AmericanPapist Comments
good for him. I'm glad to hear that he is trying and yeah...they should leave him alone. Now, what about his brother Donnie? Maybe he can get him back to Mass too. Who knows? They all need conversions. But then again, we all do.
it's a totally 80's monday at AmP!
If Mark and his live-in girlfriend are getting married, I assume they they are living like brother and sister until they wed. I hope the priest who is marrying them insists on this-in preparation for this sacrament of matrimony. Is he receiving the Eucharist while living in mortal sin?
Faithful Catholic my eye.
At least they're not contracepting.
St. Brendan the saint, or St. Brendan's the Bailey's Irish Cream taste-alike?
I am glad he is turning his life around, but he should reconsider having any involvement with the show. It is immoral for sure. I think it would be best for him to recant involvement with the show and refuse money from it.
It's spelled *Wahlberg*.
I go to Mark's church -- although I haven't seen him there lately, but he might go to a different Mass than me -- and I've never seen anybody bug him, but I'm sure it happens.
It's going to take a bit of work for him and his intended to have a Catholic wedding, but I commend his efforts to get right with the Church in all ways.
I hope to soon see him and all his family in a pew soon -- and I promise I won't ask to be on Entourage!
Personally, I care far far less about the everyday shortcomings of my fellow Catholics than I do about the dissenting statements of my fellow Catholics. I don't have the time or inclination to worry about Wahlberg's private sins, but I do appreciate that he is not so arrogant as to use his celebrity status to attack the teachings of the Church.
Hey fellow commenters: remember that little teaching of our Church about assuming the best motives of others? If you don't KNOW that he and his live-in girlfriend aren't living as brother and sister, then you should charitably assume that they are. "Faithful Catholic my eye"? How can you make that judgment about his soul? Be very careful.
If people ask why the wedding is months away--common practice now with cohabitators with children IS to make them wait months and months to get married, doing pre-Cana, same as other couples. There are no shotgun Catholic weddings.
"Perfect? Nope. Trying? Seems like it."
What a great description which, hopefully, could be applied to us all.
Ah St. Brendan of Clonfert "the Voyager,"I'm named after him. Beautiful name.
Just out of curiosity, if the media knows what Parish he belongs to I would think it would be pretty easy to figure out when the wedding is. A lot of celebrities have these "secret" weddings, looks like Mark will not be one of them.
I sincerely do hope that the media stays out. Taking pictures of Mark on the beach is one thing, but to disregard the Sacredness of the Sacrament of Matrimony by taking pictures and spreading them all over the place is disrespectful.
Oh, I just got an idea if the media still comes: hopefully Mark's parish is orthodox, maybe having some traditional practices, or at least not like a lot of the Protestant-looking churches seen so often. It would be widespread exposure to a proper Mass.
Beverly Hills, huh?
I have to agree with Mariadevotee. If they are not living as brother and sister then this is bogus catholicism and should be clarified - so as not to cause scandal.
"although I haven't seen him there lately, but he might go to a different Mass than me"
Or he could be on location shooting a new movie.
I've been a fan of his acting for a long time now. Certainly, he's done some bad films, but who hasn't? His good ones like Three Kings and The Departed make up for it. I read in Men's Health the other year about how he's re-embraced his faith, which made me respect him even more. Godspeed, Mark!
All this talk about eyes and sin makes me think we should be working on removing the wooden beams from our own eyes instead of worrying about removing the splinter from Mark Wahlberg's eye.
Good for him and his efforts.
"I have to agree with Mariadevotee. If they are not living as brother and sister then this is bogus catholicism and should be clarified - so as not to cause scandal."
I have to agree with Joyce. It's sometimes very difficult to return fully practicing the faith, especially if you and your significant other are not on the same page.
Maybe they're living as brother and sister but living together for the sake of the kids they already have. Maybe they're not but refraining from communion. The point is we don't know and unless he starts publicly talking about his sex life or refuting Church teaching I'm not going to assume the worst.
I'm all for promoting the return of "bad Catholic" to the lexicon of our faith. Nowadays it seems like every pro-choice politician from a Catholic background is self-described as a "devout Catholic." At least Mr. Wahlberg has the grace to admit he is attempting to put his life in line with the Church, rather than trying to twist Church teaching to justify his own failings or disagreements.
Good for him. As a fellow bad Catholic, far below Our Lord's command to "be perfect, as Our Heavenly Father is perfect," I extend a meager hand of welcome.
To those apparently sinless few so willing to castigate us stragglers, I merely ask for your prayers for those of us who find living a life of fidelity to the teachings of the Church something of a struggle.
There's an interesting little sin called "detraction". Apparently it means saying something nasty about somebody, just to make other people think ill of the person. Interestingly, it doesn't matter whether the nasty thing you say is true or false; it's still detraction. Lots is said about it in the Bible. Lots. As in, God doesn't like it at all.
I know it's a prevalent sin on the Internet, and I know I indulge in it a lot, myself. But you combox folks shouldn't be trying to imitate nasty-tongued sinners like me.
all this time i thought the wahlbergs were jewish. i'd read it somewhere way back in the early 90s.
I agree with a previous comment on Wahlberg's involvement with Entourage the show... I think that one good step towards being a better Catholic would be to be careful that the media we create/produce/promote/watch won't cause scandal. :)
I feel very sorry about some of the animosity I see on these boards, particularly directed from one Catholic to another. Even when we feel we have valid points, we may try to be more charitable about things...
Why I can't get nitpicky. He shows his face in the place. He tries to Do The Right Thing. He may have lost roles because of his public faith, or will since this story. As my pal Don from NZ would say, good on him.
Few people in this life are standing still in their spiritual life. They are either improving or getting worse. By all appearances he seems to be improving. Saints are not made over night; we need to encourage people who are moving in the right direction even if they're not where we want them to be at the moment.
prayers for him.
Tim Ferguson, well said. I said a prayer for you, for all of us "strugglers".
Hopefully, The Hollywood Project will get off the ground soon -- it would serve as a source of spiritual/sacramental support for Catholics in the entertainment industry.
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