2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Week of January 17, 2016

January 17 – January 24, 2016

Weekly Activities

Wednesday, January 20 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, January 21 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, January 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, January 23 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, January 24 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall, hosted by our Holy Name Society

*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, January 17 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Geraldine Waters (Requested by the Gallisdorfers) and James Hartzell (Requested by Judy Casassa)

Monday, January 18 ~ Communion Service at 11:00 a.m. in Daily Mass Chapel

Tuesday, January 19 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anna Snyder (Estate)

Wednesday, January 20 ~ St. Fabian; St. Sebastian ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Winifred Enright (Estate)

Thursday, January 21 ~  St. Agnes ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. -Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Friday, January 22 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Saturday, January 23 ~ Baptisms at 1:30 p.m. – Abigail Rose Arnold and Daniel Benjamin Sperandeo

Saturday, January 23 ~ St. Vincent; St. Marianne Cope ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Sunday, January 24 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Bridget Blesnuk (Duffy Sisters) and John Allen (Bud and Mickey Dick)

Readings for the Week of January 17

Sunday: Is 62:1-5; Ps 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10; 1 Cor 12:4-11; Jn 2:1-11
Monday: 1 Sm 15:16-23; Ps 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23; Mk 2:18-22
Tuesday: 1 Sm 16:1-13; Ps 89:20-22, 27-28; Mk 2:23-28
Wednesday: 1 Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51; Ps 144:1-2, 9-10; Mk 3:1-6
Thursday: 1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7; Ps 56:2-3, 9-13; Mk 3:7-12
Friday: 1 Sm 24:3-21; Ps 57:2-4, 6, 11; Mk 3:13-19
Saturday: 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27; Ps 80:2-3, 5-7; Mk 3:20-21
Sunday, January 24: Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Os 19:8, 9, 10, 15; 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27; Lk 1:1-4; 4; 14-21

News from our Parish Community

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King ~ The Diocesan Mass celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is Sunday, January 17, at 10:30 AM at St. Martin de Porres Church, 555 Northampton St., Buffalo. The celebrant and homilist, Rev. Bishop Martin D. Holley from the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., will expand on the theme of “Do You Know Mercy?” and the concept of love as the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend. The annual event is sponsored by the African American Commission of the Office of Cultural Diversity of our diocese. A reception featuring theme baskets will follow the Mass, with proceeds benefiting the MLK Scholarship Fund.

MLK Scholarships ~ At this Sunday’s Diocesan Mass celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., three young women – Mikaila Frazier, Mikeisha Frazier and Adalia Romero-Horta – will receive awards from the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund, giving them the opportunity to continue their education in a Catholic High School of their choice. We join in congratulating them, and extend our sincere thanks to parishioner Jessie Wells, who has served on the scholarship committee for many years. You will find special “Thank You” envelopes in the pews this weekend for the Scholarship Fund, which will mark its  30^th anniversary in 2017. Please be generous in supporting its mission of extending quality Catholic education to all. If you are not in a position to donate today, please keep the envelope and make your contribution next weekend.

The Parish Council meets Wednesday, January 20, at 7 PM in St. Charles Hall.
Summary of the December 16, 2015 Parish Council Meeting: The Finance Council meets weekly. Repair to St. Charles Hall is completed and the FLARE Building has a new boiler. Insurance covered both, after our deductible ($1,000 each). Parishioners are urged to get a copy of A Spirituality of Being Human in preparation for discussion during Lent. The plan to increase parish membership is in process. Thanks to all who contributed hot chocolate for the Prison Ministries project. Special thanks to Judy Casassa, Amy Johnson and Dan Korchowsky for their extensive work on the project. Council members include: Vera Andrew, Thomas Brodfuehrer, Bud Dick, Mickey Dick (V. Pres.), Darvan Draper, S. Peggy Gallagher, (Pres.), Helen Roddy Gray, Madonna Hartzell, Robert Heicklen, S. Barbara Horan, Daniel Korchowsky, Father Reger, Dianne Riordan, S. Elizabeth Savage (Secty.), Jessie Wells, and Palma Zanghi.

The Choir is now on its winter break. For the next 3 weeks, they’ll be individually backing up our sung praise. We thank Music Director Nick DelBello and all the choir members for their dedication over the past months and look forward to their return on the February 14, the First Sunday of Lent.

Coffee Hour ~ Our January Coffee Hour is Sunday, January 24, following the 10 AM Mass. It will be hosted by the Holy Name Society.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for all who braved the snow squall on Tuesday evening, January 12, and helped remove and store our Christmas decorations for another year: Tom, Drew and Nik Brodfuehrer; Judy Casassa, Darvan and Vontrese Draper, Bud and Mickey Dick, Sister Barbe, Dan Korchowsky, Dorothy Manuppelli, Kathleen Marien, Kathy Press, Father George, Sister Liz Savage, Suzanne and Gary Tocke, and Sue Trabert.

Basket of Cheer Raffle ~ By now you should have received chances in the mail for the Ladies Sodality’s annual raffle, which will take place on Sunday, February 7. If you did not or would like additional sheets, you will find them on a table at the church divide. Thank you for supporting our parish fundraiser.

Reminder to Sodality Members ~ Membership in the Ladies Sodality runs with the calendar year, and annual dues of $5.00 for 2016 are now due. Please return the request form you received in the mail along with your dues and contact information by the end of January so that Mickey Dick can update the member directory and telephone tree. Membership is open to all women of the parish, and this is the best time to join. If you would like more information, please leave your inquiry for Membership VP Mickey Dick  by Clicking HERE. The next general meeting is March 6, following Sunday Mass.

Prisoner Gift Project ~ Peaceprints has received many thank you notes from the inmates of Wende and Albion Correctional Facilities for the Christmas gift bags assembled in our church. Here are a few of their comments: “Being here is hard but being here during the holidays is even harder. Your bag was uplifting…. Your gift each year truly warms my heart and soul…. You put a lot of smiles on the ladies of Albion…. It is nice to know that we are not forgotten – we were touched…. It was a surprise to me because I don’t have family to help me. I’ll wait until next year for that special bag…. It means a lot to those of us who have no family on the outside…. Your prayers will strengthen me in these hard times.”

“Explore Buffalo” invites “[v]isitors, residents, and students of all ages…to experience Buffalo’s unique architectural and historical legacy up-close with expert volunteers…dedicated to providing the city’s friendliest, most comprehensive, best informed tours.” On December 29 and 30, Explore Buffalo came to Blessed Trinity, and a total of 65 WNYers did just that as Judy Casassa, Mickey Dick, Sr. Liz Savage, Eleanor Ash and Nancy Yager welcomed them and provided facts and a few fables about the church building as well as parish and neighborhood history. Tour admissions resulted in proceeds of $985.00 for the Under This Roof Fund. Thanks to our dedicated docents and Explore Buffalo’s Brad Hahn for helping more folks discover Blessed Trinity.

The Trinity Series continues ~ Our next concert is February 14 at 3 PM when soprano Amy Grable and tenor Robert Zimmerman bring us their Celebration of Love. The husband and wife duo who opened our 2014-15 Series are back by popular demand singing some of musical theater’s most cherished love songs – and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Mark you calendars, and plan to be with us on February 14.

Blessed Trinity 2016 Calendars are still available in the Ushers’ Pew. Share one with a friend.

Many thanks to all of the parishioners from Blessed Trinity Church who came to the Catholic Central Helping Hands Food Pantry (CCHHFP) to lend their support. During the year 2015 these included the following: Luis Clay, Cathy Cummings, Darvan Draper, Marquis Draper, Vontrese Draper, Sharon “Shammy” Dunnigan, Nashelle Gittens, Lorena James, Miles James, Dan Korchowsky, Dianne Riordan, Elizabeth Bailey Sands and Palma Zanghi. I am especially grateful for those who gave their support during the months of May to September on many Saturdays. Due to the lack of participating school programs during this time period, we relied on parishioners plus regular volunteers who come weekly to carry us through the summer. Sincerely, Richard Plunkett.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

BISON Children’s Scholarship Fund ~ This fund believes that all children, whether rich or poor, should have access to the widest array of educational opportunities as possible. By offering partial scholarship assistance to economically disadvantaged families, BISON is empowering parents, often for the first time, with the ability to choose the school which best meets their child’s needs. Visit the website at www.bisonfund.com and complete an electronic Scholarship Pre-Application for the 2016-17 school year. Please note the scholarship amounts very depending on the family’s income, household size and the school’s tuition cost. The highest scholarship amount for 2016-17 will be $1,800. Families will be expected to contribute partial tuition towards their child’s education. Time of the essence! Our first deadline is February 29, 2016. All pre-applications will be entered into a lottery drawing in early March. If your name is drawn in the lottery, you will received notification with instructions on how to proceed with the application. If you have questions or need further information, call the BISON Fund office at 716-854-0869.