Nun Who Shared First On-Screen Kiss with Elvis Raises Millions for Abbey

A nun is raising millions of dollars for her abbey in rural Connecticut for being the first on-screen actress to kiss singer Elvis Presley in the 1950's.

Before leaving acting to become a nun, Mother Dolores Hart starred alongside Presley in the 1957 movie "Loving You," where she shared the famous singer and actor's first on-screen kiss.

Hart has since used her famous tale to start a fundraising campaign that ultimately raised enough money to save her Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis, located in Bethlehem, Conn.

The 76-year-old nun was previously able to keep the doors of her monastery open in 2011 by agreeing to speaking engagements where she shared her story of kissing Elvis on the silver screen. Now, she and her fellow sisters hope to raise enough money to complete a $9 million restoration project.

According to the Associated Press, Hart and her fellow sisters have raised $3 million already and are hoping to raise $6 million more.

The Abbey of Regina Laudis website features a short biography on Hart, which states that the former Hollywood actress starred in two films with Elvis Presley, the second film being the 19 "King Creole."

According to the biography, Hart has previously said that she chose to become a nun because "I just knew that this was what God wanted from me."

 "I never felt I was 'walking away from Hollywood,'" the biography quotes her as saying. "I felt I was walking into something more significant and by that, I took Hollywood with me."