Photo credit: Bonnie Hodur Williams
November 29 – December 6, 2015
Weekly Activities
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
Thursday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Saturday, December 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played 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 29 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Ann Eismann (Requested by Paul Eismann) and Frances Brown (Requested by Bud and Mickey Dick)
Monday, November 30 ~ St. Andrew, Apostle ~ Communion Service at 11:00 a.m. in Daily Mass Chapel
Tuesday, December 1 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Wednesday, December 2 ~ Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Thursday, December 3 ~ St. Francis Xavier ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)
Friday, December 4 ~ St. John Damascene ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anna Snyder (Estate)
Saturday, December 5 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Mary C. Nelson (Family)
Sunday, December 6 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Margaret E. Schirmann (Marcy C. Stoddard) and Leonard Dinder (The Gallisdorfers)
The Freudig Singers of WNY with another serving of Magnificent Pie.
Sunday, December 6, at 3 PM.
Readings for the Week of November 22
Sunday: Jer 33:14-16; Ps 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14; 1 Thes 3:12-4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36
Monday: Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 4:18-22
Tuesday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24
Wednesday: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37
Thursday: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27; Mt 7:21, 24-27
Friday: Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31
Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8
Sunday, December 6: Bar 5:1-9; Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Lk 3:1-6
News from our Parish Community
Don’t Miss out on Christmas Pie, next Sunday, December 6, at 3 PM ~ The Freudig Singers of WNY have mixed a little something for everyone into their Magnificent Pie, the next concert in our Trinity Series. 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 in St. Charles Hall 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.
Our 2015 Cocoa Challenge: 4,200 Packets by November 29 ~ Thank you for your generous donations! As of last Sunday we had 3,872 packets. With this weekend’s donations plus monetary contributions, we have reached our goal! 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.
Sodality Christmas Dinner Party is Wednesday, December 9 at 6:15 PM at the Family Tree Restaurant, 4346 N. Bailey Ave., Amherst. All women of the parish are invited and guests are welcome. You may choose from 3 entrees: pot roast, baked fish, or roast pork. Greek potatoes, chef salad, rolls & butter, coffee, tea or soda and ice cream with chocolate sauce complete the menu – all for only $25. Entrée choices and payment (checks payable to “Ladies Sodality”) are due no later than Friday, December 4 and may be given to either Patty Gallisdorfer or Vera Andrew. To make a reservation on-line, click HERE and leave your name, dinner choice, and phone number. 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. Dianne has generously offered to make copies of her book available to us at a discounted rate of $12, with proceeds of each sale ($4) going to the Ladies Sodality. If you would like to read it before the dinner, please see her at church this Sunday.
Next Sunday, December 6, is the last day to contribute items to be used in Christmas gift bags being assembled for delivery to our homebound parishioners and those in senior care facilities. 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), large-print puzzle books, or cash for a hair cut or shampoo & set. (We’ve already received more than enough quality calendars). Ready-to-eat food items or “add water” mixes are also acceptable for the homebound. The gift bags and poinsettia plants will be ready on the weekend of Dec. 12-13, and Mickey Dick is still seeking volunteers to deliver them and visit with their recipients. Contact her by clicking HERE if you can help.
Our Spiritual Journey from Advent to Lent ~ During the Advent season, our Parish Council invites you to join your fellow parishioners in reading A Spirituality of Being Human by local author Hugh Brady, D. Min. In Dr. Brady’s own words, “a spirituality of being human…is loving and accepting human nature in its brokenness and in its state of grace. It is awareness of the deeply transformative experience of being human.” Copies of the book will be available at church or from the rectory beginning this weekend, with a portion of the $20 purchase price being donated to the Little Portion Friary. There will also be a limited number of copies available to borrow and return for someone else to read. A group discussion of the book is planned for the Lenten season, which begins on February 10. Please see Dianne Riordan on Sunday to obtain a copy.
Change in Time of Christmas Eve Services ~ We’re giving you plenty of notice that the time of our Christmas Eve service has changed. 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.
Catholic Campaign for Human Development ~ Thank you for your contributions to the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). Your generous gifts will help CCHD end poverty in the United States through better education, improved housing, and economic development. Through CCHD and its beneficiaries, we demonstrate Catholic social teaching and carry out Jesus’ mission to “bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18).
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Christmas Crèches on Display ~ Fr. Roy Herberger invites you to experience a display of 560 nativity sets from 59 countries. These international crèches will be shown at Ss. Columba-Brigid Church located at 75 Hickory and Eagle St. (one block south of Clinton). The building is handicapped accessible. The hours are 1 – 4 p.m. this weekend, every weekend in December (EXCEPT December 26 and 27) and on January 2 and 3. There is no charge, and there is a special section for children.