Actor Shia LaBeouf Converts to Catholicism

Acclaimed actor Shia LaBeouf, known for his turbulent personal life as well as his strong film performances in movies like “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and “Honey Boy,” has converted to Catholicism.

The “Transformers” actor was confirmed on New Year’s Eve at a Mass presided over by Capuchin Franciscan friars at Old Mission Santa Inés Parish in Solvang, California.

The Capuchin Franciscans-Western American Province announced the news on its Facebook site, where it posted several images from the event. Pictures included shots of Mr. LeBeouf standing with his hands in prayer, receiving Communion, and embracing others in attendance.

The ceremony was held at the same friary where Mr. LaBeouf trained for months for his role as one of Italy’s best-known and most revered saints in the 2022 film, “Padre Pio.”

“The Capuchin Franciscan friars are overjoyed to welcome him into the fold and witness his deep commitment to his faith journey,” the Catholic religious order said, noting Mr. LaBeouf “has embarked on a profound spiritual journey that has led him to embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

“His decision to fully enter the Church is a testament to his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God and live out the Gospel values,” they continued.

The Capuchin Friars Minor is a Catholic religious order of men inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi. Their life mission is to serve the poor and live the Gospel “through fraternity, simplicity, and contemplative prayer.”

History of Brushes with the Law

LaBeouf, 37, who has previously acknowledged his alcoholism and faced abuse allegations, has had more than one run-in with the law during his career.

One incident captured on a live-streamed video took place in 2017 in New York City when he was arrested for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. For that, he was sent to court-mandated rehabilitation.

He has also been accused by a former girlfriend, FKA Twigs, of alleged “relentless” abuse for which the British singer/songwriter sued him.

Playing Padre Pio 

The actor has said the chance to play the mystic Capuchin monk best known for having displayed the “stigmata” wounds of Christ—he bled from his hands, feet, and sides—was a miracle for him personally.

In an interview last year with Bishop Robert Barron of the Winona-Rochester diocese in Minnesota, Mr. LaBeouf said that he was agnostic before turning to Catholicism. Although he had a bar mitzvah as a 13-year-old, he said he never embraced the Jewish faith.

He told Bishop Barron that his on-screen portrayal of Padre Pio, who died in 1968 and was canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II, going on to become one of the most popular saints in Italy, the United States, and globally, led him to a love of the Catholic faith.

Conversion is a New Beginning

Estranged from his mother because of his downward spiral, Mr. LaBeouf also told Bishop Barron he had reached the point where he despaired of living, saying: “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

Bishop Barron, in an email to The Associated Press on Friday, described Mr. LaBeouf’s conversion as “a testament to God’s grace.”

“God seems to specialize in finding the lost,” Bishop Barron wrote. “Jesus himself said, ‘I have come not for the righteous but for sinners.’ So, forgiveness is always available; redemption is always possible.”

Mr. LaBeouf’s confirmation sponsor, Capuchin friar Brother Alexander Rodriguez, told the AP that Mr. LaBeouf “would not have become a Catholic if he had not gone through the personal difficulties and sins that we know about.”

“It is because of his sufferings that he’s gone through that he was able to come to know God, especially with playing the part of Padre Pio,” the friar said in a telephone interview with the outlet.

Mr. LaBeouf first gained fame as a teenager on the Disney Channel show “Even Stevens.” He is best known for his roles in 2007′s “Transformers” and in 2008′s “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.” He also starred in the 2019 film “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and the 2014 war film “Fury” alongside Brad Pitt.