Jim Wahlberg says he was a Boston street hustler, an alcoholic, and doing hard time when his life changed in the most unexpected way — during a prison Mass with Mother Teresa.
He remembers one moment clearly: “There was a certain point in that Mass when I thought I was looking at God.” That encounter made him realize, “The missing element for me to live a different life was a relationship with Christ.”
While his younger brothers Donnie Wahlberg and Mark Wahlberg were rising to fame, Jim was still in prison — not thinking about faith at all. “I wasn’t thinking about getting to the foot of the cross,” he admitted. “I was thinking about how I was going to manipulate the situation.”
Everything shifted after that Mass. Jim says he ran to the priest afterward and said, “I need to know more about this Jesus… who loves me in spite of all the things I’ve done wrong.”
He’s been sober for nearly 40 years now and dedicates his film work to sharing the message of Christ.
