Elvis Presley always proclaimed his love of gospel music and released several albums and songs that remain among his most popular recordings, including “How Great Thou Art,” “His Hand in Mine,” and “Amazing Grace.”

Those songs changed Deacon Anthony Liguori Jr.’s life as a child, and over the years, his admiration for the music has become a vessel to convey his faith. Today, Liguori, affectionately known as “Deacon

Elvis,” performs all the hits and inspirational recordings in concerts that help raise money for churches, schools, and hospitals. It is his way of giving back and sharing the songs that made a difference in his life.

“The spirit of Elvis is about always trying to help people, and that’s what I find myself trying to emulate about him,” Deacon Liguori told The Tablet. Deacon Liguori was ordained a deacon in the Archdiocese of Newark in 2011. He first served at St. Elizabeth’s in Wyckoff before moving to St. Philip the Apostle in Saddle Brook — where he grew up — and ultimately Corpus Christi Church in Hasbrouck Heights, where he has remained since.

As a boy, he played sports but always gravitated towards music, ultimately joining a band in college and traveling around performing ‘50s music, including his favorites by Elvis. He had learned to play guitar and write songs as well, but it was a near-death experience he had at 26 that reaffirmed his faith and changed his life forever.

A sports accident sent him to the hospital with intestinal injuries that turned into toxins that had to be pumped from his body. He said he nearly died on the operating table and described feeling himself lifted from his body and traveling through the tunnel to what he termed “paradise.”

“Ultimately, I did meet Jesus, and what I saw of heaven was beautiful,” Deacon Liguori recalled. “I could see the golden glow and the angels singing. That’s when I met Jesus and he healed me from what I was going through.”

He said what he experienced nearly 30 years ago was so profound he knew he would dedicate his life to Christ and become a deacon. He added that it also motivated him to promote his love for Elvis, who Deacon Liguori calls the greatest entertainer of all time.

“It started when my great-grand-mother introduced me to his movies,” Deacon Liguori said. “I would sit with her and watch them when I was eight or nine years old. … I was so intrigued that I became an instant fan.”

Deacon Liguori remembers asking for a portable record player for Christmas when he was 10, along with some Elvis albums. He was especially impressed with how fans related to Elvis and his generosity.

“His gospel music was a big influence in my life,” Deacon Liguori said. “Besides the rock and roll and all the fun that came from it, I realized that the gospel songs could help change people’s lives.”

So, in 1987, Deacon Liguori became an Elvis tribute artist to help preserve the artist’s legacy. In concerts, he plays songs from all the different stages of Elvis’ life — the young ’50s rocker, the leather-clad ’60s star, and the latter-day ’70s Vegas-era Elvis in the white flowing outfits with the scarves — the way Liguori said he believes that people remember him best.

Deacon Liguori’s love for Elvis is also reflected in how he ministers to the people in his parish and those who come to see him at his shows, which have taken him to theaters and concert halls nationwide.

Another aspect of Elvis’s life that Deacon Liguori embraces is his generosity, which he tries to emulate with his shows and ministry. “Elvis was a humanitarian to a fault,” Deacon Liguori explained. “He gave away more money than people will ever know. Not only gifting cars and donating to charities, but he would literally buy homes for people. He came from such a poor upbringing that he wanted to share his good fortune with the world.”

Deacon Liguori also noted that when fans referred to Elvis as “The King” during his concerts, Elvis would always respond by saying, “No, I’m not the king. Jesus Christ is The King.”

Although Elvis was baptized in the Pentecostal church, according to Deacon Liguori, he would often sneak into Catholic churches and go to the balcony, where he was mesmerized by the Mass and the traditions not present in the Protestant faith.

In an ode to the rock legend, the deacon wears a cherished cross that Elvis once wore. According to Deacon Liguori, Elvis made two silver crosses, one for himself and one for his then-wife Priscilla. While Priscilla still wears hers today, Elvis’s cross was sold at an estate sale at Graceland years ago, and Deacon Liguori eventually ended up with it.

Along with his Elvis tribute shows, Deacon Liguori is an accomplished country singer and songwriter, having worked and performed alongside notable names such as the Marshall Tucker Band, B.J. Thomas, and country star Clint Black, whom Liguori befriended when both were breaking into the country music industry together in the late ’80s.

He has also collaborated with producer and songwriter Jerry Foster, who has written numerous No. 1 hits for artists like Charley Pride, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Bare, and Conway Twitty. Deacon Liguori, who has a house in Nashville, continues to write songs, including the Elvis-inspired ballad “Midnight in Memphis,” which topped the Cashbox traditional country chart for six weeks in 2021.

When asked to choose his favorite song to perform, he did not hesitate to name the haunting Marty Robbins ballad “You Gave Me a Mountain” that Elvis included on his 1973 “Aloha From Hawaii: Via Satellite” album. “It’s a very powerful song, so well-written with a very powerful meaning,” Deacon Liguori said. “It’s about a young man whose mother died giving birth to him and who was ultimately resented by his father for the death of his wife.”

In his current role as a performer and minister of the Catholic faith, Deacon Liguori said he believes the greatest impact he can make is connecting with parishioners.

“Jesus was a one-on-one person. He ministered to people in need and people who had lost hope, and that’s what we need to do today,” Deacon Lugiori said. “That’s where my ministry takes me, and that’s where my music takes me.”

So, while Elvis may have left the building, Deacon Anthony Liguori has undoubtedly brought him back to the chapel.