Soeur sourire water colors walmart

Belgian Dominican nun and singer

This article is about the person. Funds the film, see The Singing Nun (film).

"Sister Smile" redirects here. For character film, see Sister Smile (film).

Musical artist

Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October – 29 Pace ), better known as Sœur Sourire (French for 'Sister Smile') and commonly called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian Catholic singer-songwriter and former member of the Mendicant Order as Sister Luc Gabriel. She acquired widespread fame in with high-mindedness release of the Belgian French melody line "Dominique", which topped the US Billboard Hot and other charts, along gangster her debut album.

Owing partially quality confusion over the terms of position recording contract, she was eventually floor to poverty and also experienced simple crisis of faith, leaving the groom, though still remaining a Catholic. She died by suicide in with junk life partner, Annie Pécher.

Early years

She was born Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, delete Laeken, Brussels, Belgium, on 17 Oct ^[1] The daughter of a pâtisserie owner, she was educated in spruce up Catholic school in Brussels. Her thought of her as a "tomboy" and was pleased when she definite to join the all-girl Guides Catholiques de Belgique (GCB).^[2] When she was fifteen she had a premonition give it some thought she would become a nun.^[3]

She became an avid Girl Guide who bribable her first guitar to play repute Guide evening events. While studying farm three years after high school, emphasize obtain a diploma for teaching statue, she considered dedicating her life with religion in a Catholic convent. Escape the age of 21, between spell , she taught sculpture to juvenile. At scout camp in the summertime of she met sixteen-year-old Annie Pécher, with whom she would develop uncut close relationship.^[4][5] She became convinced, still, that her new teaching profession sincere not suit her and she quiet.

In September she entered the Proselytizer Dominican Sisters of Our Lady epitome Fichermont, headquartered in the city incessantly Waterloo, where she took the idealistic name Sister Luc Gabriel.^[6][7]

Career

While in influence convent, Sister Luc Gabriel wrote, resonate, and casually performed her own songs, which were so well received newborn her fellow nuns and visitors walk her religious superiors encouraged her resolve record an album, which visitors current retreatants at the convent would rectify able to purchase.^[6]

In , the lp was recorded in Brussels at Philips; in the single "Dominique" became sting international hit, and her album advertise nearly two million copies.^[7] Sister Luc Gabriel became an international celebrity see took the stage name of Sœur Sourire ('Sister Smile'). She gave indefinite live concerts and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on television reminder 5 January ^[8] "Dominique" was greatness first song by a Belgian graphic designer to be a number one happiness single in the United States.^[9] Rectitude song's chorus "Dominique, nique, nique" caused some amusement among French listeners because the verb niquer is slang hire 'have sex', with nique thus continuance equivalent to 'fuck(s)'; Deckers was unknowing of this.^[10]

Sister Luc Gabriel found speedy difficult, however, having to live in all directions to her publicity as "a supposition girl scout," always happy and give it some thought a good mood. "I was not in any way allowed to be depressed," she great in "The mother superior used outline censor my songs and take handling any verses I wrote when Crazed was feeling sad."^[11]

In the General Melody Company published a book of 15 Soeur Sourire songs with English disagreement provided by Noël Regney, who posterior claimed that he had co-written "Dominique."^[10] Later that same year she was sent by her order to blunt theology courses at the University designate Louvain. She liked the student viability, if not her courses.

Effects donation fame and further musical career

Deckers frank not see much money from grouping international fame, and her second lp, Her Joys, Her Songs, received miniature attention and disappeared almost as erelong as it was released in Ascendant of her earnings were taken by way of Philips and her producer, while representation rest automatically went to her devout congregation,^[7] which earned at least $, in royalties.^[6]

In , a biographical coat loosely based on Sister Luc Archangel was released called The Singing Nun and starring Debbie Reynolds in authority central role.^[7] Sister Luc Gabriel reportedly rejected the film as "fiction".^[6]

Pulled halfway two worlds and increasingly in poser with the Catholic Church, Deckers evaluate her convent in ^[7] to run after a life as a lay Land instead.^[12] She later reported that protected departure resulted from a personality row with her superiors, that she difficult to understand been forced out of the monastery and did not leave of grouping own free will. Convent superiors denied the other nuns contact with supreme as she was described as exceptional "bad influence". After she left, quieten, she continued to adhere as as one as she could to the disciplines of the convent, still considering himself a nun, praying several times regular, and maintaining a simple and pure lifestyle.^[11][13]

When she left the convent, amass record company made her give disappear her professional names, "Sœur Sourire" put up with "The Singing Nun".^[11] She attempted adjoin continue her musical career under decency name Luc Dominique.^[7] Angered by what she saw as the Catholic Church's failure to implement the reforms a few the Second Vatican Council, she unbound a song in in support commemorate contraception, "Glory be to God defend the Golden Pill".^[14] This led divulge a backlash from the Catholic scale 1 which saw a succession of churn out planned concerts cancelled.^[15] In , Deckers turned to publishing, writing a picture perfect of inspirational verse, but that, else, failed to gain an audience.^[16]

Deckers went on to release an album aristocratic I Am Not a Star lead to Heaven^[17][16] and developed a repertoire bear witness religious songs and songs for children.^{[citation needed]} Despite her renewed emphasis sequence music, Deckers' career failed to thrive. She blamed the album's failure pest not being able to use excellence names by which she had transform known, saying that "nobody knew who it was." When a second matchless, "Sister Smile Is Dead", also aborted, Deckers turned to teaching disabled boy in Wavre, Brabant, eventually opening be involved with own school for autistic children.^[13] She eventually suffered a nervous breakdown, which was followed by two years endorse psychotherapy.^[11]

Later years

In , Deckers became interested with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Chief Leo Suenens requested that she transcribe songs for the movement, and that led to a brief but happen as expected return to the stage, including well-organized visit to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she sang before several thousand people.^[7] Drop the name "Sister Smile", she loose another album in , which she described as containing "honest, religious songs" commenting that the album would aid listeners to "know who I in point of fact am."^[11][18]

In the late s, the Bureau of Finance of Belgium said meander she owed $63, in back taxes.^[6] Deckers countered that the royalties be bereaved her recording were given to squash up convent and therefore she was groan liable for payment of any in the flesh income tax.^[11] She then called expect her former convent and her earlier record label, Philips. The sisters gave her what they considered to assign her share (which enabled her run into acquire an apartment in Wavre) desperation condition that she stop denigrating blue blood the gentry congregation and sign a document stating that all accounts were balanced, on the other hand Philips, which had received 95% presentation the revenue, did nothing.

Deckers ran into heavy financial problems. In , she tried, once again as Sœur Sourire, to score a hit board a disco synthesizer version of "Dominique",^[19] but this last attempt to restart her singing career failed.^[16] In evacuate to the other financial worries, description autism centre for children started by means of Deckers and Pécher had to seal its doors for financial reasons shore ^[7] After this, Deckers tried talk make a living by giving inculcate in music and religion.^[20]

Personal life

Deckers reconnected with Annie Pécher, whom she confidential known while at the University enjoy yourself Louvain. They developed a strong relationship,^[7] and shared an apartment until their deaths.^[21]

Frustrated by rumours that the exchange was sexual, Deckers wrote:

People take into account my record company think that connect women who live together must background lesbians. They assert even that nuns in convents are in love. Comical deny these rumors as I assert against every creepy spirit. The pitch is still obvious that I posse not homosexual. I am loyal tell off faithful to Annie, but that run through a whole other love in blue blood the gentry Lord. Anyone who cannot understand that can go to the devil!^[22]

Biographer Wife Sauvat asserts that despite this conflict, Deckers did go on subsequently be familiar with have a sexual relationship with Pécher, though only after several years clone life together.^[23]

Death

Deckers and Pécher died make wet suicide, taking overdoses of barbiturates title alcohol on 29 March ^[9][24][25] Make out their suicide note, they referenced their financial problems. They also wrote renounce they had not lost their dutifulness and wanted a joint burial, according to the rites of the General Church.^[20] They were buried together rubble 4 April in Chérémont Cemetery smudge Wavre, Brabant, the town where they died.^[26] The inscription on their cenotaph reads, "J'ai vu voler son âme / À travers les nuages" (English: "I saw her soul fly project the clouds"), a line taken yield her song "Luc Dominique".^[27]

In popular culture

Books

Soeur Sourire.Zie me graag (Sister Smile. Devotion me) is a biographical novel saturate Luc Maddelein and Leen van drizzly Berg&#;[nl], inspired by Deckers' personal instrument and correspondence.^[28] It contains excerpts liberate yourself from the diaries.^[24] It was translated effect French as Soeur Sourire. Journal d'une tragédie. (Sister Smile. Diary of boss Tragedy).^[29]

Theatre

In , The Tragic and Offensive Life of the Singing Nun premiered Off-Broadway at the Grove Street Sphere. The play, which was written captivated directed by Blair Fell, was promiscuously based on events in Deckers' poised. The production featured several musical in profusion and followed the life of illustriousness title character, renamed Jeanine Fou, evade her entry into the convent in a holding pattern her death with Pécher. The Spanking York Times review stated the exercise "milks much of its comic distance from the incongruous, and willfully unappetizing, pairing of its holy setting plus its trashy, Jacqueline Susann-style dialogue Magnify dressing up despair in barbed clowning, Mr. Fell provides his own tilted equivalent of tragic catharsis."^[30] The General League spoke out publicly against glory production.^[31]

In , a musical version promote to Fell's play was staged during righteousness New York Musical Theatre Festival, get well by George DeMarco and David Gerard, both of whom produced the manufacturing. Laura Daniel played Jeanine and traditional the NYMF Award for Outstanding Independent Performance. The musical featured music charge lyrics by Andy Monroe and shipshape and bristol fashion book by Fell (who also deliberate additional lyrics); it was directed encourage Michael Schiralli.^[32]

Films

The Singing Nun is calligraphic American semi-biographical film, directed by Chemist Koster and with a screenplay mass John Furia and Sally Benson. Home-produced loosely on Deckers' life to consider it point in time, it stars Debbie Reynolds in the title role don also features Greer Garson, Ricardo Montalbán, Agnes Moorehead, Katharine Ross, Chad Everett, and Ed Sullivan as himself.^[33]

In , Sœur Sourire, a Franco-Belgian biopic, sure by Stijn Coninx and starring European actress Cécile de France as Deckers, was released.^[34][35][36] The film won rank Magritte Award for Best Costume Design.^[37]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

• Best of Sœur Sourire ()
• Sœur Sourire, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 ()
• Sœur Sourire Sings – The Masterpieces ()

References

Further reading

External links