Michael John Manning (December 30, 1940 – December 14, 2016) was a
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
whose ministry was television.
His program, ''
The Word in the World'', is seen weekly on
The Church Channel
TBN Inspire is an American Christian broadcast television network owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). It is carried on the digital subchannels of TBN's stations.
The network originally launched as The Church Channel, which focu ...
. His programs also broadcast on Catholic television stations in Rockville Centre, Yonkers, Youngstown and Fresno. Manning is also aired on the worldwide Military Network. In 1972 Manning began his ministry by hosting and producing the program "Run for Daylight" on a cable system in
San Bernardino
San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...
, California. In 1978 he started a nationally syndicated weekly program.
Born in
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...
in 1940, Manning died on December 14, 2016, from brain cancer.
Manning's goal was to present Catholic perspectives on life's issues. He had a driving desire to build bridges among people of different Christian denominations and religions. He championed the causes of the poor and disenfranchised. His teachings brought insights into the Bible and the Catholic faith.
Manning appeared as a guest on ''
Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles s ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'',
Nancy Grace
Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs show on HLN, from 2005 to 2016, and Court TV's ''Closing Arguments' ...
,
The History Channel
History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
,
Doctor Laura, ''
The Leeza Show'', ''
The Montel Williams Show
''The Montel Williams Show'' (also known as ''Montel'') is an American syndicated tabloid talk show, hosted by Montel Williams, which ran from 1991 to 2008.
On January 30, 2008, the end of production of new episodes of ''The Montel Williams Sh ...
'', ''
The Phil Donahue Show
''The Phil Donahue Show'', also known as ''Donahue'', is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast on WLWD in Dayton, Ohio, and i ...
'', ''
Hard Copy
''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence.
The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' ...
'', ''
Helpline at NBC'' and ''
CBS Real People'', ''
The 700 Club
''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, con ...
'', and ''
Today's Religion''. For nine years he was a regular guest on the radio program ''
Religion on the Line'' on
KABC in Los Angeles with
Dennis Prager
Dennis Mark Prager (; born August 2, 1948) is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''The Dennis Prager Show''. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which creates five-m ...
.
Writing
Manning wrote several books and booklets, including ''Pardon My Lenten Smile'', ''Proclaimed from the Rooftops'', ''Life full of Surprises'', the autobiography ''On Camera and Off'', The Story of my Life, ''Questions and Answers for Today's Catholics'', "Sackcloth and Ashes: Liturgical Reflections for Lenten Weekdays" and ''Why do Catholics Leave the Church?'' For seven years he wrote a weekly column in the ''
Los Angeles Herald Examiner
The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...
''. He was the playwright and wrote the script for a live musical on the life of Saint Paul, called "Paul". "Paul" was performed at four locations throughout Southern California in 2009. His most recent book is ''5 Seconds a Day to a Successful Marriage''. In 2010
Doubleday released ''The 15 Faces of God – A quest to know the Father from the Parables of Jesus''.
Career and education
In Manning's 47 years of
priesthood he served as high school teacher, vocation director,
provincial superior, prison
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
, pastor and president of the television ministry,
Wordnet Productions. Manning received a B.A. degree in
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
from
New York State University
The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...
in Albany, New York in 1963. He received a
Theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
degree from
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
in Washington D.C. in 1969. He then received an M.F.A. (
Masters of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
) degree in
playwriting
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
from Catholic University of America in 1972. In addition to his media work, he was a speaker at national and international conventions.
Awards and recognition
In May 2006 Manning was the recipient of the Papal award
Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice
''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy.
History
The medal was established by Leo XIII o ...
from
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
, given to "individuals whose contributions rise to a level that deserves recognition by the Universal Church."
Manning was a member of the
Society of the Divine Word
The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic Church, Catholic clerical religious congregation ...
(Latin: Societas Verbi Divini: SVD), an international missionary community that serves the needs of the poor.
Controversy and return to ministry
In April, 2011 Manning announced a one-month leave from his television show as a result of the revelation that he was involved in an inappropriate relation with his second cousin, Nancy Kotowski, the Monterey County, California superintendent of schools.
TV priest Mike Manning on leave after acknowledging affair
Los Angeles Times
As of May 13, 2011, with the full support of his Provincial Superior of the Western
Province of Society of the Divine Word and the Bishop of San Bernardino, Fr. Manning
had returned to full active ministry. The weekly show on the Trinity Broadcasting
Network (TBN), as well as the daily smart phone app, iGodToday, sponsored by the
Vatican Observatory, was resumed.
See also
References
Sources
*http://www.tbn.org/watch-us/our-programs/the-word-in-the-world-hosted-by-father-michael-manning Father Manning on TBN
*https://web.archive.org/web/20091111163456/http://www.svdvocations.org/getdoc/8478a90c-6dd2-426c-9331-04c06b34413f/Fr--Michael-Manning,-SVD.aspx Divine Word Missionaries
*http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385531610 "15 Faces of God Book" published by DoubleDay, written by Father Michael Manning
*http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0303/11/lkl.00.html CNN Larry King Interview
*http://www.usccb.org/video/reflections.shtml United States Conference Catholic Bishops' Fr. Manning daily Reading Reflections
*http://www.nmtv.org/announcements/pope-honors-fr-michael-manning-of-the-word-in-the-world-on-tbn Pope honors Father Michael Manning
*http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0112/01/lklw.00.html CNN Larry King Live Interview "Can Three Ancient Religions Peacefully Coexist?" Aired December 1, 2001 21:00 ET
*http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0504/01/lkl.01.html CNN Larry King Live Interview "Panel discusses the Life of Pope John Paul II" Aired April 1, 2005 21:00 ET
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110516145711/http://www.wordnet.tv/pdf/Fr-Mike-Bio-7.30.08.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Michael
1940s births
2016 deaths
Place of birth missing
American Roman Catholic priests
Catholic University of America alumni
University at Albany, SUNY alumni