As Christians entered Holy Week, actor Mark Wahlberg made sure to wish them all a “Happy Palm Sunday.”
In an Instagram video, Wahlberg, appearing alongside his wife Rhea, reminded people of the treasures in their lives during this time of crisis: faith and one another.
“Happy Palm Sunday, everybody,” Wahlberg said in the video. “Just thinking about everybody. We still have faith and we have each other, so let’s stay strong. God bless you guys. I love you.”
“God bless you,” Rhea added as the video concluded.
Wahlberg’s post below (watch the video on Instagram here):
Mark Wahlberg has been open about his Catholic faith, routinely sharing faithful messages with his social media followers during Lent and other days of liturgical importance.
“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.”
“Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church,” he continued. “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.”
In 2018, Wahlberg even went as far to say he regrets some past acting roles that did not reflect well on his faith, such as “Boogie Nights.”
“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 said that his Catholic faith affects everything he does in life and that he regularly calls upon God to foster 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.”
During an exchange with fans on Instagram in 2019, 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.
Mark Wahlberg, though reticent in his political beliefs, has also said that celebrities who “live in a bubble” should understand that incessantly talking politics only alienates people.
“You know, it just goes to show you that people aren’t listening to that anyway. They might buy your CD or watch your movie, but you don’t put food on their table. You don’t pay their bills,” he said in an interview with Task & Purpose. “A lot of Hollywood is living in a bubble. They’re pretty out of touch with the common person, the everyday guy out there providing for their family.”