Reverend Mother (Sister Act)

The Reverend Mother was a secondary hero in the movie Sister Act and the sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

Sometime before the early 90s the nun who would become Reverend Mother was elected the abbess of the convent attached to St. Katherine's Church in San Francisco. By then the neighborhood where they were located was in serious decline, with hardly anyone showing up for Mass and the convent about to close due to funding problems.

When Reno lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier witnessed a murder by her lover Vince LaRocca Lt. Eddie Souther of the Reno police department made arrangements for Deloris to stay in the convent. Reverend Mother was less than pleased about the arrangement, fearing the convent would be in danger. The pastor Msgr. O'Hara assured her that law enforcement would protect the convent and the Reno police department would make a generous donation to the convent. When they went into her office Reverend Mother excused herself and told O'Hara she couldn't possibly do this, but O'Hara reminded her of her vows to take strangers needing help in.

Reverend Mother completed Deloris's disguise by giving her the name Mary Clarence and dressing her in a habit. Over the next few weeks Deloris struggled to fit in to convent life. After discovering Deloris had taken a late night trip to a bar she ordered that Deloris would only sleep and sing for the rest of her time there.

When Vince discovered where Deloris was hiding he had her kidnapped. Reverend Mother went to Reno with the other nuns of the convent to rescue her. Afterwards they returned to San Francisco to perform in front of the Pope.