The Catholic Defender The Conversion of Tim Conway to the Catholic Faith
Growing up, Tim Conway was one of my favorite actors beginning watching McHale's Navy and I loved the Movie "The Shaggy DA"
The beloved actor is best known for his work on TheCarol Burnett Show, winning viewers over with characters like the Oldest Man and Mr. Tudball, whose accent he has said was inspired by his Romanian mother. He was known to ad-lib his sketches — even surprising his scene partners — and won a Golden Globe Award for the series in 1976, along with Emmys in 1973, 1977 and 1978.
The story of Tim Conway’s conversion to the Catholic faith is rooted in a blend of youthful romance, a humorous college partnership, and a profound, life-altering realization about a near-fatal high school football injury. Though born Thomas Daniel Conway and raised in the Romanian Orthodox faith, he formally entered the Catholic Church during his college years.
While college was when he formally entered the Church, a medical discovery later in life served as his true spiritual wake-up call.
Years prior, during a high school football game, Conway had been hit full force in the spine. At the time of the hit, he temporarily lost all sensation below his neck. However, because there were no stretchers or modern medical protocols on the field, his teammates simply carried him off and told him to "walk it off". The extreme pain subsided after a few weeks, and Conway moved on with his life.
Decades later, after experiencing severe back spasms, Conway visited a doctor who took X-rays of his spine. The doctor revealed that Conway had actually cracked multiple vertebrae during that high school hit. Shocked by the old scans, the doctor told Conway it was a absolute miracle he had not been permanently paralyzed.
He was a dedicated parishioner at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Encino, California, where he regularly attended Mass. True to his comedic nature, he once joked in an interview with the Catholic News Service about his weekly routine: "I like to go into a confessional and stay for an hour and a half, and just let people wonder."
While attending Bowling Green State University in Ohio during the mid-1950s, Conway fell in love with a Catholic girl. This prompted him to look closely into the faith.
That was a watershed moment for Tim, spiritually speaking. He writes, “Ever since that incident on the football field, which might have altered the course of my life, Jesus and I have stayed in constant touch. I never stop saying thank you.”
Tim Conway was born Dec. 15, 1933, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Dan, an Irish immigrant, and Sophia, who grew up in Romania
Tim, converted to Catholicism in college initially because of a girl he liked.
During this same period, Conway began his comedy career alongside a friend. The duo regularly performed at local Catholic schools and the university's Newman Club—a Catholic ministry center for students. Through the Newman Club, Conway became close friends with a priest named Father Oliver, whom he affectionately likened to the classic Hollywood pairing of Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Fueled by his romance and his positive relationship with Father Oliver, Conway made the choice to convert
Ernest Borgnine pictured with Tim Conway while on McHale's Navy was also Catholic
Conway passed away in 2019 at the age of 85, remembered by his family and the public as both a comic genius and a man deeply anchored in his faith.
his deeply held Catholic values dictated his strict commitment to clean, offensive-free humor. His faith influenced his approach to comedy in several distinct ways:
Funny's Sake"Conway believed comedy didn't need shock value, profanity, or sexual innuendo to be brilliant. He frequently noted that on The Carol Burnett Show, there was "no jeopardy, no fear that we were going to do anything offensive".
Gift to Weather TrialsHe viewed his sense of humor as a divinely given coping mechanism. He once told Catholic News Service, "If I didn't have that, I would be crying constantly... Faith just kinda relaxes things a little bit" when life falls apart.
Comments