Mark Wahlberg Being Cool And Catholic

What defines a cool man? Is it his money, his possessions, his achievements? For Mark Wahlberg, it’s being able to turn your life around for God.

Mark Wahlberg is an A-list celebrity who is often cast for leading roles in big movies in Hollywood. He began his showbiz career in the mid 80’s when he was still 13 and later on engaged in fitness modeling and endorsed big brands such as Calvin Klein in the 90’s.

Unfortunately, it was also early in his career that he got acquainted with the wrong people. He admits in most interviews that he was addicted to illegal substances during those years and got into many troubles including physical assaults that landed him in jail.

But as we Christians know, a person’s past doesn’t define his future. This is true among many of the saints that we celebrate in our history.

From thuggery to faith

Mark admits he started taking his faith seriously as soon as he got incarcerated at about 17 years old. When all the negative influencers he had in his life was put aside, sobriety soon followed which opened the door for prayer and scripture reading. He knew he needed to turn his life around and God became the foundation of this plan.

From time to time, he’d come across the same people who’ve dragged him down the wrong path. They would either try to coerce back into the wrong lifestyle or harass him if he refused. But he soon realizes that he’s not alone in his battle for redemption.

There is help and there are people who cares about us

You need to surround yourself with good people. In his journey towards a new life, Mark remembers that there were people, mostly from his local church community, who became his support system. People from his church community were his new role models for bettering his character. Paving the way for his transition into an authentic Christian man.

One thing that Mark advises people in similar plights is to not be afraid of asking for help. His first step towards redemption was humility. He understood that he couldn’t do this on his own. That’s why he sought guidance from his parish priest and others from the church. He was surrounded by people who prayed for him and became his inspiration for positive change.

Living with faith and pairing it up with good works is one of the valuable lessons Mark Wahlberg has learned from the fellow faithfuls he met. A true benchmark for living a cool life.

Sharing his blessings

Being blessed with so many things in his life, Mark Wahlberg knows he has the responsibility to share these to others. The first people that he shares these with is his family. Mark is blessed with faith that he makes sure his wife and kids get to partake in its fruits. He understands the importance of faith that he makes sure that they regularly pray together and go to church.

He also involves himself in charitable events and organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Not just donating money, Mark also spreads positive messages and preachings to the less fortunate, especially to kids who need help the most. He understands how the marginalized youth can be pushed in the wrong directions of life that’s why he tries his best to give a helping hand to these kids by raising and distributing funds to youth services and enrichment programs.

In 2001, Mark founded the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation to assist marginalized children and create opportunities to help them achieve their dreams and lifetime goals.

“We are blessed to be able to have a fresh start everyday…” – Mark Wahlberg in 2017, on his thoughts and commitment to change his life for the better; in conversation with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich