Did you know?
Blessed Pope John Paul II conferred one of the Papal Orders of Chivalry upon Dolores and Bob Hope and they became a Dame and Knight of St. Gregory the Great.
Dolores Hope was born in Harlem to an Irish mother and an Italian father. She worked as a professional singer in New York City and married Bob Hope, the comedian, in 1934.
Despite being a talented vocalist, Dolores took time out of her career to raise four adopted children. She appeared in many of her husband’s television shows and on occasion accompanied him on his tours entertaining American troops. One Christmas they were entertaining the troops in Vietnam and Dolores performed “Silent Night” with such feeling that it reduced many of the soldiers to tears. That is but one example of how Dolores impressed others with her profound love of God.
She also had an abiding passion for improving the lives of others and was known as a champion of Catholic charities. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles benefited regularly from her generous donations. The Hope’s home had a chapel, and Dolores had a little way of encouraging their celebrity friends to read Catholic spirituality books.
John Paul II gave Bob and Dolores the honour of being a Knight and Dame of St Gregory the Great. Dolores was one of the very few women in the world to achieve this, along with Phyllis Bowman — known for her landmark “battle for the baby” pro-life efforts in the U.K.
Dolores enjoyed a revival of her singing career in 1993 and recorded five albums.
She died in 2011, aged 102.
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Read on about the ‘Ten Catholic Women Who Changed The World’, including our own foundress, Mother Angelica | http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/features/2012/05/31/ten-catholic-women-who-changed-the-world/