From the collection – Dottie’s Holy Bible

Inside is a prayer card and a newspaper clipping when Dottie visited Rome in 1950 for a private meeting with Pope Pius XII. Carmen circled Psalms and made a list for Dottie to guide her in certain situations- “For Trouble,” “Faith,” “Confusion,” etc. As you can see, Dottie’s Bible is well-loved and I imagine she referenced it often.

Although she was raised Catholic, Dottie converted to Episcopalian for her husband, Bill Howard, and would raise their children as such. While she reconnected to Catholicism after Bill’s passing in 1978, it’s my understanding that she never really lost touch with her religion. In 1996, Dottie’s funeral was held at the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.

“I guess God takes you by the hand. That’s important. If I thought I had to accomplish all this alone, it would have been impossible. There were times, though, I thought God had forsaken me. But He never did. Faith is what got me through the bad times. Faith enabled me to go ahead, keep moving. I always thought of God as a friend… My husband was my friend. My mother was my friend. My children are my friends. I thank God for friendship.” – Quoted in the newspaper article “Dorothy Lamour Reflects on Her Faith and Family” in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1986.

Thank you RT for gifting this to me. I’ll cherish it always.