The theme of the church's skylight is Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The central panel shows Christ reigning as Lord of the kingdom that we pray will come. Photo credit: Jeanette Pikturna

The theme of the church’s skylight is Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. The central panel shows
Christ reigning as Lord of the kingdom that we pray will come. Photo credit: Jeanette Pikturna

November 22 – 29, 2015

Weekly Activities

Sunday, November 22 at 9:00 a.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in the Loft

Thursday, November 26 at 8:00 p.m. ~ THANKSGIVING DAY OBSERVANCE – NO BINGO

Saturday, November 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, November 28 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 a.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in the Loft

Tuesday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m. ~  Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

*In response to requests from our players, we have instituted age restrictions for admission to Bingo. As of  Thursday, October 15, we no longer admit children under 8 years of age.

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, November 22 ~ Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Healing for Ogbuagu Ejimadu (Requested by Fidelia and Family) and Robert Dapp (Requested by Angela Jost)

Monday, November 23 ~ St. Clement I; St. Columban; Bl. Miguel Agustin Pro ~ Communion Service at 11:00 a.m. in Daily Mass Chapel

Tuesday, November 24 ~ St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Parishioners)

Wednesday, November 25  ~ St. Catherine of Alexandria ~ Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Thursday, November  26 ~ THANKSGIVING DAY ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – For All Who Are Needy and Lonely

Friday, November  27 ~ NO SERVICE

Saturday, November  28~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Bernadette Dorsheimer (Family)

Sunday, November 29 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Ann Eismann (Paul Eismann) and Frances Brown (Bud and Mickey Dick)

Readings for the Week of November 22

Sunday: Dn 7:13-14; Rv 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37
Monday: Dn 1:1-6, 8-20; Lk 21:1-4
Tuesday: Dn 2:31-45; Lk 21:5-11
Wednesday: Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28; Lk 21:12-19
Thursday: Dn 6:12-28; Lk 21:20-28
Friday: Dn 7:2-14; Lk 21:29-33
Saturday: Dn 7:15-27; Lk 21:34-36
Sunday, November 29: Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

There's plenty of room remaining for your donation of cocoa for Sr. Karen Klimczak's Christmas Prison Project.

There’s plenty of room remaining for
your donation of cocoa for Sr. Karen Klimczak’s Christmas Prison Project.

News from our Parish Community

Our 2015 Cocoa Challenge: 4,200 Packets by November 29 ~ Thank you! We are almost half way to our goal. The next bit of good news is that our drive deadline has been extended one week, to Sunday, November 29. Please remember to add hot chocolate to your Thanksgiving shopping list. Not shopping? You can make a donation by cash or check (to “Peaceprints of WNY”), in an envelope marked “Prisoner Gifts” and placed in the collection basket. Bag Decorators: Remember to return all your bags, decorated or not. Place them in the box in the back pew near the cocoa donations. Gift packing will be at Blessed Trinity on Friday, December 11, in two shifts: 10 AM and 6 PM. Thank you for continuing Sister Karen Klimczak’s legacy.

Thanksgiving at Blessed Trinity ~ Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, November 26, at 10 AM. Please join us to begin the celebration around the Table of the Lord. “In grateful thanksgiving, we raise our hands in prayer for all we have, that God might also bless others through us, and that with each memory of God’s goodness, our hearts might overflow with JOY!” As a response to the message of the Gospel to feed the hungry and care for the poor, we invite you to bring non-perishable food items for Blessed Trinity’s Helping Hands Food Pantry.

Attention Lectors ~ Please pick up your new edition of 2016 Workbook For Lectors, which is available in the Priest’s Sacristy. We will begin using this edition for the First Sunday of Advent, November 29.  Thank you.

Gifts for our Shut-ins ~ Only TWO weeks remain to bring in your donations for the Christmas gift bags to be delivered to our homebound parishioners and those in senior care facilities. The early December 6 completion date for the drive is necessary so that presents and plants are ready for delivery on the weekend of December 12-13.  The Ladies Sodality is collecting items for their annual gifts. If you would like to contribute, please bring your new, unwrapped items to church and leave them in the designated basket near the statue of St. Joseph. Suggested items include: socks, eye glass wipes, artificial tears (eye drops), calendars, large-print puzzle books, or cash for a hair cut or shampoo & set. Ready-to-eat food items such as jam, jelly, toaster pastries; gelatin, fruit or pudding cups; or “add water” mixes; e.g., soup cups, single-serving oatmeal packets, tea, cocoa or coffee are also acceptable for the homebound. If you prefer to donate money, please do so before Thanksgiving so that our volunteers have time to shop. Thirteen volunteers are needed to deliver the gift bags and visit with their recipients before Christmas. Contact Mickey Dick by clicking HERE if you can help.

The Freudig Singers of WNY with another serving of Christmas Pie.

The Freudig Singers of WNY return to Blessed Trinity on December 6 with another serving of Christmas Pie.

Our Next Trinity Series Concert is Sunday, December 6, at 3 PM, and the Freudig Singers of WNY have mixed a little something for everyone into their Magnificent Pie. Under the direction of Roland Martin and featuring our own Elizabeth Sands and Luis Clay, the chorus will perform traditional and contemporary music for the holiday season including pieces as varied as Samuel Scheidt’s Magnificat and a medley of songs from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The concert concludes with a pie reception and an auction of signature pies prepared by the singers. Tickets are $10 each in advance or at the door. Questions may be directed to Elizabeth at 551-6870. Schedules for the entire concert series are available in church, or you may request one by clicking HERE and listing “Trinity Series” as the subject.

The Ladies Sodality Christmas dinner party is Wednesday, December 9 at 6:15 p.m., at the Family Tree Restaurant, 4346 Bailey Ave., Amherst. From her memoir, The Names of My Mothers, member Dianne Riordan will share the story of her all-too-brief relationship forged late in life with her birth mother. All women of the parish are invited and guests are welcome. You may choose from 3 dinner entrees: pot roast, baked fish, or roast pork. The cost, which includes tax and gratuity, is $25. Reservations are being accepted now through December 2 by Patty Gallisdorfer and Vera Andrew. To make a reservation on-line, click HERE and leave your name, dinner choice, and phone number.

Change in Time of Christmas Eve Services ~ Please take note that we have changed the time of our Christmas Eve service. Mass on Thursday, December 24, will be celebrated at 10:00 PM, rather than Midnight. The choir will begin singing at 9:30 PM. Please mark your calendars and be sure to tell friends and family members who customarily join us for worship on Christmas Eve.

Updating Our Records ~ We will soon be initiating a new group email for those who have indicated a willingness to receive time-sensitive parish announcements by email. If you have not completed a form but would like to be added to the group, call Rayana at 716-833-0301 or use the form at the bottom of the back page of the weekly bulletin to provide the following information: your name and preferred phone number; your email address; and, if applicable, your new mailing address. Alternatively, you may email the information to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com specifying “Contact Information” in the subject line, or click HERE and use our handy template. Just remember to reference “Contact Information” when submitting information on-line.

New or gently used paperback books are also need for the Christmas Prison Project.

New or gently used paperback books are also need for the Christmas Prison Project.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Scholarship Opportunities ~ Please contact Sister Barbara Horan for information regarding these two scholarships. The application deadline for each is Tuesday, December 1, 2015:

  • Martin Luther King Scholarship – to help an 8th grade student attain a Catholic High School Education.
  • Albert Lenhard Family Scholarship Fund – to assist applicants who want to continue their formal education beyond high school at the undergraduate and graduate levels.