Mark Knows It All

I wanted to write something profound for this very important Thanksgiving holiday this year.  But my gut tells me there is something terribly wrong in the nation...at our nation's very core.  While I thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us, I also feel that we are on the cusp of losing it all as the commonality of belief of our nation's core values is being eroded from all directions.  That uneasiness makes it difficult to write.  Tonight I came across the address given by Bishop Mark Hollingsworth, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, at our convention two weeks ago.  The Episcopal Church is the most liberal of the liturgical churches.  That has caused lots of problems within the national and local churches.  Bishop Hollingsworth, however, acknowledged the problem, then gave a blue print on how the differences that are pulling our church apart can also be the path to bring it together. A great message for this Thanksgiv...

By Mark Mangie. Driving home this afternoon from my bi-weekly trip to Hogan’s with my little pal Vinny the Pooch, my radio happened to land on Channel 70 on Sirius/XM radio.   Those of you who are Hallmark Channel aficionados will know the significance.   Blaring from my extremely high-tech speakers was Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, warbling Here Comes Santa Claus .   He first recorded the song in 1947.   He re-recorded it in 1953.   Why?   Who the hell knows.   The song sucked then.   The song sucks now. The second version conjures up one of my earliest memories…playing that Gene Autry gem on my little brown 45 rpm record player when we lived in a second-floor duplex on Prestwick Drive.   I was three going on four…in 1953!!!   That makes 65 years of Gene Autry singing "Click Click Click" ad nauseum.   It's time to bury Gene Autry once and for all.   I am oft reminded of what my grandmother told me years...

By Mark G. Mangie. Midst all of the political falderal this past week, this story was hardly discussed. The "List" of local Catholic priests with pedophile issues was a stunner and disturbing.  The population of Mahoning County has been historically overwhelmingly Catholic. Me too. I was raised Catholic, attended a Catholic school for 2 years, and CCD classes through high school. There are lots of jokes about going to Catholic school and the rules and regulations surrounding being a Catholic. Over my lifetime mortal sins evolved into venial sins then into no sins at all, depending on the circumstances. When I was 22 I decided it wasn't for me. I joined the Episcopal Church which was more in line with my personal belief system.  All of my ministers have told me...there is no such thing as a lapsed Catholic. The religion becomes part of your core. A Lutheran minister told me that as lapsed Catholics get older, they revert to their core beliefs. As he counsel...