Ronald Reagan's Catholic Son Michael Reveals His Mother Was a Third Order Dominican
Did you know former President Ronald Reagan's son, Michael, is a practicing Catholic?
In a recent interview with ChurchPOP editor Jacqueline Burkepile, Michael Reagan discusses the new "Reagan" movie, his Catholic faith, his dad's relationship with Saint John Paul II, and his mother, Hollywood actress Jane Wyman, a Third Order Dominican.
Watch the interview below:
"My dad's brother was Catholic. His father was Catholic. His mother was Presbyterian. My dad was Presbyterian. My mother, Jane Wyman, myself, and my sister Maureen were baptized on Dec. 8, 1954. So we're all Catholic," Michael began.
"My mother, Jane, was buried as a Dominican to the Third Order," he revealed. "A lot of people don't know that."
"My mother was absolutely terrific," he said. "There were a lot of Catholics around my dad."
In response to a question about his thoughts on Saint John Paul II's relationship with President Reagan, Michael said, "It's magic."
"I like to tell the story about you know, my dad was shot. Pope John Paul was shot. But what did the two of them do? The two of them forgave the men who tried to murder them," Michael said. "They honored The Lord's Prayer."
"I feel that because they honored God through the Lord's Prayer--or they forgave--God worked with them, and ended up bringing peace to Poland, wrapping it around, and bringing down the Berlin wall."
Michael concluded the interview by explaining that his dad did not attend Sunday church services until after he left office. He said President Reagan did not want to put anyone in harm's way after the assassination attempt on his life.
However, he said that after President Reagan left office, "He never missed any Sunday from that point on, and when he had Alzheimer's and couldn't go, the pastor would go to the house and minister my dad."
"Every time that happened," Michael continued, "The minister would say, 'I went to minister the president, and he ministered to me.'"