Shia LaBeouf has been in the news recently for how his recent role as Padre Pio in the upcoming movie by the same name helped his conversion to Catholicism.
However, the controversial actor has further shared how his mother’s death in August was instrumental in confirming his newfound faith.
The 36-year-old explained in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that he was by his 80-year-old mom’s bedside when she passed away in August:
“My mother was full of fear in her last moments: asking the doctor what this tube was and what that machine did. She was frantic,” he shared with the outlet. “She was deeply interested in God and spirituality her whole life, but she didn’t know him. Hence her last moments.”
He continued: “Her greatest gift to me was to promote, in her dying, the necessity of a relationship with God. Not an interest, not just a belief, but a relationship built on proof as tangible as a hug. Her last gift to me was the ultimate persuasion for faith. She was a good girl. She was loved by many and known by too few. God bless you, Momma.”
Interestingly, LaBeouf, who was exceptionally forthright and chatty in his recent interview with Bishop Barron, was pretty monosyllabic and emphatic in his interview with the Hollywood Reporter concerning his thoughts on Padre Pio.
The interviewer, Seth Abramovitch, asked LaBeouf: “Do you think Padre Pio really experienced stigmata? Do you believe in miracles?“
While the actor could easily have gone into more detail about the work of the Italian saint, whom he knows so well, having studied hard to prepare for the role, but he simply said “yes.” He didn’t try to push his beliefs on Abramovitch. His belief was certain and inspiring.
As LaBeouf continues to find the joys of the faith, we pray for his mother’s soul, and that she may rest in peace.
And today we celebrate...