Deloris Van Cartier

Living... in Reno, Nevada. Deloris is a lounge singer in a 1960s-themed act called The Ronelles. Her boyfriend, Vince LaRocca, is a mobster who owns The Moonlite Lounge of the Nevada Club, where she works. When she walks in on him having his chauffeur executed, she has to join the Witness Protection Program until the time comes for her to testify against him.

Visiting… St. Katherine's Parish in a rundown San Francisco neighborhood. The police said she would be safe going undercover at the church, because no one would ever think of her setting foot in one. She’s known there as “Sister Mary Clarence” and, now that she’s a nun, has to abide by three vows: The vow of poverty, the vow of obedience and the vow of chastity. When she hears that last one, she turns around and says, “I’m outta here.”

Profession... choir director. Though her fellow nuns seem like a lost cause at first, the talented Sister Mary Clarence works hard to help them improve. The traditional, rather boring choir isn’t exactly Sister Mary Clarence’s style, but she’s got a plan to shake things up. As she tells the nuns, “See, people like going to theaters, and they like going to casinos, but they don't like coming to church. Why? Because it's a drag. But we could change all that, see? We could pack this joint.”

Interests... a long list of bad habits. But the nuns are starting to have a positive influence on her. Lately, she’s been spending her time at crack houses, giving free prayers to everyone who drives up.

Relationship Status... dealing with one of the worst breakups in history. Her boyfriend killed a guy in front of her, and now he wants her killed so she can’t be a witness to his crime.

Challenge... staying under the radar. Under her instruction, the choir has improved so much that it's starting to get them national media attention. Suddenly Sister Mary Clarence is doing TV interviews when she is supposed to be in hiding. But it isn't her fault – they just showed up with cameras.

Personality... funny and sarcastic, but caring. At first, the less-than-wholesome Deloris abhors the idea of being stuck in a nunnery. She doesn’t want to abide by all their strict rules, but she quickly makes friends with several of the nuns and her outlook starts to change. Although her background is sketchy and Reverend Mother says what she's doing with the choir is blasphemous and corrupt, Sister Mary Clarence is holier than most.