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Monday, September 1, is Labor Day, a national holiday first celebrated in 1882 and dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The value of labor has been recognized for centuries and is honored in six small woodcarvings – symbols of The Trades – over the ushers’ office in the rear of the church. These woodcarvings, like the others in our church, are the work of brothers Richard and Albert Lippich who were natives of nearby Bowmansville, NY. Photo credit: Margaret Dick.

 

August 31 – September 7, 2014

Weekly Activities

Thursday, September 4 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall.

Saturday, September 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall.

Saturday, September 6 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall.

We now have a Bingo camera with TV monitors and electronic verification! To check the Red, White & Blue and progressive Share-the-Wealth carry over amounts and progressive numbers for this week, click HERE and visit our Facebook page.

 

Mass Intentions

Sunday, August 31 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Richard and Elizabeth Stabler (Requested by Ed Marien) and Stephen Wagner (Requested by Gary Weber)

Monday, September 1 ~ Labor Day Holiday ~ NO Service

Tuesday, September 2 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Agnes and Cleveland Witherspoon (Family)

Wednesday, September 3 ~ St. Gregory the Great ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – The Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Thursday, September 4 ~ No Service

Friday, September 5 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anthony and Teresa Hafner (Estate)

Friday, September 5 at 2:30 p.m. ~ Marriage of Thomas Carozzolo and Elizabeth Savio

Saturday, September 6 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Joan West (West Children)

Sunday, September 7 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Richard and Mary James (Dorothy Lein) and Cynthia Braun (Family)

 

News from our Parish Community

Bingo Volunteer Alert ~ On Thursday night, September 4, our Bonus Ball Jackpot will be $3,337.60 and our Progressive Jackpot will start at $2,017.50.  A larger than usual player turnout is expected and will stretch the capabilities of our Thursday bingo worker team. Bingo is the largest source of parish operating funds and an important form of stewardship. If you’ve ever thought about helping, NOW IS THE TIME.  Fran Cahill will be happy to assist you in joining the team. You can leave your name and contact information for Fran by clicking HERE, or call the parish office (833-0301) and Fran will contact you. Even if you can only give a two hours on a Thursday or Saturday, volunteering on a regular scheduled basis can be extremely helpful. Please consider a gift of time to your parish family.

Family Promise ~ Many thanks to BT volunteers Naoma Allen, Amy Johnson and Judy Casassa who prepared and shared a delicious spaghetti dinner with two families in the Family Promise Program at SS. Columba-Brigid parish on August 23rd. Family Promise (formerly the Interfaith Hospitality Network) provides emergency shelter, meals and other short-term assistance to local families who are temporarily homeless. Ss. Columba-Brigid is a host site for our area, and Blessed Trinity helps out with meals and related support during the week the families live at that location. Family Promise is a national organization, and a number of churches locally act as hosts or supporting congregations for the program. It’s all about keeping entire families together while they work toward having a home to call their own. If you could spare a little time every few months and help provide a meal to a homeless family, we’d love to have you on our BT team. Please click HERE to leave your contact information for Naoma Allen or Amy Johnson. They will be happy to answer your questions and provide more detailed information.

Support for Vive ~ It’s not too late to add to the special diocesan collection for the refugees at Vive. As the Catholic Church in the U.S. is looking for ways to respond to the plight of migrants and refugees in our country, our own community response,Vive, is being forced to cease operation. Founded 30 years ago by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Vive has assisted 90,000 refugees to either obtain legal status in Canada or move ahead on the path to U.S. citizenship. In a August 5th letter to all parishes in the diocese, Bishop Richard Malone explained that “[i]n recent years all government housing money has been taken away and the congregations of Sisters find themselves unable to bear the burden of support.” As a result, Vive will close its doors on September 30, 2014. The agency, located on nearby Wyoming Avenue, “has an urgent financial need to provide for its current 60 refugees as they are placed elsewhere and to close down the building.”  The refugee crisis is not a world away. It is right here in our neighborhood. Thank you for your prayers and generous contributions to this special collection. If you would like to help, please call the church office at 833-0301 and ask where to send your contribution.

Blessed Trinity School Alumni ~ Each fall, alumni and friends of Blessed Trinity School return for a Memorial Mass honoring deceased alumni and faculty of the parish grammar school which served families of the community from 1908 through 1975. Following the Mass, the Alumni Committee hosts a reception in St. Charles Hall. If you or someone you know attended Blessed Trinity School, please encourage them to join us for worship at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 28. You can read more about this annual event and the work of the Alumni Committee by clicking HERE.

Soprano Amy Grable

Soprano Amy Grable

Tenor Robert Zimmerman

Tenor Robert Zimmerman

October Events ~ Blessed Trinity will be hosting two special events in the month of October. The 2014-15 Trinity Concert Series opens on Sunday, October 5, with the vocalizations of tenor Robert Zimmerman, a Buffalo native, and his wife, soprano Amy Lynn Grable. And on Friday, October 24, the always popular Wine Tasting hosted by Hertel Parker Liquor returns. Please save these dates and view our Upcoming Events posts for more information.

Highland Park Neighborhood Vision Revealed ~ A note of appreciation for all who attended the August 25th community meeting at which LP Ciminelli, the developer of the former Central Park Plaza, unveiled its vision for the 27-acre brownfield to be known as Highland Park. You can read more about it HERE.

Diocesan Celebration of Milestone Wedding Anniversaries ~ Couples celebrating their fiftieth, sixtieth or seventieth wedding anniversaries during 2014 will be honored on Sunday, November 16, at 3:00 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral followed by a reception at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.  Family members are invited.  If you have celebrated or will be celebrating one of these significant wedding anniversaries during 2014 and would like to participate in this event, please call Sister Barbara (833-0301). Thank you.

 

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Do You Want to Take a Bible Study That Is More Challenging? Our program may be just what you are looking for. Our restructured program will begin the week of September 15, 2014 at the following locations: Monday Evenings, 7-9 p.m. – St Mary of the Lake, 4737 Lake Shore Road, Hamburg 14275; Tuesday Evenings, 7-9 p.m. – Newman Center, University at Buffalo, 495 Skinnersville Rd, Amherst 14228; Wednesday Evenings, 6-8 p.m. – St. Michael, 651 Washington St., Buffalo 14203 (Originally planned for St. Joseph Cathedral). Contact our office for more details at Catholic Biblical Studies Program, 716 871-9180 ~ info [at] cbstudies [dot] org ~ www.cbstudies.org.

Get Your High School Equivalency Diploma NOW! New TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) preparation classes start every week. This program replaces the GED as the official exam for obtaining a high school equivalency diploma. All WNY residents 21 and older are welcome at no cost. Morning, afternoon and evening classes are available at conveniently located classroom sites across Buffalo. Distance Learning Programs are available for students who qualify. For an orientation appointment call Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division at 716-888-7088 ext. 100.

Ladies of Charity, a volunteer organization that sponsors a variety of programs of assistance for those in need, has a growing need for household items provided through Fresh Start, which provides basic household goods for those who have experienced home displacement. Items including new and gently used blankets and comforters, dishes and cooking utensils, would be greatly appreciated. Donations are accepted weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1122 Broadway, Buffalo. Call 716-895-4001 for more information or visit http://www.ccwny.org.

If you are a victim of Domestic Violence and are in need of access to safety planning, spiritual care, legal assistance, limited medical assistance, counseling, law enforcement, the Family Justice Center of Erie County, Inc. “Where Families Come First” is for you! ALL SERVICES ARE FREE and conversations strictly private. Information: 716-558-7233 or http://www.fjcsafe.org.