Catholic actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie explained on Wednesday that they joined the prayer app Hallow as narrators in order to help people “grow closer to God.”
The movement to include prayer in one’s daily activities has seen a recent boom due in part to an ad for the app that ran during the Super Bowl. Wahlberg, who starred in the 2022 film Father Stu, was asked about the spike in downloads since.
“We just want to continue to encourage people to grow closer to God,” Wahlberg said. “So, it’s been amazing. Ever since I was fortunate enough to get involved with the Hallow app, right around the release of Father Stu, it really has allowed me to contribute as much as I possibly can and use the platform that I have to encourage people to have a relationship with God.”
Roumie, who is best known for playing Jesus Christ in The Chosen television series, said he thought the success of the app was “awesome.” He stated that he believes the Hallow app is “filling a need” for people wanting to connect to God, adding that he thought it was great the app’s Super Bowl commercial demonstrated that.
“They want to improve their prayer life, and the fact that Hallow can actually help them achieve that in ways that are so meaningful, it’s just music to my ears,” Roumie said.
Wahlberg agreed, adding that he believes people are looking to reconnect with God due to the last few years and the events that have transpired in them, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Hallow commercial that aired during Sunday’s big game featured both Wahlberg and Roumie, with Wahlberg saying a prayer in a church and encouraging viewers to join the app to pray throughout Lent, a time of fasting done in the weeks leading up to the week of Easter.
In the wake of the ad’s airing, Hallow CEO Alex Jones said the app experienced its biggest spike in downloads ever, surpassing Netflix in the app store. Jones added that he and Hallow employees have been “blown away by the responses to the spot” and that it was “amazing to see how the spot resonated with so many.”
