James Wahlberg, producer of ‘Mother Teresa: No Greater Love’ poses with Sr Szymona and Sr Jose Mercy of the Missionaries of Charity at the documentary’s premiere in Radom, Poland, October 19, 2023. “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” is a new film that takes viewers on a journey to rediscover the importance of the Eucharist. Through dialogue with notable Catholic figures who explore the biblical origins of the Eucharist and share personal stories, one of the film’s producers, Jim Wahlberg, said he hopes to revive faith in the Eucharist.
In addition to Wahlberg – the brother of actor Mark Wahlberg – several well-known Catholics make an appearance in the film, including Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota; Fr Donald Calloway, MIC; Fr Robert Spitzer, SJ; Scott Hahn; Curtis Martin; and Chris Stefanick.
The film will be shown in cinemas in the US on June 4, 5, and 6 distributed by Fathom Events.
Wahlberg spoke with CNA at the premiere of the film at Christ Cathedral in Orange County, California, about why he believes this movie is so important, and he also shared some of his own powerful testimony.
“We got a big problem in our Church,” Wahlberg said. “When the report is 70% think that the Eucharist is a symbol or that they don’t believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist … that’s a real problem.”
A 2019 Pew Research study found that only a third of Catholics in the US believed in the Church’s teaching about the Eucharist. Nearly 70% of those in the study said they saw the body and blood of Christ as a symbol.
Wahlberg has been vocal about his personal story of being incarcerated due to substance abuse and the powerful conversion he had after hearing St Teresa of Calcutta speak when he was in prison.
Wahlberg ended up in the juvenile justice system, and by the time he was 17 years old he was on his way to serve a five-year sentence in state prison. After completing his sentence, he picked up a drink again on his first day out.
“The only person going for it was the Catholic priest, Fr Jim Freitas, the greatest man I’ve ever met in my life,” Wahlberg said.
“He approached me and he said, ‘Hey, I hear good things. I hear you’re trying to change your life. I have a job opening in the chapel,’” he shared. “Gives me a job in the chapel and within weeks tells me excitedly that Mother Teresa was coming to the prison. And I’m like, ‘Fantastic! That’s so great! Who’s Mother Teresa?’”.
Wahlberg said that he now knows, at 58, that “she was sent there for me”.
“Without a doubt in my mind,” he said. “Nobody ever told me God loved me, that Jesus died for me, nobody ever told me that. She gets up and says that God loves you. That Jesus Christ died for you. And there was a moment when she was speaking that it was just me and her.”