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The Singing Nun
Belgian Dominican nun and singer
This article is about the person. For the film, see The Singing Nun (film).
"Sister Smile" redirects here. For the film, see Sister Smile (film).
Jeanne Deckers | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers |
| Also known as | The Singing Nun Sœur Sourire Sister Luc Gabriel, O.P. Luc Dominique |
| Born | (1933-10-17)17 October 1933 Laeken, Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | 29 March 1985(1985-03-29) (aged 51) Wavre, Brabant, Belgium |
| Genres | Folk, religious |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Labels | Philips Records |
Musical artist
Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire (French for 'Sister Smile') and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian Catholic singer-songwriter and former member of the Dominican Order as Sister Luc Gabriel. She acquired widespread fame in 1963 with the release of the Belgian French song "Dominique", which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and other charts, along with her d
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Biography
1933 - 1985
“We have reached the end, spiritually and financially and now we go to God.”
- Jeanne Deckers and Annie Pescher suicide note
In 1963, Dominican nun Sister Luc-Gabrielle recorded an LP at Philips Record Company in Brussels. One song from the album, ‘Dominique’, went #1 worldwide - selling over 1.5 million copies. Under the name Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile) she appeared on the legendary “Ed Sullivan Show” – a performance that made her an international superstar. In 1964 she won a Grammy for Best Gospel Recording and in 1965 MGM produced a highly fictionalized movie of her life – ‘The Singing Nun’ – starring Debbie Reynolds. Her follow-up LP ‘Her Joys, Her Songs’ was not a success, however. Having grown increasingly critical of Catholic doctrines – particularly the Church’s stand on artificial contraception – Jeanne left the order in 1967. Under the name “Luc Dominique” – since Philips owned the rights to the name ‘Soeur Sourire’ – she recorded the album ‘I Am Not a Star in Heaven’ – but it also proved a co
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Observant readers may remember that in my Waterloo Battlefield Walking Tour I stood outside a convent that once had a famous occupant. It’s a story I couldn’t resist. A Catholic nun with a no.1 hit single. Great riches yet great poverty too. A loss of faith and a personal tragedy. This is the story of The Singing Nun.
Who was The Singing Nun?
She was Jeanne-Paule Marie “Jeannine” Deckers, who was born on 17th October 1933 in Laeken. Educated in a Catholic school in Brussels, at the age of 15 she had a premonition that she would become a nun. She was an enthusiastic girl guide, a skilled guitarist and singer, and obtained a diploma that enabled her to teach sculpture. She did this until she was 26, when she left the teaching profession and entered the Fichermont Dominican Sisters Convent (the one I stood outside on the Battlefield of Waterloo). Here she took the religious name Sister Luc Gabriel.
A talented musician
In the convent, Sister Luc Gabriel’s talents as a singer-songwriter came to the fore. She wrote, sang, and performed her own songs for fellow nuns and visitors. H
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