The Catholic Defender: The Conversion story of John Wayne to the Catholic faith

 Raised Presbyterian, Wayne was exposed to Catholicism. Wayne's first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz, was a devout Catholic, and all seven of his children were raised in the faith. Over the years, his friendship with exiled Archbishop Tomas Clavel further drew him toward the Church.

John Wayne married his first wife, Josephine Saenz, on June 24, 1933, after dating for several years

 John Wayne met Josephine—the daughter of the Panamanian Consul General—at a beach home after a Thanksgiving dance in the early 1930s

John Wayne converted to the Catholic Church on his deathbed in June 1979, after famously joking for years that he was a "cardiac Catholic" who intended to join before he died.

 He requested a visit from his friend Archbishop Tomás Clavel, but because Clavel was too ill to travel, another archbishop administered the sacrament.

 Family members, including his son Patrick and his grandson Father Matthew Muñoz, confirmed that Wayne received the sacraments and was baptized just days before his death.

 Born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa, Wayne was raised in a Presbyterian family and kept a foundational belief in God throughout his life.

 His first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz, was a devout Catholic. They married in a Catholic ceremony, and Wayne agreed to raise their four children in the Catholic faith. His subsequent wives were also Catholic.

 He developed deep respect for the faith of close friends, including the director John Ford, whose peaceful endurance through cancer left a strong impression on Wayne. He also became a close friend of Archbishop Tomas Clavel.

While battling terminal stomach cancer at the UCLA Medical Center in June 1979, Wayne stated he was ready.

 Family members, including his son Patrick and his grandson (Father Matthew Muñoz), confirmed that a hospital chaplain or an archbishop received Wayne into the Church, administering baptism and last rites shortly before his death on June 11, 1979.

 Those close to him noted that Wayne expressed regret for not joining the Church much sooner, blaming a busy life.