Mark Wahlberg congratulates his son and all the young people committing their lives to God



Academy Award-nominated actor and devout Catholic Mark Wahlberg recently took to social media to congratulate his son and all the young people who have committed their lives to God.

In a video post on Instagram, Wahlberg, who is currently in Europe filming the Netflix movie "Our Man From Jersey," shared how proud he is of his son for making his Catholic confirmation.

"Just got down on my hands and knees to express my gratitude," the actor said as he knelt by his bed.

"Congratulations to my son Michael on making his confirmation [and] all the young people out there who were confirmed and taking their relationship with the Lord into their adulthood, what a commitment you guys have made," he continued.

"Congratulations to all of you," he added, noting he had just finished listening to a "beautiful" prayer on the Hallow app.

In a separate post, Wahlberg shared a picture of his son Michael at his confirmation, joined by his wife, Rhea Durham.

"So proud of this young man ... congrats buddy!! Even though mommy deserves most of the credit ... thanks babe," he wrote in the caption.

Wahlberg has been outspoken about his faith for years.

In April, he told the "Today" show that he doesn't force religion on his children but hopes they will ultimately follow after the example he has set.

"They think dad’s crazy, and he's boring," he joked. "But even with my faith, I don't force it on them. But they know that dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can't start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass and hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they'll say, 'Well, if it works for dad, maybe it'll work for us,' and they'll kind of gravitate towards it on their own."

The actor claims that he regularly goes to Mass on Sunday — and sometimes twice. And in recent years, he has felt more of a calling to make movies that will encourage people in their relationship with God.

His first faith-based film, "Father Stu," debuted in April on Good Friday. In a promotional interview, he told Pure Flix Insider that the film, which is based on the true story of a boxer-turned-priest's journey from destruction to redemption, resonated with him personally because he saw much of himself in the story's key figure.

"I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I have been focused since I was 16, 17 years old to turning my life around and that is a daily task," the actor said. "God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg the person, but to do His work and finally, giving me the skills and tools to go out and articulate the message He wants me to articulate."

He added: "People need to have faith and hope. Young men need to know what it’s like to be a real man. And you could list a million reasons — just turn on the news, anywhere you look there are reasons for encouraging people to have faith and to have hope."

Mark Wahlberg reveals the reason why he doesn't 'force' his religion on his children



Mark Wahlberg is a devout Christian, but he won't force his children to also practice his faith. The prolific actor hopes that his children will "gravitate" towards religion on their own.

The 50-year-old Hollywood actor Catholic told Parade in 2013 that faith is "the most important part of my life," adding, "I don’t try to push it on anybody and I don’t try to hide it."

Wahlberg outlined his usual Sunday morning routine, when he may attend Mass two times.

"If the kids are good, I’ll have doughnuts for them at 6:30 in the morning, and I'll say, 'You guys gotta let Mommy sleep in!' I’ll go to church at 7:30 and everybody will be eating breakfast when I come home," Wahlberg explained. "Then we'll go to church again at 10:30, if things aren't too hectic. Or if one of the kids has a game, we'll watch them play. It’s a nice family day."

Wahlberg and his wife Rhea Durham have four children: Ella, 18, Michael, 16, Grace Margaret, 12, and Brendan, 13.

During an appearance on the Today show, Wahlberg was asked what his kids think about him, to which he responded, "They think dad’s crazy, and he's boring."

"But even with my faith, I don't force it on them. But they know that dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can't start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass," the actor told host Hoda Kotb, but noted, "And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they'll say, 'Well, if it works for dad, maybe it'll work for us,' and they'll kind of gravitate towards it on their own."

Wahlberg was promoting his new faith-based movie "Father Stu," which is based on the true-life story of agnostic Golden Gloves boxer-turned-priest Stuart Long – who goes on a journey from self-destruction and crime to redemption.

“People recognized all of his real-life experience and how authentic he was when he communicated,” Wahlberg said of Long. "I just felt it was also the best way to make the movie without any kind of interference. We wanted to be completely in control creatively."

Wahlberg was so enthusiastic about Long's story that he personally financed the movie.

Wahlberg sees "Father Stu" as a possible turning point in his career to explore projects that can help people.

"I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this [with] real substance can help people," Wahlberg told Entertainment Tonight. "I definitely want to focus on making more. I wouldn’t say necessarily just faith-based content but things that will help people."

He added, "Hopefully this movie will open a door for not only myself but for lots of other people in Hollywood to make more meaningful content."

As far as his acting career, Wahlberg revealed that he could step away from Hollywood "sooner rather than later" to spend more time with his four children.

"It’s got to be something special to really bring me, you know, to leave home, to leave those guys behind because it’s the biggest sacrifice in the making, for sure," Wahlberg said of his family.

"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 during a 2017 appearance at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, alongside Cardinal Blasé Cupich. He emphasized that the movie "Boogie Nights" is "up there at the top of the list." In "Boogie Nights," Wahlberg portrayed a rising pornographic star.

One of the busiest men in Hollywood, Mark Wahlberg, stops by Studio 1A!pic.twitter.com/lD3caXyvmc
— TODAY (@TODAY) 1649336008


A-list actor Mark Wahlberg stars in first Christian-based film, says there's nothing more important than faith: 'God's not going to give up on you'



Actor Mark Wahlberg opened up ahead of his first faith-based film, "Father Stu," and said that there's nothing more important than faith.

"Father Stu" is slated for a release on April 15 — Good Friday.

Wahlberg also serves as producer on the film and co-stars with Mel Gibson.

What are the details?

Academy Award-nominated Wahlberg recently told Pure Flix Insider that his latest project — a film based on the true story of a boxer-turned-priest and his journey from self-destruction to redemption — is his first foray into faith-based entertainment and his latest adventure in deepening his faith.

“People need to have faith and hope. Young men need to know what it’s like to be a real man. And you could list a million reasons — just turn on the news, anywhere you look there are reasons for encouraging people to have faith and to have hope,” Wahlberg said during the interview.

Walhberg said that he identifies with Father Stu's character in that he is insistent on turning around his life on a daily basis.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I have been focused since I was 16, 17 years old to turning my life around and that is a daily task,” Wahlberg admitted. "God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg the person, but to do His work and finally, giving me the skills and tools to go out and articulate the message He wants me to articulate."

He added, "It’s never too late. As long as you’re breathing you have an opportunity to redeem yourself."

FATHER STU - Official Trailer (HD)www.youtube.com

What else?

Wahlberg also recently told Fox News' Raymond Arroyo that the film was a "journey towards faith."

"These movies are not easy to get made," Wahlberg told Arroyo, adding that the forthcoming film is "probably the most unpredictable movie ever."

"What did you see of yourself when you first read this script and first came across the story?" Arroyo asked the longtime actor.

Wahlberg responded, "So many things. Obviously, my past, but also my present. And my looking for my purpose ... God has continued to bless me and put me in this situation, not to continue to grow and work on Mark Wahlberg, the person, but to do His work and give me ... the skills and the tools to go out there and articulate the message that he wants me to."

"[Father Stu] was a guy who was really lost, trying to find his way ... eventually makes his way to the priesthood and loses mobility over his body, complete control over all of his muscles in time," he explained. "And that ends up being the vehicle of his redemption in some ways."

"[Both my and Stu's stories are] hard-won redemptive stories," he continued. "I just knew that I needed to make this movie ... this was my calling."

Wahlberg said that it's important now more than ever for people to have faith and hope.

"It's certainly a turning point for me in my life," he said. "I need to stop focusing so much on Mark and start doing much more work for God and for people and for people that are less fortunate."

The actor added that the film's message is that God will never stop his relentless pursuit of man's heart.

"God's not going to give up on you," he insisted. "Don't you dare go giving up on yourself."

The World Over February 10, 2022 | FATHER STU: Mark Wahlberg with Raymond Arroyowww.youtube.com