Very sad story

Jeanne Deckers (17 October 1933 — 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile", often credited as The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries), was a Belgian singer-songwriter and initially a member of the Dominican Order in Belgium as Sister Luc-Gabrielle. She acquired world fame in 1963 with the release of the French-language song "Dominique", which topped the U.S. Billboard and other charts.



In the late 1970s, the Belgian government claimed that she owed $63,000 in back taxes. Deckers countered that the royalties from her recording were given to the convent and therefore she was not liable for payment of any personal income taxes. She and her friend Annie Pécher committed suicide by an overdose of barbiturates and alcohol on 29 March 1985. In their suicide note, Decker and Pécher stated they had not given up their faith and wished to be buried together after a church funeral.

Why did they kill themselves?

Quote: Evenbob

Why did they kill themselves?

Wikipedia article on her life describes a lifelong conflict and love relationship with the Catholic Church. She left the convent (she says she was forced out) only three years after the song was released. Although she gave up the royalties to the song to her convent, they failed to protect her from the tax liabilities. They confiscated her stage names so she was unable to successfully pursue a career and became a one-hit wonder. Her female companion was always interested in a sexual relationship, but Deckers finally succumbed after 14 years of cohabitating (which seems to have made her feel guilty).

Man, can this story get any sadder? This is awful. My only consolation is that it is Friday, a day I remember the mercy of a loving God who died and rose again so good people like this nun who sounds like she was mistreated by her convent and society receives the true love and joy she longed for in this life. Sing on in Heaven with the angels!

Quote: FrGamble

...she was mistreated by her convent and society ...

It sounds like her producer and recording label really gouged her. Phillips is the one who maintained creative control of the names "Sœur Sourire" and "The Singing Nun". Presumably they thought they could find another nun to assume the roles.

Her mother Superior was probably born at the turn of the century and may not have had the personal appreciation of creative talent that would allow her to sing the full range of her emotions including sad songs. It is a mistake made very often today, where people want their star to fit a mold. The tax problems could easily have been ignorance, as there probably weren't too many nuns who were bringing in a small fortune.

Sudden meteoric fame has wrecked many people even if the attention is mostly positive. Susan Boyle came to international attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV program Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009. Certainly the public loved her, but the transition from mostly anonymous living to raving crowds screaming their adoration sent her to the hospital.


Sinead O'Connor wrote and open letter to Miley Cyrus,

I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping. The music business doesn't give a shit about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted … and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, 'they' will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone.

Quote: FrGamble

s mistreated by her convent and society receives the true love and joy she longed for in this life. Sing on in Heaven with the angels!

Don't Catholics who kill themselves rot
in hell forever for the mortal sin of suicide?
Or has the Church gotten rid of that too.

Quote: Evenbob

Don't Catholics who kill themselves rot
in hell forever for the mortal sin of suicide?
Or has the Church gotten rid of that too.

My grandfather shot himself. He was allowed a full, Catholic funeral and at the after-meal the priest said this rule had been relaxed. I'll let Fr. G expand on this if he likes as that is all I know.

I read the Wiki piece, the Church really
screwed her over. No wonder she was
so bitter. She made over $100K for them
and got a boot out the door as a reward.

Quote: AZDuffman

My grandfather shot himself. He was allowed a full, Catholic funeral and at the after-meal the priest said this rule had been relaxed. I'll let Fr. G expand on this if he likes as that is all I know.

Relaxed might be a good way to describe the Church's teaching on suicide. The teaching itself has not changed but everyone's understanding of psychology has. Therefore someone who is at the point of taking their life in a suicide is not often going to have the freedom and knowledge to willfully commit a mortal sin.

Quote: FrGamble

Relaxed might be a good way to describe the Church's teaching on suicide. The teaching itself has not changed but everyone's understanding of psychology has. Therefore someone who is at the point of taking their life in a suicide is not often going to have the freedom and knowledge to willfully commit a mortal sin.

I hope you don't take this as an attack, but how can you think this and still have your logic processor give the OK?

Bible is the word of God, no? And God is infallible. So if you kill yourself, you go to hell.

WE, us people here, have advanced in psychology. God, He created it. He knows the rules, He knows how we react in all situations. How can our understanding change God's knowledge?

Also, I get what you said in your post. Oftentimes, perhaps in Robin Williams' case, the mind gets so bent that, yeah, I can see the church assuming one's mind isn't right, so it wasn't a "willful choice". However, there are many people who are completely fit of mind, but, I dunno, are drowning in their own lung fluid due to emphysema or some other terrible, slow death. These people deserve hell, while the critically depressed get a pass?

C'mon, man. The church is just doing what every single other thing does - changing with the times to stay relevant.