How Tom Cruise was 'infatuated' with the Catholic Church and wanted to be a priest... before being 'kicked out for stealing alcohol'

Future star was devout Catholic as a teenager, attending seminary in Ohio

But was asked to leave institution after 'drinking priests' liquor with friend'

Now known as one of the world's leading Scientologists



Future megastar: Tom Cruise as a teenager, shortly after leaving a Roman Catholic seminary

Tom Cruise may be the world's most famous Scientologist, but before he became a Hollywood megastar his religious beliefs were different, it emerged today.



The future actor was in fact a devout Catholic who even planned to become a priest and studied at a seminary.



But he was thrown out of the strict religious school after stealing liquor from the monks who ran the institution, according to his best friend from the time.



Mr Cruise, who was born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, had a troubled upbringing thanks to his abusive father.



He seems to have sought solace in the Roman Catholic Church, and was persuaded to apply to St Francis Seminary School in Cincinnati, Ohio by Father Ric Schneider, according to the Daily News .



'Tom was instantly hooked,' the priest said. 'I think he wanted a good education. With his parents going through a divorce, it was tough on him, that's maybe one of the reasons why he came here.'



The teenager just scraped his way into the seminary in 1976, scoring 110 on an IQ test - the minimum result needed for entry.



Once he was there, he was not considered an outstanding student - but he did show signs of promise in the craft which would make him one of the world's biggest celebrities.



School: The St Francis Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio where Mr Cruise was a student for two years

Mr Cruise was a leading member of the drama club, which saw him 'come out of his shell' as he enthusiastically participated in competitions with other institutions, according to a friend.



The priest who ran the society apparently identified Mr Cruise as a top student and gave him whole plays to memorise.



His best friend from the seminary, Shane Dempler, told the Daily News that the pair were extremely devout and both planned to become priests.

'He had a very strong Catholic faith,' he said. 'We went to Mass, spent time in the chapel and enjoyed hearing stories from the priests.



'We thought the priests had a great lifestyle and we were really interested in priesthood.'



Nonetheless, the boys still broke the rules, and would frequently break out of school to smoke or drink alcohol, Mr Dempler claims.



Today: Mr Cruise is now one of the world's most recognisable celebrities thanks to his acting career

The incident that led to the pair being asked to leave St Francis came in 1977, when Mr Cruise and Mr Dempler supposedly decided to take advantage of the fact that the monks were having a party.



Mr Dempler says he snuck in to the room where liqour for the party was being held, and threw it out of the window to his friend.



The miscreants were apparently found out when some of the other students were caught by the priests obviously drunk, and forced to reveal where they had obtained alcohol.



The seminary wrote to their parents asking them to withdraw their sons from the schools, according to Mr Dempler - which seems to have been the end for Mr Cruise's religious ambitions.



Faith: The actor with his then wife Katie Holmes, who adopted his Scientology beliefs after their marriage

Controversial: The U.S.-based church has attracted support from many high-profile Hollywood celebrities

Later in life the actor converted to Scientology, which is known to be particularly popular in Hollywood.



He is believed to be one of the church's most powerful officials, and has been a prominent public advocate of the controversial faith.



Mr Cruise has not commented on his Catholic past or his time at St Francis.