Devout Catholic Mark Wahlberg Calls His Faith The 'Most Important Aspect Of My Life'

Mark Wahlberg gushed to a news outlet about how his religion has helped him overcome the struggles he went through early in his life as the father-of-four attributed his many successes over the years to his devotion to God.

"It's just the most important aspect of my life," the star shared recently. "It's the most important thing. It's afforded me all the things that I've been able to accomplish in my life — my faith, my discipline."

As OK! previously reported, on Wednesday, February 22, the devout catholic went on Today in celebration of Ash Wednesday. There, he discussed the challenges of practicing religion in the Hollywood spotlight.

"It's a balance," the Departed alum explained. "I don't want to jam it down anybody's throat, but I do not deny my faith. That's an even bigger sin."

"You know, it's not popular in my industry, but I cannot deny my faith. It's important for me to share that with people,” the Boston native said. "But, I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions, so it's important to respect and honor them as well."

"Discipline has always been important for me in life," Wahlberg commented. "Once I started getting into movies and transitioned from music, I realized I needed a lot of discipline in my life, and that discipline has afforded me so many other things."

"I've been rewarded for it so much, and I want to share that with people, whether that's with fasting, working out more, detaching from other things and just spending more time with God, in prayer or in thoughtful reflection. Those things are important," he preached.

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Following his appearance on Today, fans of the Irish Catholic took to twitter to comment on his message — with mixed reactions.

"I appreciated Today covering this topic and admired Mark Wahlberg for being true to his deepest beliefs and values in spite of the crowd," one person tweeted, while another said, "Next, do his criminal record. #repent don't preach," referring to his troubled past.

Fox News reported on Wahlberg’s comments.