Actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie attended Ash Wednesday Mass with Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Father Mark-Mary, CFR, in New York City on Wed., Feb. 14, 2024.
Wahlberg (“Father Stu”) and Roumie (“The Chosen”) were in NYC for a Fox News appearance to promote Hallow’s Lent Pray40 Prayer Challenge.
Father Mark-Mary of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal celebrated Mass for the actors prior to the appearance.
The CFR told ChurchPOP it was “a beautiful, simple, but reverent Mass.”
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Mass with just a couple of people–it can be a bit of stresser for the congregation because you’re going to be tested on whether or not you know what you’re doing, particularly with the responses. There’s nowhere to hide like at a typical parish Mass,” he said.
“In this case, I think this is one of the beautiful parts of celebrating Mass for this group–everyone knows what they’re doing. I think it’s a testament to the fact that prayerfully attending Mass is a real part of their off-camera lives.
“Also, I think a really healthy parish is going to have an authentic unity between hospitality and fraternal charity, and reverence for the sacred, especially the Eucharist. Praying with Mark, Jonathan, and the Hallow team is a tangible experience of all of the above,” Father Mark-Mary concluded.
After attending Mass and receiving ashes, Wahlberg and Roumie wished social media followers a “Happy Ash Wednesday” and “Happy Valentine’s Day” in a video on Wahlberg’s Instagram account.
The guys sport their ashes and hold Father Mark-Mary’s prayer book, “The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You into the Heart of God.”
Watch below:
Father Mark-Mary also commented on Wahlberg and Roumie’s decision to openly express their Catholic faith to the public.
“When we’ve met the Lord as Savior and as Father, I think it’s natural to give testimony to this fact in all of life’s contexts,” the priest began.
“The Lord has blessed these men by giving them an experience of His love, mercy, and truth, and He’s also given them a platform on which to share it,” Father Mark-Mary continued.
“I’m grateful they’re being good stewards of the gifts they’ve received. We receive everything from the Lord and we return everything to the Lord with courage and confidence.”