Mark Wahlberg: 'The first thing I do each day is pray'

By Gabrielle Donnelly
12/28/2010
The Catholic Herald (UK) (www.catholicherald.co.uk/)

Gabrielle Donnelly speaks to Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg about his family, his faith, and being sent to jail as a teenager.

In the modern world, we are told, religion is being pushed to the side. Church-going is down, cynicism is up, and old-fashioned Christianity is not so slowly going the way of the penny-farthing bicycle. And nowhere, we are told, is this more apparent than in Hollywood, land of the superficial, the catch-a-passing-trend, the every-man-for-himself. And then there is Mark Wahlberg.

Mark Wahlberg is pictured at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in July with his wife, Rhea, his two daughters and two sons and the family nanny, Cassie

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LONDON, UK (UK Catholic Herald) - In the modern world, we are told, religion is being pushed to the side. Church-going is down, cynicism is up, and old-fashioned Christianity is not so slowly going the way of the penny-farthing bicycle. And nowhere, we are told, is this more apparent than in Hollywood, land of the superficial, the catch-a-passing-trend, the every-man-for-himself.

And then there is Mark Wahlberg.

"Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life," the A-list actor tells me firmly when we meet for tea in a posh hotel near his home in Beverly Hills. "The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church. The kids will be mad with me. 'Daddy! It takes too long!' I'm saying: 'It's only 10 minutes and this is something I really need to do.' Because I do. If I can start my day out by saying my prayers and getting myself focused, then I know I'm doing the right thing. That 10 minutes helps me in every way throughout the day."

If anyone has learned the benefit of a spiritual life, it is Mark. A troubled young man from a rough area of Boston, the youngest of nine children of a delivery driver father and a bank clerk mother, he grew up delinquent and drug-addicted, a high school drop-out and gang member, always in trouble with the police, living constantly under the threat of jail. When he was only 16, that threat became a reality. High on the drug PCP, he robbed a pharmacy, knocked one man unconscious, left another blind in one eye, and attacked a security guard. He was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction.

It was, he says now, gratefully, the beginning of the rest of his life.

"There's nothing scarier than being 16 years old, hearing the jail house door close behind you, and knowing that you're not going to leave. I'd brought it on myself. A lot of bad things happened to me when I was young, and I did a lot of bad things too. I was too cool for school, I'd made my mistakes and I was paying for them. I'd lost sight of my religion. My parents were Catholic but not devoutly so, and once I'd started venturing out on to the street that wasn't important to me at all. But, of course, once you get into trouble, you start praying! 'Oh, my God, just get me out of here, and I swear I'll never do it again!'

"Well, I did get out of jail, and I did make sure I never went back there. The recidivism rate for people going back for jail sentences is through the roof, but not me. I did not want to be another statistic. I wanted to live my life instead." His first port of call when he left the House of Correction was to visit his parish priest, Fr Flavin of Boston, who is still a good friend. With Fr Flavin's help he left his street gang, cleaned up his act and devoted his attention to putting his spiritual house in order. And for the first time, he says, his life started to make sense.

"Once I focused on my faith wonderful things started happening for me," he says now. "And I don't mean professionally - that's not what it's about. These days, I'll be in church and people will come up to me and say: 'Do you mind if I sit and pray with you?' And they'll start praying and it'll turn out they're praying for their new movie to be a success or whatever, and I'm like, this is not what I come here for. For me to sit down and ask for material things is ridiculous. It's a much bigger picture than that. I want to serve God and to be a good human being and to make up for the mistakes I made and the pain I put people through. That's what I'm praying for, and I recommend it to anybody."

Which is not to say that material success has exactly been hiding from him. One of the original members of the popular boy band of the 1980s New Kids on the Block, he branched out on his own to become pop music-singing sensation Marky Mark, and briefly became very famous indeed on the side as an underwear model before turning his attention to conquering the world of acting. ("When I do something," he has commented with some understatement, "I am very focused.")

He started out in Hollywood by rather cleverly sending up his beefcake reputation playing a porn star in Boogie Nights before moving on to the action films which are of more interest to him, and made a name for himself in movies like Three Kings, The Perfect Storm and The Italian Job before winning worldwide acclaim and an Academy Award nomination playing a heavy-swearing detective in Martin Scorsese's blockbusting thriller (set, incidentally, in Mark's own Boston) The Departed.

These days he is in the fortunate - and in Hollywood, extremely rare - position of being able to do more or less what he wants. Last year he played a grieving father in the family drama The Lovely Bones; earlier this year, he hammed it up as an ...

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1 - 10 of 68 Comments

Anthony N Pugliese
1 month ago
Always felt this man was a special.
Mc29
1 year ago
I'm happy he's come such a long way, but is devout really the word to describe the 'kind' of Catholic he is? He had his children out of wedlock and his movie roll choices definitely have not been in line with what the church teaches about morality. Saying that one of the reasons he had to wait to marry his wife was so she didn't look "big in her dress" (with no mention of the church's teaching on abstinence) seems a little backwards. He talks a great deal about the violent sins of his past but not the most current ones dealing with sexual morality. In today's world I believe THAT is the most difficult part of being a faithful Catholic. I'm glad he gets to mass, prays and visits the church, but there is more to it than that.
terrianne
1 year ago
I just want to say that I give Mark a standing ovation for speaking out his beliefs and I also applaud his parents for being a good example too. I think Mark is courageous as well as talented. Thank you for sharing this story and I believe that somehow or someway his own life past will help someone else conquer their demons. May God Bless him and his family.
Carmels27
1 year ago
After watching 12/04/2011 series "Boardwalk Empire", I quickly googled "Mark Wahlberg & the Catholic Faith". I wanted to know what events had caused Mr. Wahlberg to develop a dislike if not hatred of the Catholic Church. I was schocked to learn that Mr. Wahlberg prays daily, goes to church & was married in a quiet catholic ceremony.

WOW- I am always a struggling Roman Catholic who daily questions God of the Whys or WHY not's in my relationship with God. I genuinely appreciate Mr. Wahlberg willingness to openly share his faith and live it to the fullest.

However, here's the rub. I have been watching HBO "Boardwalk Empire" for almost one year and am hooked. Tonight, after learning about the incestuous relationship between Jimmy & his mother, - AND a priest taking MONEY for Prayers (like the old days of indulgences) ect, was so disturbing- I agree, tonights program accomplished "The SCHOCK VALUE". Will their be ANY redeeming factors in the series? Hopefully, ONE person who loves God & the Church seeking to do what is right and never gives up. Surely, in real life their must be ONE?? hmmmmmmm- ok, the Hollywood Factor?? I see - yes, that could be difficult to present ONE individual whose life is committed to God, & meaningful to others around him or her. Whatever our opinion, Boardwalk Empire is challenging- as Catholic, Christian, Jews- we must ALWAYS question- especially ourselves- My challenge everyday, "Keep Going & Keep It Real". Mr. Wahlberg, has certaintly challenged me.
Ken
2 years ago
Brian, I don't think anyone here wants to point a finger at Mr. Walhberg and condemn him. I'll say it again. For what it's worth, I think he seems like a good guy, and we all wish him and his family all the best. But trying to be clear on what the Church teaches about matters of faith and morals is not the same thing as "judging" someone. It's not like Christ's teachings are some great mystery that takes decades to figure out. Unless of course, people are kept in the dark about it. When I came into the Church I had about 30 years or so of a lot of serious sinning I brought with me. But thankfully, I was taught, and I studied, the true teachings of Christ and His Church. Well, I ain't no rocket scientist, but it wasn't too difficult to see that I'd been getting it wrong in an awful lot of areas. St Mary Magdalene pray for us. Point is, Jesus said you can't serve two masters. We're a society that is largely hooked on serving the wrong master. And it's creeping into the thinking of Catholics in the pews and spreading like a virus. Time for us to do the truly loving thing, like Jesus, and tell the truth, and tell it with love. As a part of the Body of Christ, we are not all in this as mere individuals, all alone. What one part does affects the whole body. But I agree with you about the extreme hypocrisy of Pharisees. We have to watch out for that, too. Just as much damage, if not more, is done when parts of the Body become self-righteous and haughty. But the truth is not to be avoided, either, for fear of being accused of being "judgmental". If that were the case, I'd still be wallowing in the mud, having never been shown a better way. The teaching needs to be clear. Then we sinners can do our best to benefit from this new life in Christ we've been given. When the teaching is muddied, that's when our progress is severely stunted. I like C.S. Lewis' book, "The Screwtape Letters". A good book on how the evil one operates, and attempts to stunt and stymie our growth. And it's written in a way that is entertaining as well as enlightening. Pax Christi.
Brian Gregory
2 years ago
For those of you who believe you can comment on Mark - remember Our divine Lord's warning: '"judge not or you will be judged"' (St. Mtt:7.1-2). Only Our divine King and His Blessed Mother are totally sinless - 'if we say we have no sin the truth is not in us' (1 St. Jn:1.8-10). The Pharisees believed they could judge others - where are they now?
JeanCatherine
2 years ago
Ken

Thanks for the comment I to listen to Father Corapi on occaision and Mother Angelica and all of our people in the church.

It still stands on the topics of contraception etc. Nothing has changed and your right people dont and wont like what is really taught. Especially many of our Catholic brothers and sisters who were poorly taught like myself about what the church teaches. There has been a great falling away on this teaching.

In my ignorance I knew nothing of what she taught now is a different matter.

Thanks to Father Corapi and all others to many to mention on EWTN especially Mother Angelica. The world can change but it never really changes much for us as Catholics.
Ken
2 years ago
Autumn has summed things up well. "The church in America seems to be sinking to the level of the time of the Judges in Israel where 'every man does what is right in his own eyes'." I'm still wanting to hear from people involved in this discussion whether or not they are in favor of artificial contraception for practicing Catholics? Perhaps the silence in answering that question says something about those here who are so determined to debate others who challenge Catholics to live lives of purity. It would be interesting to read what the posters here think about artificial contraception within the Catholic Church. Any responses? Father Corapi has a great YouTube video titled, "Corruption in the Church" (about a 10 min. clip) and what is at the root of much of the sexual immorality in our Church. I invite you all to listen to him. He teaches very wisely and clearly. Something tells me many of you aren't going to like the truth.
Raffey
2 years ago
Holiness is God's work, not ours. It is the gift of his life operating within us with his grace that helps us make the right decisions. We become holy as we let the Holy Spirit work through us empowerting us to give glory to God and to love God and those around us. Holiness comes as we offer back to God whatever he has given us. Our journey is not complete until we are called home. You should not judge.
JeanCatherine
2 years ago
Val Vegas

Couldnt have said it better. I believe there is a story about St. Francis of Assisi was asked about a priest who had a woman who lived with him. People told Francis about it. They of course were mortified by this.

Francis went to the priest and knelt before him and kissed his hand.

The priest Im told in the story gave up his mistress and took his vows to the priesthood more seriously than before. He came home from the sin as we all must do.

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