Catholic celebrities share their ashes across social media

This Ash Wednesday, a number of celebrities and public figures who are Catholic made media appearances wearing crosses made of ash on their foreheads, a sign underscoring the mortality of man. Below is a roundup of several who witnessed to this reality through this visible sign Feb. 18. 

Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie

Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie wore their ashes during Ash Wednesday appearances on “Fox & Friends” and “The View,” speaking about Lent’s call to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

The Catholic actors promoted the Hallow app’s “Pray40” Lenten challenge, inviting viewers to join 40 days of daily prayer ahead of Easter. 

In a joint Instagram post with the app, Wahlberg encouraged his more than 30 million followers to commit to prayer this Lent. 

The following day, Hallow’s founder, Alex Jones, said the app reached No. 1 overall in the App Store, surpassing ChatGPT. 

Gwen Stefani 

The Grammy-winning singer Gwen Stefani marked Ash Wednesday by sharing an Instagram Story photo of herself with the ashes on her forehead, to her 17.7 million followers. She captioned it "From dust to dust. Have a blessed Lent!" In a separate post, she tagged the Hallow app and also promoted its “Pray40” challenge. 

US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau

Christopher Landau, the U.S. deputy secretary of state, posted a photo of himself after receiving ashes at Mass. A lifelong Catholic, Landau has said attending Sunday Mass — even while traveling abroad — is “one of the great joys” of his work. Landau also has a particular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton, the Emmy-winning star of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” shared a photo of herself wearing ashes. Heaton has long been open about her Catholic faith and was raised in a large, devout family in Cleveland, Ohio. Her mother attended daily Mass growing up, and her sister is a Dominican sister of Saint Cecilia. 

David Henrie

David Henrie, the director and actor known for his role in the Disney Channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place” and its spinoff, shared a photo of himself and his wife wearing their ashes on Ash Wednesday.

The devout Catholic wrote in his Instagram post’s caption: “Today the Church marks our foreheads with a cross and reminds us that everything turns to dust… except the soul. Except eternity. Except Christ. Fast. Pray. Give. Go to confession. Lead your family. Kill the sin before it kills you.”

Mario Lopez 

Mario Lopez, the Catholic actor and television host, shared a photo of his ashes, writing, “A reminder to focus on what really matters — faith, family, and purpose. Grateful to begin this Lenten season with intention.” 

Lopez met Pope Leo XIV during a recent visit to the Vatican, where he attended Mass, had his cross blessed by the Pope, and described the experience as profoundly “humbling.”

Lila Rose 

Lila Rose, the founder of Live Action, a pro-life advocacy organization with over eight million social media followers, shared a photo of herself wearing her ashes. A convert to Catholicism, Rose also received an honorary doctorate from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2024 in recognition of her pro-life work.

Bret Baier

Fox News host Bret Baier appeared on live television wearing ashes on his forehead. 

Raised in the faith and educated at Catholic schools, Baier has spoken about how his Catholicism deepened during his son’s serious childhood heart condition, crediting prayer and the Church with sustaining his family.