This week includes the feast days of two holy women who are depicted in Joseph Mazur’s procession of saints in the church dome. St. Elizabeth (November 17) who was the daughter of the King of Hungary wears a crown and appears as the second standing figure from the right. St. Cecilia (November 22), patron saint of musicians, is the kneeling figure at the far right. Photo credit: Gary Kelley.
November 16 – November 24, 2014
Weekly Activities
Sunday, November 16, following the 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall, hosted by The Choir.
There will be NO Choir Rehearsal this week.
Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall.
Thursday, November 20 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall.
Saturday, November 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall.
Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall.
Sunday, November 23 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Ladies Sodality Meeting in St. Charles Hall.
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 16 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Norine Hackney (Requested by Ed Marien) and Margaret Schimpf – Birthday Remembrance (Requested by Family)
Monday, November 17 ~ St. Elizabeth of Hungary ~ Communion Service at 11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, November 18 ~ Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss. Peter & Paul; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Winifred Enright (Estate)
Wednesday, November 19 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – NO Service
Thursday, November 20 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Parishioners)
Friday, November 21 ~ The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anthony and Teresa Hafner (Estate)
Saturday, November 22 ~ St. Cecilia ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel – Mary Horan Roach (Family)
Sunday, November 23 ~ Christ the King ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Bridget Dick Blesnuk (Husband and Parents) and Joan West (West Children)
Monday, November 24 ~ Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. – Margaret E. O’Donnell
Monday, November 24 ~ Mass of Christian Burial at 2:00 p.m. – Frederick M. Reger
News from our Parish Community
Bridget Dick Blesnuk
July 11, 1970 – June 20, 2014
Former Music Director
1991 – 2010
Musical Memories ~ On Sunday, November 16, we celebrate our musical legacy and dedicate a photo of our late music director, Bridget Blesnuk, which will be displayed with those of preceding choir directors on the west (rectory) side staircase to the choir loft. Following Mass, the Choir invites you to join them at coffee hour in St. Charles Hall.
Parish Council will meet on Wednesday, November 19, at 7 p.m. in St. Charles Hall.
Save the Date ~Women of the parish are invited to join members of our Ladies Sodality on Wednesday, December 10, at their annual Christmas Dinner. This year’s dinner will be held at the Family Tree Restaurant on Bailey Avenue in Amherst from 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Join the Cocoa Challenge ~ As announced previously, your donation of Instant Hot Cocoa to the Prison Gift Project is needed. Our goal is 4,200 individual packets by December 7. Join in as we continue Sister Karen Klimczak’s message of forgiveness and non-violence to the inmates of Wende and Albion correctional facilities. No time to shop? Checks payable to Peaceprints Prison Ministries or cash donations can be placed in an envelope marked “Prisoner Gifts” and dropped into the weekend collection. We also invite you to decorate a gift bag. The requisite size bags will be available at coffee hour on November 16, and we hope you will take some home and get creative. Watch for future posts with details about the actual packaging, which will take place at our church on Friday, December 12.
Gifts for our Shut-ins ~ Please remember that Sunday, November 30, is the Sodality’s target date for collecting all donated items and cash contributions for Christmas gift bags for home bound parishioners (9 women) and those in senior care facilities (3 women and 2 men). Members need time to shop and prepare gift bags before turning their attention to the Christmas Prison Project, so please help by shopping early and placing your new, unwrapped items in the designated basket near the statue of St. Joseph. Some suggestions: fleece throws, sweatpants, shawls or shrugs, socks, eye glass wipes, clips or combs to hold long hair, 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 home bound. If you are willing to deliver a gift bag and visit with its recipient, please Click HERE and leave a message for Mickey Dick.
Special Collection on November 22/23 ~ The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) needs your help. CCHD was founded to end the cycle of poverty in the United States by funding organizations that help people help themselves. With the tradition of improving education, housing situations, and economic development, CCHD continues to make a positive impact in communities nationwide. Your contribution will defend human dignity and help those living on the margins of our society. Please give generously to the CCHD Collection.
Congratulations to the following Canisius High School students wh0 have achieved academic honors: Marquis Draper – 12th grade (Second Honors), Jonathan Sands – 10th grade (Second Honors), Robert Sands – 12th grade (First Honors).
Thank You for your contributions to the November 8/9 collection for The Catholic University of America! Your gift will make great things possible by providing direct financial aid to more than 4,000 students from dioceses across the country.
Decorative stenciling surrounds the windows in our Daily Mass Chapel.
Saturday Mass Change – As of October 4 and continuing through the winter heating season, we are celebrating Mass at 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays in the Daily Mass Chapel (priest’s sacristy). We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this change. The two side entrances of the church will be unlocked for easy access through the church to the Chapel.
Catholics Come Home ~ This Christmas, the Diocese of Buffalo will be airing a media campaign called “Catholics Come Home.” This represents a great opportunity for each of us. We all know Loved Ones who no longer practice their faith. And we pray constantly for their return. What if a Loved One saw a “Catholics Come Home” message and returned this Christmas? Well this Christmas, many of our Loved Ones will return here, inspired in part by the Catholics Come Home campaign which has already helped nearly half a million people to return to Jesus and His Church, elsewhere in the United States. Starting this Christmas, we will send the message, loud and clear, that we want Catholics back home with us. And you can help! Support our campaign. Visit CatholicsComeHome.org and share this invitation with those you know. Discuss these messages when they air on TV or through social media. How appropriate that at Christmas we have a chance to share the greatest gift of all, our faith.
March for Life Pilgrimage ~ The Diocesan Department of Pro-Life Activities is encouraging anyone interested in attending the January 21-22, 2015 March for Life Pilgrimage to Washington, DC to make their hotel and bus reservations by December 10, 2014. Join the Buffalo Diocese and hundreds of thousands of Catholics and people of good will who will gather to pray and publicly intercede on behalf of the unborn, in the hope that this prayerful presence may open hearts, minds and souls to the fullness of the Gospel of Life in our lives and laws. For more details and information, visit www.buffalodiocese.org/prolife or call 716-847-2205.
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Ask Us Anything About Your Health: A Health Expo Event ~ Free Community Seminars. Thursday November 20, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. @ Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga. You deserve the best, especially when it comes to understanding your health. Join our board-certified, nationally recognized physicians for a FREE evening expo all about you and your well being. Meet with expert specialists for presentations on your most pressing health issues, and have your questions answered in an easily digestible, down-to-earth manner. Plus, get free health screenings and learn about wellness services available to you right here in WNY. Hear about these topics, and more: New Ways to Treat Knee and Hip Pain; Obstretrics; Weight Loss Surgery; Fixes for Chronic Back Pain; Women’s Heart Health; Pelvic Health & Incontinence; Stroke; Surviving an Unhealthy Heart; Gynecology; Blood Vessel Health. Please register by calling (716) 447-6205 or online at www. chsbuffalo.org/events.
Blessed Sacrament Church Celebrates Advent with two special programs. “Do Your Hear What I Hear?” is a program of Christmas carols in song and story which explains the origins of the lyrics and the music. It will be presented on from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. A Taize Prayer Service, a devotion in song, scripture, and silence, will be offered on Sunday, December 14, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Come join us for this opportunity to nurture our faith as we prepare for the birth of Christ on December 25. Both programs will be held at Blessed Sacrament Church 1029 Delaware Avenue. Parking is available behind the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo.
Children Are Our Most Valuable Resource ~ For new mothers and moms-to-be in Erie and Niagara Counties, Catholic Charities Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program provides food, participant-centered nutrition education and referrals for eligible pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and infants and children under the age of 5. Visit http://www.ccwny.org for more information or call 716-218-1400.