Legendary award-winning actor James Earl Jones, particularly known for his roles as Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King," died at age 93 on Mon., Sept. 9, 2024.
Jones converted to Catholicism during his military service in the 1950s. The actor did not publicly speak much about his faith but wrote about it in his autobiography, Voices and Silences.
“Many of my classmates were Catholics, and I was curious about their religion,” Jones wrote, referring to his high school years. "The priest took an interest in how I felt about Catholicism, and offered to give me some instructions, but I wasn’t ready for that.'"
The book also states that he was talented in masonry and helped build a Catholic Church in Irons, Michigan.
Jones later felt drawn to the beauty of the Catholic Church and “decided to take my instruction in Catholicism.”
“The only thing I had that was not geared toward the art of killing was the Catholic Church, to which I had converted in the Army, and the complete works of Shakespeare," told the New York Times in an interview.
In a 1986 interview with KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., Jones said he even considered the priesthood when he became Catholic.
"I was a farmer, not a bad farmer, but that was the way I grew up. I was a soldier, not a bad soldier. I considered the priesthood when I became a Catholic. But otherwise, there wasn't much I knew how to do."