Denzel Washington was baptized and earned a minister’s license ahead of his 70th birthday.
Both occurred during a ceremony at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in New York City on Saturday. Washington’s newly obtained minister’s license allows him to be ordained in the future.
“We celebrate the addition of Minister Denzel Washington into the clergy, having received his minister’s license in the Church of God in Christ today, in a truly uplifting moment,” Archbishop Christopher Bryant wrote on Facebook alongside photos of Washington’s baptism.
In his post, Bryant noted that the “Gladiator 2” star, whose father was an ordained minister, attended Kelly Temple Church as a child.
“It took a while, but I’m finally here…If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit,” Washington said at the event, according to Bryant’s post.
Washington’s wife, Pauletta Washington, attended the actor’s baptism with him. She expressed joy over witnessing her husband reach new heights in his faith journey.
“Forty-six years later, here I’m still standing next to him as only God will have it,” Pauletta said at the ceremony. “So I’m very proud of you. You are the head of our house and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference.”
Last month, the “Training Day” actor, who turns 70 on Dec. 28, opened up about his journey with religion, telling Esquire that it’s “not fashionable” and “not sexy” to be religious in Hollywood.
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“I’m unafraid. I don’t care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it — you can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party. You can’t say that in this town,” he wrote in an essay published by the magazine.
He added, “It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy. But that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe.”