When most of us hear the name Mark Wahlberg, we may have the image of a famous movie star or director; a once up-and-coming rapper that went by the name “Marky Mark”; a model who famously posed in THAT Calvin Klein underwear ad. One image that probably doesn’t come to mind? Mark Wahlberg – the Catholic.
Wahlberg, a once troubled young teen that landed in jail for a racist assault against a Vietnamese man (whom he later went to in asking for forgiveness), is now a church-going Catholic, or at least has been for a while. He goes to bed by 7:30PM so he has plenty of time to pray in the morning. He is the prime example of how just because you go down the wrong road, doesn’t mean you can’t get back on the right one, thanks to the help of his parish priest and the Church. Now he’s using his star power to help draw young adults into the Catholic faith.
Wahlberg and joined over 1,000 worshippers at the UIC Pavillion last Friday, alongside Chicago’s Cardinal Blasé Cupich, for the Chicago Archdiocese event (re)ENCOUNTER.
Standing next to Cardinal Cupich, Wahlberg proclaimed, "I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I've made some poor choices in my past."
When asked if he prayed for forgiveness over any particular movie, he said Boogie Nights was at the top of the list.
For those who don’t know, Boogie Nights was a breakout role for Wahlberg in 1997. It was set in the 1970’s, and he famously (or infamously) played “Dirk Diggler” – a high school dropout that was pulled into the porn industry where he became a famous porn star. Asked by ABC News if he would ever consider reprising the role, he told them no. “I have four kids, I’ve got two daughters, I’m married and I try not to let that affect what I do as an artist,” he said. “But being a dad, it’d be tougher to make that decision now.”
Never one to downplay his past, Wahlberg told the crowd, "I've never been shy about sharing my past and the bad decisions I've made and being affiliated with gangs, being incarcerated, so absolutely I think they can identify with me on a personal level, and that's why I've continued to try to do as much as I can to help young people…It's one thing to give money, or to start programs, but to be there and be able to talk to them, and tell them there is someone who has been through the same things they are going through and was able to turn their life around, and turn it into a big positive. That's always important."
Although Wahlberg has come out in support of gay marriage -- which seems almost mandatory in Hollywood -- he says he hasn’t spoken to the bishop about that particular topic and feels “we have a lot more important issues to be worrying about. For me, I’ve got my own issues to deal with…I go to confession and I want to continue to work hard on myself.”
As for starring in the movie Ted, about a talking bear (a humorous spin on the “Teddy Ruxpin” bear of the 1980’s) that spouts off obscenities, gets drunk and uses drugs, Wahlberg once told Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia in 2015 “Holy Father, please forgive me.”
That apology came right after a 14-year-old Pennsylvania boy finished a solo singing performance for the Pope. When he met Wahlberg, the boy whispered in his ear that he loved the movie Ted, to which Wahlberg responded, “I told him that was not appropriate for his age.”
It’s very rare anyone in Hollywood comes out about their faith, let alone a huge star like Wahlberg, but it’s refreshing. How many times have “we” (the everyday average American) wish Hollywood would use their platform for something good – especially when it deals with faith? It’s even better when that voice is an example of someone who was going down the wrong road and, by the help and grace of God, changed their life around for the better.
