The Rev. Michael Manning, a Catholic priest who for decades conducted a television ministry out of San Bernardino, has died.
Manning, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries, died Dec. 14 due to complications from cancer, said the Diocese of San Bernardino. He was 75.
The Society of the Divine Word is a missionary order of 6,000 priests and brothers that works in more than 60 countries.
“He was somebody who really communicated God’s love for every person,” San Bernardino Diocese spokesman John Andrews said. “He did that with his words, in the tone of his voice, in his expressions, in his message.”
“He had a very benevolent manner to him,” Andrews added.
Manning sought to advance Catholic media ministry in 1978 by founding Wordnet Productions, a nonprofit company that produced more than 1,000 programs from its San Bernardino studio on North D Street.
His programs, such as “The Word in the World,” were syndicated nationally by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Manning also appeared as a guest on “Larry King Live,” “The Montel Williams Show” and “Hard Copy.” He appeared with Robert De Niro in the film “Guilt by Suspicion.”
“I think he chose media because he really had an interest in bringing people together. … He thought that every person’s faith, and how they came to know God, was important and that it could inspire other people as well,” Andrews said.
Manning also was involved in diocesan parish ministry, serving as pastor at St. Anthony Parish in San Bernardino from 2004 to 2010.
A number of people posted memories of him on the diocese’s Facebook page, describing him as having a “heart of compassion” and as a “soldier of God’s army.”
Manning’s personal struggles once threatened to destroy his ministry.
In 2011, Manning made headlines when he admitted he had a two-year affair with a woman who was his second cousin. He said he ended the affair, and added that he cared for her, but that he loved the priesthood more.
He took a leave of absence from his TV ministry following the revelation, but resumed shortly after.
A funeral Mass for Manning will be celebrated 1 p.m. today at Queen of Angels Church, 4824 Jones Ave. in Riverside, followed by a committal service at 2:30 p.m. at Pierce Brothers-Crestlawn Mortuary, 11500 Arlington Ave. in Riverside.
