Mark Wahlberg lends support to Lent prayer campaign

Mark Wahlberg in the Hallow ad.

Actor Mark Wahlberg appeared in a commercial during the Super Bowl to encourage people to pray this Lent. 

The Super Bowl 2024 was the most-watched telecast of all time, pulling in an audience of over 123 million. 

Wahlberg appeared in the commercial for Hallow, a Catholic prayer app, alongside The Chosen star, Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the hit show. 

The ad extends an invitation to people to pray during the Lent season, which gets underway on Wednesday. 

"God, we take this moment just to give You thanks," says Wahlberg in the ad. 

Roumie is one of the contributors to the Hallow app, which has been downloaded around 10 million times.

Users can listen to "The Chosen's Jonathan Roumie's audio Bible" and be supported in their daily prayer life in other ways like sermons and Bible-in-a-year guides.

Wahlberg, who is a committed Catholic, has also contributed a series of lessons on the topic of fasting to the app. 

He has often been seen at the start of Lent with an ash cross on his forehead and previously played the role of a Catholic priest alongside Mel Gibson in the faith-based movie, Father Stu.

Appearing on the Today Show last year, he admitted it was challenging being a Catholic in Hollywood.

"It's not popular in my industry, but you know, I cannot deny my faith," he said. "It's important for me to share that with people."

He also said it was about striking a balance between sharing his faith and respecting others.

"I have always talked about my faith," he said.

"It's a balance. I don't wanna jam it down anybody's throat, but I do not deny my faith."

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