your-fave-is-catholic:

Your Fave Is Catholic: Mickey Rourke

Known for: On & off boxer who became known not only for his fighting skills, but for his successful acting career in the 1980′s, his slump of acting roles in the 1990′s, & then making a successful comeback in the 2000′s. Some of his most well known acting projects include films like 1941, Heaven’s Gate, Body Heat, Diner, Rumble Fish, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Year of the Dragon, Barfly, Desperate Hours, Double Team, Buffalo ‘66, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Man on Fire, Sin City, The Wrestler, Iron Man 2, The Expendables, Immortals, & Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. He has also appeared on stage, in music videos, & in video games. Additionally, he is a big dog lover, crediting his dogs to helping him get his life back on track.

Evidence of Faith: Mickey is very strong in Catholic faith, & along with his dogs, he credits it to helping him get his life back on track. He grew up in a Catholic household, but as the years went on, his life went into chaos. However, according to a Female First article & a Catholic News Agency article, Mickey was really close to committing suicide at one point due to his many addictions, but was saved by a Catholic priest who helped Mickey rediscover his faith. In his own words from the Female First article: “I did see a priest for a while, a great one who stopped me from blowing my brains out. We’d go in the basement, he’d pour me a glass of wine, we’d smoke cigarettes, and then we’d pray. But I needed a shrink too, so I forced myself to go.” In the Catholic New Agency article, Mickey goes into more detail about his faith. In his own words, “…I’m no Holy Joe, but I have a strong belief…I would pray to God. I would say ‘Please can you send me just a little bit of daylight.’…His name is Father Pete and he lives in New York.“Father Pete put me back on the right track.” Additionally, his close friend Tom Sizemore has described Mickey as “a real good Catholic”.