Lips that once kissed Elvis now sing the praises of the Lord in a monastery in Connecticut.

Dolores Hart, known to millions as a co-star with Elvis Presley and many other leading men in Hollywood, quietly has lived a life of monastic prayer and serenity for the past 45 years in an abbey in Connecticut.

When Father Frank Mann approached me about doing an interview with Mother Dolores Hart, I gave him the green light, fully realizing that an interview might be difficult to secure. But those who know Father Mann, know that he surprises you when you least expect it.

After several e-mails to Mother Dolores at Regina Laudis Abbey in Bethlehem, Conn., Father Mann returned to me and declared mission accomplished. Mother Dolores would see us at the abbey during the first week in August. (See the Centerfold.)

An interview with the monastic nun is difficult to get. Although she has granted several meetings with reporters over the years, she does so reluctantly these days because of the types of questions that sometimes are asked. But Father Mann was more interested in the spiritual side of Elvis and he made that clear to her.

An avid collector, Father Mann possesses several hand written letters by Elvis as well as a Bible that belonged to the star. It contains personal notes in the columns of the text. His name is embossed in gold lettering on the black cover.

When we showed the Bible to Mother Dolores, she told us that Elvis often spoke with her about the Psalms, which was where most of his notes were written.

When I told Sheila that I would be accompanying Father Mann on this interview of Dolores Hart, she notified me that I wasn’t going without her. My wife, who has some acting in her background, was a fan of Dolores Hart and long had admired her decision to enter monastic life.

Regina Laudis is a little more than 100 miles from Brooklyn and it takes about two hours to get there by car. It’s not the easiest place to find but if you see the inconspicuous sign pointing to the abbey along Flanders Rd., it’s a cinch to find.

After being pointed to the main entrance, we were met by a Benedictine sister in traditional garb who greeted us with “Laudate, Domine!”

“Praise the Lord.” She already knew exactly who we were and she directed us to the Parlor of St. Benedict where Mother Dolores would join us shortly.

Our space in the “parlor” was about 10 feet by four feet. In front of us was a wooden lattice-like grille typical of any monastic enclosure. In effect, it meant we would be speaking with Mother Dolores through a “screen.”

When she walked into the parlor, she entered from downstage and greeted us in a quiet but welcoming way. Now 70, she has suffered from a neuropathy, which causes a slight hand tremor and slowness of speech. Her cool blue eyes were still beautiful and intent when she spoke to each of us.

For the next hour and for an hour and a half after lunch, Mother Dolores took on a delightful journey through Hollywood, the Broadway stage, and her life at the abbey. What became immediately obvious was that this was not a woman running away from the big bad world of entertainment to get herself to a convent. She loved making movies and would have loved even more time on Broadway. She spoke easily about Elvis and other co-stars such as George Peppard, George Hamilton, Frank Gorshen, Robert Wagner and Montgomery Clift.

She receives visits at the abbey from old Hollywood friends such as Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss and others whom she thought would like to remain anonymous. She spoke at length about her engagement to Don Robinson and their friendship over the years. He would later become engaged a second time but that woman died. He never married and still lives in Los Angeles.

When we were finished talking, Mother Dolores met us outside and took us on a quick tour of the open-air theater on the grounds of the abbey. That evening, a group of youngsters was performing “West Side Story” there.

We wondered why after speaking through a grille, we now could walk feely and talk with Mother Dolores. She explained that this who the sisters of the enclosure were. They lived apart from the world. The grille conveyed that message. That they are totally cut off from the world.

The day with Mother Dolores was exceptional. I’m sure of that because for days afterwards Father Mann, Sheila and I told everyone we met about it. There was something special about Mother Dolores and the abbey that had made an impression on us. Her life – before and now – was different. Her life had been worth living.

For 45 years, Mother Dolores had played her greatest role, in the best sense of the term. The story had a message and was there for anyone who had the eyes to see it.