Friend Shane Dempler details the plan which involved him throwing the liquor out of the window to a (no doubt flare-wearing) Tommy below:
“(I) tossed about six, most broke, but we managed to get a couple and hide them in the nearby woods,” said Dempler. “The priests didn’t even realize until some of the other boys found out about our plan and snuck into the woods and got drunk. They were caught staggering down the road to the seminary and forced to confess.”
The best thing about this story is the photos of 1970s Tom which will cheer you up if you have a spare five minutes today.
My favourite’s below of him with an unidentified beard girlfriend.
I think the best nuggets of information from the story are that Tom had an IQ of 110 and so just managed to get into the seminary and that he “went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests. We thought the priests had a great lifestyle” says Dempler.
I bet.
EXCLUSIVE: Tom Cruise started religious journey with Catholic Church — until he was booted from seminary for swiping booze, says old friend
Cruise was an unremarkable, introverted brown-haired devout Catholic. He attended St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati where he was interested in becoming a priest, says an old seminary bud.
Comments (12)BY CHRIS WHITE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013, 7:55 PM
UPDATED: MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013, 1:01 AM
STEVE GRANITZ
Tom Cruise arrives at the 'Rock Of Ages' L.A. Premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on June 8, 2012. Decades before his star turn, Cruise dreamed of becoming a Catholic priest.
Tom Cruise was a blank slate when he took Hollywood by storm in 1981 — but his success came despite an abusive father, troubled teen years and all-consuming infatuation with the Catholic Church that ended when he was apparently asked to leave for stealing booze.Cruise is a three-time Academy Award nominee and perhaps the best-known member of the controversial Church of Scientology — but before he was in showbiz, he was Tommy Mapother, an introverted, lonely brown-haired boy who was a devout Catholic.Cruise was only 14 in 1976 when his mother Mary packed him and his three sisters into a car and moved them to Louisville from Ottawa, Canada, after she broke up with his abusive, electrican father, Tommy Sr., who died in 1984.
MYSPACE
Cruise was 'kicked out' of seminary following an incident where he and an unruly band of boys pilfered the priests' liquor cabinet.
Lost and alone, Cruise gravitated toward a friendly priest who was recruiting students to attend the St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati.“Tom was instantly hooked,” said Father Ric Schneider, who gave the speech that brought Cruise to seminary school. “I think he wanted a good education. With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that’s maybe one of the reasons why he came here.”
MYSPACE/MYSPACE
Tom Cruise (left) as a teenager, then known as Tommy Mapother, in this undated portrait with an unidentified girl. He had considered the priesthood when he was a teenage.
“He as a typical teenager, trying to find his way in life. We would give them an IQ test, and he just about made the cut. The cutoff is 110, and he scored exactly 110,” said Schneider, who frequently gave the young teen a ride back to Louisville from Cincinnati for holidays.Cruise’s closest buddy from the seminary, Shane Dempler, said he was very sincere about becoming a priest.“He had a very strong Catholic faith,” Dempler said. “We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests. We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in priesthood.
TONY TAAFE/COLEMAN-RAYNER/MUST READ - ANTHONY TAAFE/COLEMA
Tom Cruise's childhood homes in Louisville, Kentucky where he lived with his mother, who moved with the teenage Cruise and his three sisters after breaking up with her abusive husband. Tommy Mapother Sr. died in 1984.
“In truth,” Dempler added, “we were too young to make that decision.”Cruise didn’t stand out as an excellent pupil — in fact, teachers described him as mediocre in studies and sometimes uncommunicative, especially when it came to his family and background.
MYSPACE/MYSPACE
A young Tommy Mapother, before his Hollywood hearthrob days as Tom Cruise.
“He never elaborated, but I think he was there to run away from his dad,” said classmate and soccer teammate John Kowalski. “He had a good personality, but he was closed about his family, even back then.”The strict Franciscan seminary — where students had to learn Latin, Greek and German — had a drama club that Cruise joined for the two years he was there.“In sport and acting, he came out of his shell. They were competitions, you see, and if it were competitive, he’d be on it. Otherwise he’d just survey the scene,” said Dempler.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
Collect photos showing portraits of a young Tom Cruise.
“We had a great drama teacher in Father Aubert (Grieser). He taught us how to speak in public. We used to get into trouble, as Aubert would tell us not to spit when we were speaking and we’d spit on purpose. It’d cost us 50 cents.”Grieser forced Cruise to memorize entire plays and voice all the characters. The school’s drama department traveled to competitions and Cruise and Dempler would compete head-to-head against other young thespians.
COLEMAN-RAYNER/COLEMAN-RAYNER
A Mapother family portrait showing the a young Tom Cruise with his three sisters, mother and father.
Priests at the seminary have said Cruise chose to leave the school when his family relocated again, this time to New Jersey. But Dempler remembers it differently.He and Cruise weren’t troublemakers, but they liked to sneak out and smoke cigarettes.“Standard stuff for a kid on a Saturday night,” Dempler said.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
A young Tom Cruise lovingly plays with Princess, the Alsatian pet dog of Fr Rick, Tom's teacher while at St Francis Seminary. Tom was very close to Princess during his time at the Seminary. Photograph taken around 1976-77
But one night the duo got the bright idea of stealing some liquor from their Franciscan fathers, who were planning a celebration, Dempler said.Dempler sneaked into the room where the liquor was stashed and threw bottle after bottle out the window to Cruise, waiting below.
TONY TAAFE/COLEMAN-RAYNER
Today, Shane Dempler proudly shows off his personal photograph album from his time he and Tom Cruise spent at St Francis Seminary in 1976-77.
“(I) tossed about six, most broke, but we managed to get a couple and hide them in the nearby woods,” said Dempler. “The priests didn’t even realize until some of the other boys found out about our plan and snuck into the woods and got drunk. They were caught staggering down the road to the seminary and forced to confess.“The school wrote a letter to our parents saying they liked us both, but would prefer if we didn't return. So we weren’t kicked out, just preferred not to go,” said Dempler.Cruise could not be reached for comment about the incident.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
Today, a general view shot of St Francis Seminary where Tom Cruise attended from 1976 to 1977.
The future star left Louisville — and within five years had his breakout role as a crazed military kid in “Taps.”Next up was “Risky Business” in 1983, and “Top Gun,” and from there Cruise shot straight to the Hollywood A-list, where he’s remained for 30 years.One of his former teachers still can’t believe it.“He was very unremarkable,” said the teacher, Salvio Russo. “You would never have thought he’d make it, although he did have a really neat smile.”POST A COMMENT »OTHER STORIES
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/cruise-considered-catholic-priesthood-kicked-seminary-article-1.1278436#ixzz2Mae6hPc9
EXCLUSIVE: Tom Cruise started religious journey with Catholic Church — until he was booted from seminary for swiping booze, says old friend
Cruise was an unremarkable, introverted brown-haired devout Catholic. He attended St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati where he was interested in becoming a priest, says an old seminary bud.
Comments (12)BY CHRIS WHITE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
PUBLISHED: SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013, 7:55 PM
UPDATED: MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2013, 1:01 AM
STEVE GRANITZ
Tom Cruise arrives at the 'Rock Of Ages' L.A. Premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on June 8, 2012. Decades before his star turn, Cruise dreamed of becoming a Catholic priest.
Tom Cruise was a blank slate when he took Hollywood by storm in 1981 — but his success came despite an abusive father, troubled teen years and all-consuming infatuation with the Catholic Church that ended when he was apparently asked to leave for stealing booze.
Cruise is a three-time Academy Award nominee and perhaps the best-known member of the controversial Church of Scientology — but before he was in showbiz, he was Tommy Mapother, an introverted, lonely brown-haired boy who was a devout Catholic.
Cruise was only 14 in 1976 when his mother Mary packed him and his three sisters into a car and moved them to Louisville from Ottawa, Canada, after she broke up with his abusive, electrican father, Tommy Sr., who died in 1984.
MYSPACE
Cruise was 'kicked out' of seminary following an incident where he and an unruly band of boys pilfered the priests' liquor cabinet.
Lost and alone, Cruise gravitated toward a friendly priest who was recruiting students to attend the St. Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati.
“Tom was instantly hooked,” said Father Ric Schneider, who gave the speech that brought Cruise to seminary school. “I think he wanted a good education. With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that’s maybe one of the reasons why he came here.”
MYSPACE/MYSPACE
Tom Cruise (left) as a teenager, then known as Tommy Mapother, in this undated portrait with an unidentified girl. He had considered the priesthood when he was a teenage.
“He as a typical teenager, trying to find his way in life. We would give them an IQ test, and he just about made the cut. The cutoff is 110, and he scored exactly 110,” said Schneider, who frequently gave the young teen a ride back to Louisville from Cincinnati for holidays.
Cruise’s closest buddy from the seminary, Shane Dempler, said he was very sincere about becoming a priest.
“He had a very strong Catholic faith,” Dempler said. “We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests. We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in priesthood.
TONY TAAFE/COLEMAN-RAYNER/MUST READ - ANTHONY TAAFE/COLEMA
Tom Cruise's childhood homes in Louisville, Kentucky where he lived with his mother, who moved with the teenage Cruise and his three sisters after breaking up with her abusive husband. Tommy Mapother Sr. died in 1984.
“In truth,” Dempler added, “we were too young to make that decision.”
Cruise didn’t stand out as an excellent pupil — in fact, teachers described him as mediocre in studies and sometimes uncommunicative, especially when it came to his family and background.
MYSPACE/MYSPACE
A young Tommy Mapother, before his Hollywood hearthrob days as Tom Cruise.
“He never elaborated, but I think he was there to run away from his dad,” said classmate and soccer teammate John Kowalski. “He had a good personality, but he was closed about his family, even back then.”
The strict Franciscan seminary — where students had to learn Latin, Greek and German — had a drama club that Cruise joined for the two years he was there.
“In sport and acting, he came out of his shell. They were competitions, you see, and if it were competitive, he’d be on it. Otherwise he’d just survey the scene,” said Dempler.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
Collect photos showing portraits of a young Tom Cruise.
“We had a great drama teacher in Father Aubert (Grieser). He taught us how to speak in public. We used to get into trouble, as Aubert would tell us not to spit when we were speaking and we’d spit on purpose. It’d cost us 50 cents.”
Grieser forced Cruise to memorize entire plays and voice all the characters. The school’s drama department traveled to competitions and Cruise and Dempler would compete head-to-head against other young thespians.
COLEMAN-RAYNER/COLEMAN-RAYNER
A Mapother family portrait showing the a young Tom Cruise with his three sisters, mother and father.
Priests at the seminary have said Cruise chose to leave the school when his family relocated again, this time to New Jersey. But Dempler remembers it differently.
He and Cruise weren’t troublemakers, but they liked to sneak out and smoke cigarettes.
“Standard stuff for a kid on a Saturday night,” Dempler said.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
A young Tom Cruise lovingly plays with Princess, the Alsatian pet dog of Fr Rick, Tom's teacher while at St Francis Seminary. Tom was very close to Princess during his time at the Seminary. Photograph taken around 1976-77
But one night the duo got the bright idea of stealing some liquor from their Franciscan fathers, who were planning a celebration, Dempler said.
Dempler sneaked into the room where the liquor was stashed and threw bottle after bottle out the window to Cruise, waiting below.
TONY TAAFE/COLEMAN-RAYNER
Today, Shane Dempler proudly shows off his personal photograph album from his time he and Tom Cruise spent at St Francis Seminary in 1976-77.
“(I) tossed about six, most broke, but we managed to get a couple and hide them in the nearby woods,” said Dempler. “The priests didn’t even realize until some of the other boys found out about our plan and snuck into the woods and got drunk. They were caught staggering down the road to the seminary and forced to confess.
“The school wrote a letter to our parents saying they liked us both, but would prefer if we didn't return. So we weren’t kicked out, just preferred not to go,” said Dempler.
Cruise could not be reached for comment about the incident.
COLEMAN-RAYNER
Today, a general view shot of St Francis Seminary where Tom Cruise attended from 1976 to 1977.
The future star left Louisville — and within five years had his breakout role as a crazed military kid in “Taps.”
Next up was “Risky Business” in 1983, and “Top Gun,” and from there Cruise shot straight to the Hollywood A-list, where he’s remained for 30 years.
One of his former teachers still can’t believe it.
“He was very unremarkable,” said the teacher, Salvio Russo. “You would never have thought he’d make it, although he did have a really neat smile.”
OTHER STORIES
How Tom Cruise was 'infatuated' with the Catholic Church and wanted to be a priest... before being 'kicked out for stealing alcohol'
- Future star was devout Catholic as a teenager, attending seminary in Ohio
- But was asked to leave institution after 'drinking priests' liquor with friend'
- Now known as one of the world's leading Scientologists
By HUGO GYE
|
Future megastar: Tom Cruise as a teenager, shortly after leaving a Roman Catholic seminary
Tom Cruise may be the world's most famous Scientologist, but before he became a Hollywood megastar his religious beliefs were different, it emerged today.
The future actor was in fact a devout Catholic who even planned to become a priest and studied at a seminary.
But he was thrown out of the strict religious school after stealing liquor from the monks who ran the institution, according to his best friend from the time.
Mr Cruise, who was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, had a troubled upbringing thanks to his abusive father.
He seems to have sought solace in the Roman Catholic Church, and was persuaded to apply to St Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati, Ohio by Father Ric Schneider, according to the Daily News.
'Tom was instantly hooked,' the priest said. 'I think he wanted a good education. With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that's maybe one of the reasons why he came here.'
The teenager just scraped his way into the seminary in 1976, scoring 110 on an IQ test - the minimum result needed for entry.
Once he was there, he was not considered an outstanding student - but he did show signs of promise in the craft which would make him one of the world's biggest celebrities.
School: The St Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio where Mr Cruise was a student for two years
Mr Cruise was a leading member of the drama club, which saw him 'come out of his shell' as he enthusiastically participated in competitions with other institutions, according to a friend.
The priest who ran the society apparently identified Mr Cruise as a top student and gave him whole plays to memorise.
His best friend from the seminary, Shane Dempler, told the Daily News that the pair were extremely devout and both planned to become priests.
'He had a very strong Catholic faith,' he said. 'We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests.
'We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in priesthood.'
Nonetheless, the boys still broke the rules, and would frequently break out of school to smoke or drink alcohol, Mr Dempler claims.
Today: Mr Cruise is now one of the world's most recognisable celebrities thanks to his acting career
The incident that led to the pair being asked to leave St Francis came in 1977, when Mr Cruise and Mr Dempler supposedly decided to take advantage of the fact that the monks were having a party.
Mr Dempler says he snuck in to the room where liqour for the party was being held, and threw it out of the window to his friend.
The miscreants were apparently found out when some of the other students were caught by the priests obviously drunk, and forced to reveal where they had obtained alcohol.
The seminary wrote to their parents asking them to withdraw their sons from the schools, according to Mr Dempler - which seems to have been the end for Mr Cruise's religious ambitions.
Faith: The actor with his then wife Katie Holmes, who adopted his Scientology beliefs after their marriage
Controversial: The U.S.-based church has attracted support from many high-profile Hollywood celebrities
Later in life the actor converted to Scientology, which is known to be particularly popular in Hollywood.
He is believed to be one of the church's most powerful officials, and has been a prominent public advocate of the controversial faith.
Mr Cruise has not commented on his Catholic past or his time at St Francis.
The star is currently filming All You Need Is Kill, a science-fiction film based on a Japanese novel and due to be released in a year's time.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2287832/How-Tom-Cruise-infatuated-Catholic-Church-wanted-priest--kicked-stealing-alcohol.html#ixzz2MaddCkYE
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