Christian Actor Mark Wahlberg Apologizes for Crimes Committed in His Youth; Enters a Pardon Plea With Massachusetts State Parole Board

Teresa Neumann : Dec 15, 2014
Staff – AP

"I have not engaged in philanthropic efforts in order to make people forget about my past. To the contrary, I want people to remember my past so that I can serve as an example of how lives can be turned around and how people can be redeemed." -Mark Wahlberg

(Hollywood, CA) - Actor Mark Wahlberg, a devout Catholic who goes to church every day and is very vocal about his faith, has applied for pardon for violent crimes he committed as a troubled teen growing up in Boston. He has confessed he was high on marijuana and other narcotics at the time and has apologized for his actions. (Photo via FoxNews)

According to Fox News, in 1988, Wahlberg hit a Vietnamese man in the head with a wooden stick while trying to steal alcohol from a convenience store and punched another man in the face while trying to avoid police. It was during his time in jail following his sentence that the future actor met a priest who influenced him to turn his life around.

Wahlberg, a Catholic who attends church every day, told Anderson Cooper two years ago that he prays to be "a good servant to God, a father, a husband, a son, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a good neighbor, a good leader to those who look up to me, a good follower to those who are serving God and doing the right thing. The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my knees and give thanks to God … That 10 minutes helps me in every way throughout the day."

Last week, in an interview on ABC's Live with Kelly and Michael, Wahlberg also openly spoke about wanting his children to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

"I've been trying to push the religious aspect of Christmas a little more," he said. "No gifts and go to church."

Wahlberg's pardon plea is awaiting approval before the state parole board in his home state of Massachusetts, which hasn't approved a pardon in more than a decade.