Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – Week of January 14, 2018

January 14 – January 21, 2018

Weekly Activities

Wednesday, January 17 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, January 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ NEW HOURS – SAT. ONLY – Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, January 20 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

*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 14 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – William Stiffler and Margaret Stiffler Schimpf (Requested by Family)

Monday, January 15 ~ Martin Luther King Holiday ~ No Service

Tuesday, January 16 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, January 17 ~ St. Anthony, Abbot ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Thursday, January 18 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Friday, January 19 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Saturday, January 20 ~ St. Fabian, St. Sebastian ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Sunday, January 21 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Pauline Rollek (John Curtin)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Michael Ogoh; Eucharistic Minister: Jack Curtin

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Sr. Elizabeth Savage, Palma Zanghi;  Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Alice Davis, Pat Hartinger, Kathleen Marien, Bonnie Williams

News from our Parish Community

Stewardship is living a life of gratitude …
taking the time every day
to recognize the gifts that God has given
and to be grateful for them.

The Annual Diocesan Mass Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr will be held at Ss. Columba-Brigid at 10am, Sunday, January 14. Bishop Malone will be the celebrant of the Mass with guest homilist, Deacon LeRoy T. Gill, Jr. Deacon Gill is chair of the Black Deacons of Chicago. Their priority is to address the violence against black male youth. This year’s theme is The Cost of the Call to Discipleship. It is a goal of the African American Commission of the Buffalo Diocese to raise funds for students of color attending Catholic schools with a collection of theme baskets for an auction. The Commission hopes to collect five or more baskets from each parish of the CCCB. Contact Arlene Feaster at  716-381-3856 if you are planning to donate baskets. Following the Mass, attendees are welcome to participate in the silent auction featuring donated theme baskets.

MLK Day of Organizing ~ The Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo have been invited to participate in The Martin Luther King Day of Organizing on Monday, January 15. Attendees will remember the organizational roots of the civil rights movement, discover ways to develop relationships across varied backgrounds, and learn how to organize around issues in your own neighborhood. Speakers will include Dr. Barry Gan, a professor at St. Bonaventure and an expert on Dr. King’s life; Pastor James Giles, Executive Director at Greater Works Fellowship and Founder of the Peacekeepers; and Brian Zralek, a VOICE-Buffalo community organizer. The free program runs from 9am-12Noon in the Ss. Columba-Brigid Church Hall, 75 Hickory Street. Coffee and snacks will be provided. For more information, phone 716-852-3331. We hope that you can attend for at least part of the morning.

 A New Spin on “Ordinary” ~ From today until Ash Wednesday, we return to Ordinary Time, a season unto itself. Every week will include music you may have never heard before at Blessed Trinity as we try to expand our musical offerings. Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Sunday’s music included songs by African-American composers as well as a spiritual. New at BT was Jesse Manibusan’s “Hold on to Love.”  It is not African American in style, but the text is pertinent to our world today.  The verses speak of terror, fear, violence, hatred and prejudice, and how we respond as Christians. They are not unlike the words in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians instructing them how to handle the moral issues of their own times. Can you imagine Dr. King singing these words?

There is a place for the sadness
There is a season of gladness
Hold on to Love
When pain and confusion seem endless
We cultivate healing through kindness
Hold on to Love

When terror and fear overwhelm us
Courage and faith will sustain us
Hold on to Love
When violence seeks to destroy us
Acts of compassion restore us
Hold on to Love

When hatred is used to divide us
Wisdom and truth reunite us
Hold on to Love
When prejudice poses as freedom
Dignity means “all are welcome”
Hold on to Love

Hold on to Love, where hope is found
Hold on to Love, where joy abounds
Hold on to Love, where grace and mercy’s overflowing
Hold on to Love

Choir practice resumes on February 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.

The Parish Council meets this Wednesday, January 17, at 7pm. Agenda items will include finalizing our Lenten programs. If you are unable to attend, please call Mickey Dick (716-832-2540).

Change in Coffee Hour ~ Starting in January, coffee hour will be held on the fourth Sunday rather than this third. This will coincide with the Sunday of Fr. Victor’s monthly “birthday blessing,” and allow us to continue fellowship with the birthday celebrants. If this is your birthday month, plan to join us in St. Charles Hall following Mass on January 28.

Sodality Dues Reminder for 2018 ~ If you are a member of the Ladies Sodality and under the age of 80, it is time to pay your dues for 2018. Membership chair, Mickey Dick, will be happy to accept your $5 payment in cash or check payable to “Ladies Sodality of Blessed Trinity.” If you would like information about the Sodality or becoming a member, please call her (716-832-2540) or President Vera Andrew (716-704-2944).

Bible Study ~ Plans for the next series of Bible study meetings are underway. Please continue to watch this space and the bulletin for details of our next next meeting and assigned readings. Contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 for more information.

Sign Up for a Prayer Partner ~ Lent is a time when we are called to pray for the needs of others. If you would like to participate, please sign up and experience God’s blessings. You will be given the name of a person to pray for and that person will be given your name to pray for your needs during the Lenten season. There will be sign-up sheets in church for the next two weekends of January 20 and January 27. Homebound persons can sign up by calling the rectory. You will have the chance to meet your prayer partner at a pot-luck dinner on April 19, 2018.

Remembering Pauline Rollek ~ The Ladies Sodality would like to recognize Pauline Rollek, a member of their board of directors and former treasurer, who passed on December 30, just a month before her 90th birthday. Pauline was a beautiful example of stewardship, contributing her time and talent in many ways during her more than 50 years as a parishioner. Until health issues forced her retirement several years ago, Pauline volunteered as our “Rectory Coordinator,” performing administrative duties as well as cooking and housekeeping. She also cooked for parish functions and fundraisers. Her earliest leadership activities were as a member of the Parent Teacher Association of our grade school. For many years she was one of a group of women who met every Saturday morning to clean the church and care for the altar linens. Pauline loved decorating and flower arranging. Her talents in these areas were displayed in church throughout the year, especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons. She was also a bingo volunteer for more than four decades, working both Thursday and Saturday nights. We ask that you remember Pauline and her family in your prayers and give thanks for the many ways in which she cared for her parish family. A Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Rollek was held on Saturday, January 6, with Father Victor Ibhawa and our former pastor, Father George Reger, concelebrating.

Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Thank you to all who have recently placed Mass intentions. We again have openings on Saturdays and Sundays, so please contact the church office (716-833-0301) with your requests. Office hours are: 10:30am-2:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday. The Mass Stipend is $15.

New parking spaces have been added to the wheelchair ramp side of the church to compensate for losing ten spaces behind the old school building (FLARE) with the sale of the building. The new owner plans to rehab the structure into twenty apartments, a project that will certainly benefit the neighborhood.

Important Deadlines to Remember ~ As we begin the new year, please remember to contact our secretary, Pat Pendleton, with dates (even tentative ones) that should appear on the parish calendar. Our bulletin is printed on Thursdays, so announcements should be submitted no later than Noon on the Wednesday prior to the weekend you wish it to appear. Announcements to be read at weekend Masses are due on Thursday. You may contact Pat at blessedtrinitychurch@gmail or 716-833-0301 any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 10:30am and 2:30pm.

Parish Record Keeping ~ We have created a parish group email to be used for notification of time-sensitive information; e.g., a mid-week funeral service. If you would be interested in receiving such messages, please make sure that the church office has your email address. If you need to update your contact information or would like to register as a parishioner, please call the church office (716-833-0301) on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday during office hours: 10:30am-2:30pm, email your contact information to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com, or use the CONTACT feature of this web site.

 

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Tomorrow’s Youth Today Program can help you obtain your high school equivalency diploma and gain job readiness. The Catholic Charities program through the Workforce and Education Department is available to those ages 16-24 who are out of school. Visit ccwny.org/ReadySetJob or call 716-893-3500.

Journey into Love Program for engaged couples seeks married couples willing to offer a 20-minute talk to share their experiences. Contact the Family Life Office at 716-847-2210 or visit buffalodiocese.org for more details about volunteering.

The Calix Society meets on the last Sunday of each Month at 3pm in the basement of St. Michael’s Church Rectory (651 Washington Street in Buffalo) for those seeking a spiritual-based program for recovery of alcoholism.  More information at calixsociety.org or 716-847-2210.