about the Maccabees’ LaBeouf told THR in an interview. ‘As I fell forward, he always remained supportive’.”
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