March 4 – March 11, 2018

Weekly Activities

Sunday, March 4 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Sodality “Prayer Tour” in Church

Tuesday, March 6 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Wednesday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m. ~ Soup Supper and 7 PM Lenten Program in St. Charles Hall

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

Saturday, March 10 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, March 10 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, March 4 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Mary Frances Danner (Requested by Judy Casassa) and Morris Heicklen (Requested by Bob Heicklen)

Monday, March 5  ~ No Service

Tuesday, March 6 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m.  – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, March 7 ~ Ss. Perpetua and Felicity ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. –  Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Thursday, March 8 ~ St. John of God ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, March 9 ~ St. Frances of Rome ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, March 9 ~ Stations of the Cross at 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 10 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Sunday, March 11 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Anderson Patrick Kesse (Bob and Mary Kresse) and Robert Santo Venti (Patty and Jerry Gallisdorfer)

Remember to set your clocks AHEAD on Saturday night, March 10.
Yes, you’ll lose an hour’s sleep, but you don’t want to be late for Mass on March 11.

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11:

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

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Mary Kresse, Avery White;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky; Sharon Dunnigan, Choir

Rev. Peter Drilling
Lenten Speaker
Wed., March 7 at 7pm

 

News from our Parish Community

When you come to a potluck, you always try to bring something good.
We should think of our day that way. Whatever we do during during the day,
it’s like a potluck, and God wants us to bring goodness to it.

Guest Speaker ~ We will have a special guest speaker after Mass on Sunday, March 4. Lisa Maria Cruz, an Outreach Specialist from Mental Health Peer Connection will be speaking with the parish about mental health concerns.

Ladies Sodality’s “Prayer Tour” will take place after Mass on Sunday, March 4. All are invited to walk with us as we meet the women who accompanied Jesus to the cross and the tomb as they are depicted in the art work and symbols within our church. Please assemble near the first Station of the Cross.

Lenten Journey Mass ~ On Monday, March 5, the CCCB Lenten Journey Mass will be celebrated at 6:30pm at Sisters Hospital, 2157 Main St. Please stop at the hospital reception desk before proceeding to the chapel.

Our 3-part Lenten series continues on Wednesday evening, March 7, with a soup supper served from 5:30-6:30pm, followed by Rev. Peter Drilling’s presentation at 7pm. Expanding on last year’s theme of the Kingdom of God, Father Drilling will address two related questions: “Who is Jesus?” and “How are we to relate to Him?” Amy Johnson is counting on our parish soup chefs to step up to the stove with their savory specialties. Contributions of dinner breads and desserts are also needed. Please help us avoid unnecessary purchases or last-minute shopping trips by specifying your contribution on the soup supper sign-up sheets this weekend. They can be found on the tables near each door. If you forget, please give Amy a call by Monday at 836-4694. Click HERE for details of the concluding program on March 14.

Stations of the Cross will be prayed in church at 6pm each Friday of Lent.

Amy Johnson

Our Award Recipient ~ Every year the diocese acknowledges parishioners who have made significant contributions on the parish level with the Lay Award of  St. Joseph the Worker. This year, Amy Johnson has been chosen for this honor in recognition of her stewardship at Blessed Trinity Parish. The award will be conferred on Amy and other diocesan recipients at a special 12pm Mass on Sunday, March 11, at St. Joseph’s Cathedral. We congratulate Amy and pray for God’s abundant blessings on her.

Psalmody ~ Have you noticed a change in the singing of the psalm at Sunday Mass? The Blessed Trinity Choir is intentionally preparing for the Triduum, and each and every member is now a cantor. We are unifying our hearts and our voices, breathing and singing together as we travel this Lenten road. There are, in fact, a variety of ways to sing psalms at liturgies. In Responsorial Style, the cantor or choir sings the verses of the psalm and the assembly sings the antiphon. This is the style we use at BT. In Antiphonal, the assembly is divided into two groups which alternate verses. The antiphon is usually sung by all at the beginning and the end of the verses. With Through-Composed, the psalm can be for a soloist, soloist and choir, or choir only.  This is rarely used as it does not encourage congregational singing. The choir supports congregational singing much in the same way the organ does – feel free to join in and sing along! This includes the psalm as well as the choir meditation after communion. Hopefully you are hearing some favorites during this Lenten season – songs that bring you closer to Jesus and make you want to sing for joy. Let’s prepare, intentionally, for the glory to come – together! Choir practice continues Tuesday at 7:00 in St. Charles Hall.  All are welcome! Elizabeth

Reservations for March 14 ~ We hope you are planning to join us for the ceremonial Seder meal and matzo ball soup supper on Wednesday, March 14. Because special foods will need to be purchased and prepared, we need an estimate of attendance. Please sign the purple reservation sheet found on the tables at each entrance to the church.

Family Promise of WNY is one of only three local agencies that keeps homeless families together in emergency shelter. Ss. Columba-Brigid Parish is a host congregation and shelters families for a week, several times during the year. As a support parish, we at Blessed Trinity provide one dinner during the hosting weeks. Special thanks to Judy Casassa, Vontrese Draper, Amy Johnson and Palma Zanghi for preparing dinner for the guests at Ss. Columba-Brigid on March 3. If you are able to donate a food dish for a future dinner, please contact Amy Johnson at 716-836-4694.

Statement of Contributions ~ If you need a record of your 2017 contributions for tax purposes and have not yet received it, please call Pat at the rectory during office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between 10:30am and 2:30pm.

Child and Youth Religious Education Program is scheduled to resume in the fall, but we need to know the number and ages of prospective students. If you are interested in enrolling a child or young adult preparing for Confirmation, please call Father Victor at 716-833-0301 .

Bible Study will resume at 7pm on Monday March 19 in St. Charles Hall The first assigned reading is from the booklet, Genesis 12-23  Abraham and Sarah’s Journey, by Kevin and Louise Perrotta (Loyola Press, 2002), pages 4-23. Please contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 to obtain the booklet and participate in bible study.

Sodality Dues Reminder for 2018 ~ Sodality membership runs with the calendar year. Have you renewed? Dues are still only $5 and Mickey Dick, our membership chair, will be happy to accept your payment in cash or check payable to “Ladies Sodality of Blessed Trinity.” You may also drop your dues in the collection basket in an envelope marked “Sodality Dues.”

Save the Date—May 20 is a celebration for Fr. Roy Herberger’s fiftieth anniversary of priesthood. There will be a 3pm Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul (5480 Main Street in Williamsville), followed by a 6:30pm dinner at the Grapevine Banquet Facility (333 Dick Road in Depew – the former Hearthstone Manor). If you wish to attend, please mail your name and address to Fr. Roy by March 25 (15 Greenwish Drive, #2, Amherst, NY 14228).

Home Visits ~ Please notify the church office if you know of aged, sick, or homebound parishioners who may wish to receive a visit from Father Victor on the last Friday of each month.

Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Do you know that Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer? Contact the church office (716-833-0301) to request a Mass for your loved ones for any intention. 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.

Eighth Station: Jesus Speaks to the Weeping Women
One of our 14 Stations of the Cross painted on copper by Vincent Mondo of New Haven, CT
Photo credit: Margaret Dick

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Blessed Sacrament Church Lenten Fish Fry is Friday March 9 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm at the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo Gymnasium (1069 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo). Adults $12, child $6, and a child’s chicken finger dinner is also $6. Takeout available. Call 884-0053 for tickets.

St. Leo the Great Lenten Fish Fry is Friday March 9 (5-7pm) at 885 Sweet Home Road in Amherst. Call 835-8905 for information.

Stations of the Cross Meatless Soup Suppers at St. Lawrence Church (1520 East Delavan Avenue in Buffalo) will continue on Fridays March 9, 16, and 23 at 4pm. Bring a meatless soup (preferably in a crockpot) to share. In an effort to minimize dish washing, guests are asked to bring along their own place setting and cup. Bread, butter, crackers, and drinks will be provided.

Saturday March 10 (4-7pm) is Buffalo Immigrant Leadership Team Community Celebration at Our Lady of Hope-O’Brien Center (Lafayette and Grant Street in Buffalo). Register and purchase tickets at voice-buffalo.org/bilt or call 842-6571.

Sunday March 11 at 2pm is Diva by Diva: A Celebration of Women at St. Martin dePorres (555 Northampton in Buffalo). This O’Connell & Company award-winning original show of songs, readings, humor, and quotes marks the one hundredth anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State. Free will offering at the door.

Steve Quebral, left, and the St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum

Tenebrae: A Lenten Service of Shadows is Friday March 16 at 7:30pm at Ss. Columba-Brigid Church (75 Hickory Street in Buffalo). Presented by St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum, this service of increasing darkness dramatizes the increasing sadness of Holy Week and the seven shadows that represent the seven stages of the passion of Jesus.

Movie Night featuring Risen! Is March 16 at 6:30pm at Franciscan Guest House at St. Lawrence (1520 East Delavan Avenue in Buffalo). The film travels along with the Roman Centurion assigned to find the body of Jesus. This evening is for adults only. Wine and cheese will be served

Catholic Charities’ 2018 Appeal. St. Clare of Assisi, our patron saint of the 2018 Appeal, believed that “we are to become the vessels of God’s compassionate love for others.” Today, Catholic Charities shows that same compassion and love for others by offering individual, children and family counseling, and mental health and chemical dependency treatment through our Family and Community Services sites, Monsignor Carr Clinics, Marriage Counseling Center, and Diocesan Counseling Center. Your gift to our 2018 Appeal helps us to continue these services in Western New York. To donate, call 218-1400 or visit ccwny.org/donation.

Annual Lenten Homemade Pierogi & Placek Sale from February 17-March 25 at St. John Kanty Parish (101 Swineburne Street in Buffalo). Kanty’s Kitchen is open Saturdays 3-5pm and Sundays 9:30am-12pm. Farmers cheese or sauerkraut pierogis; sold frozen and 6/package. Lunch available on March 25 (Palm Sunday) and large basket raffle. For further information, call 716-893-0412 or visit saintjohnkanty.com.

Lenten Day of Reflection, Saturday, March 24, from 8:30 am – 3:00 pm Sister Dianne Bergant, CSA, will direct our 26th Lenten Day of Reflection at Kloc’s Grove, 1245 Seneca Creek Road in West Seneca. Register with The Catholic Biblical Studies. Call 716-871-9180, email info [at] cbstudies [dot] org, or visit cbstudies.org.