Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Mark Wahlberg, Blase Cupich To Encourage Young Catholics To Attend Mass

By Heather Cherone | September 27, 2017 5:37am
 Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg (right, with an Ash Wednesday cross on his forehead) will join Cardinal Blase Cupich Oct. 20 at UIC Pavillion. Wahlberg often posts about his faith on social media, as he did on Ash Wednesday this year.
Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg (right, with an Ash Wednesday cross on his forehead) will join Cardinal Blase Cupich Oct. 20 at UIC Pavillion. Wahlberg often posts about his faith on social media, as he did on Ash Wednesday this year.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo file photo; Facebook/Mark Wahlberg

CHICAGO — Cardinal Blase Cupich is hoping a blast of Hollywood star power will encourage young Catholics to renew their faith and attend Mass regularly.

Mark Wahlberg, an Oscar-nominated actor and devout Catholic also known for his days as '90s rapper Marky Mark who led the Funky Bunch, will speak at the Archdiocese of Chicago's (re)Encounter young adult faith night, set for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave.

Tickets are $15 for the event designed to help young Catholics "discover how you can live your dream and have an active faith life," according to the archdiocese's website.

Wahlberg, who was nominated for the best actor Oscar in 2007 for "The Departed" and in 2011 for "The Fighter," is married to model Rhea Durham and has four children. The actor filmed portions of the "Transformers" series in Chicago.

Wahlberg, who also stars with Will Ferrell in "Daddy's Home 2," frequently talks about his Catholic faith on social media, and has said he attends Mass daily and prays before he goes to bed.

Whalberg has called Catholicism “the most important aspect of my life," and credited it with helping him become a productive adult after becoming addicted to drugs and belonging to a gang as a teen. Wahlberg was convicted of assault after attacking a Vietnamese man and hurling racial slurs at him, according to court records.

Wahlberg applied for a state pardon in 2014, but he let the request lapse after it caused an outcry.

Tickets are available online for the event.