Continuing to use his celebrity profile to share a Christian message, actor Mark Wahlberg wished everyone a blessed Ash Wednesday this week to kick off the Lenten season, the time of year when Catholics and various protestant denominations fast for forty days in lead of Easter.
Speaking to his 12 million Instagram followers in a video, Mark Wahlberg sent blessings to everyone during his “favorite time of year.”
“It’s here–one of my favorite times of the year! Happy Ash Wednesday to everybody! Make sure if you’re Catholic, you go get your ashes,” said Wahlberg. “God bless everybody–all religions, all walks of life. Lots of prayers going out for everybody. Looking forward to Easter coming up soon.”
Making the sign of the cross, Wahlberg went on to say that people may not be hearing from him for a while as he spends some extra quiet time in prayer.
“God bless you all in this Lenten season. God bless you always. And if you don’t hear from me, I’m trying to spend some extra quiet time. God bless you.”
The video concluded with Wahlberg inviting up his friend “Ace” (Anthony Thomas) to say “God bless you.”
“God bless you. Love you guys,” Wahlberg said to close out the video.
As noted by ChurchPOP, Wahlberg has “posted similar Ash Wednesday messages in previous years.”
Wahlberg has increasingly become more and more outspoken about his Catholic faith in recent years.
“Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life,” Wahlberg told the Catholic Herald in 2010. “The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God.”
He continued: “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.”
Last year, Wahlberg even went as far to say he regrets some of his past roles which did not reflect well on his faith, such as “Boogie Nights,” which he asked God to forgive him for.
“I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I’ve made some poor choices in my past,” Wahlberg said, adding that “Boogie Nights is up there at the top of the list.”
During a Facebook video message in 2016, Wahlberg stated that his Catholic faith affects everything he does in life, and has called for more vocations to the priesthood.
“In my daily prayers, I ask for guidance, strength in my vocation as a husband and as a father,” Wahlberg said when addressing the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors in Boston.”I want you to know my support for your work to foster vocations to the priesthood, because I want my children and future generations to have good priests in their lives, just like I had.”
In a recent exchange with fans on Instagram, the actor revealed that he wakes up as early as 2:30 AM for a full half hour of prayers before launching into his breakfast and exercise routine.