Detail of church’s stained glass skylight, the theme of which is Christ the King. “The central panel shows Christ reigning as Lord of the kingdom that we pray will come.” Surrounding panels contain figures of angels and symbols both of Christ’s suffering and His glorification.
Photo credit: Jeannette Pikturna.
November 23 – November 30, 2014
Weekly Activities
Sunday, November 23 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Ladies Sodality Meeting in St. Charles Hall.
Tuesday, November 25 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall.
Thursday, November 27 ~ THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NO Bingo will be played.
Saturday, November 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall.
Saturday, November 29 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played 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 23 ~ Christ the King ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Bridget Dick Blesnuk (Requested by Husband and Parents) and Joan West (Requested by 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
Tuesday, November 25 ~ St. Catherine of Alexandria ~ Deceased Members and Families of Blessed Trinity Parish (Parishioners)
Wednesday, November 26 ~ NO SERVICE
Thursday, November 27 ~ Thanksgiving Day ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – For All Who Are Needy and Lonely
Friday, November 28 ~ NO SERVICE
Saturday, November 29 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. in the Daily Mass Chapel – Gertrude Geiger Eagan (Jim and Gayle Eagan) and Bernadette Dorsheimer (Family)
Sunday, November 30 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Edward J. Hodur (Family) and Living and Deceased Members of the Caputi, Gentile and Krustapentus Families (Charlotte Oczek)
News from our Parish Community
Thanksgiving at Blessed Trinity ~ Mass will be celebrated Thursday, November 27, at 10:00 a.m. Please join us to begin the celebration around the table of the Lord. “In grateful thanksgiving, we raise our hands in prayer for all we have, that God might also bless others through us, and that with each memory of God’s goodness our hearts might overflow with joy!” As a response to the mission of the Gospel to feed the hungry and care for the poor, we invite you to bring non-perishable food items for Blessed Trinity’s Helping Hands Food Pantry.
The Ladies Sodality will hold its Christmas dinner Wednesday, December 10, at 6:00pm. at The Family Tree Restaurant, 4346 Bailey Ave, Amherst, NY. The menu includes Stuffed Pork Lion, Baked Fish or Pot Roast dinner, all served with a salad, baked potato and pita bread and rice pudding for dessert. The cost is 27.00 per person; checks should be made payable to the Ladies Sodality of Blessed Trinity. Click HERE and make your reservation with Patty Gallisdorfer no later than Monday, December 1.
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.
Join the Cocoa Challenge ~ The Cocoa Challenge is underway, and we need YOU! Blessed Trinity’s goal is 4,200 individual packets of instant hot cocoa mix to help fill 2,100 gift bags for inmates of Wende and Albion correctional facilities. With a December 7 deadline, we have only three more weekends to make our goal. Put it on your “to do” list today. Cash donations or checks payable to Peaceprints Prison Ministries may be placed in an envelope marked “Prisoner Gifts” and dropped into the weekend collection. These monetary donations will be used to purchase items not donated. At last Sunday’s coffee hour, 130 gift bags were distributed for decoration and more are available. Leave a message for Amy Johnson by clicking HERE if you want to help decorate gift bags.Watch for future posts with details about the actual packaging, which will take place at our church on Friday, December 12.
The Trinity Concert Series Continues on Sunday, December 7, at 3:00 p.m. when The Freudig Singers of Western New York will present “A Christmas Pie,” a delectable concert of traditional and contemporary seasonal favorites. Under the direction of award-winning organist/choral composer and arranger Roland E. Martin, the Freudig Singers are celebrating their 30th anniversary. The choral menu includes such standards as G.R. Woodward’s arrangement of “Ding-dong-ding,” Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and Jay Livingston/Ray Evans’ “Silver Bells.” Also included on the program are more recent works: Sidney King’s “Gabriel’s Message,” Martin Wimmer’s “All is Quiet, All are Sleeping,” and the stunning “Night of Dreams” by Valerie Showers Crescenz. The singers will also perform a piece composed especially for the occasion by King. The Louisville-based musician has dedicated his newest composition, “Gifts for a King,” to the Freudig Singers. Following tradition, the concert concludes with a fresh-baked-pie reception for audience members, as well as a pie auction featuring signature pies prepared by each of the singers. A delicious treat for the ears, the soul and the taste buds! Tickets are $10.00 each in advance and at the door. For individual tickets, group sales and further information, please call Elizabeth Bailey Sands at 716-551-6870.
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).
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.
Important Scholarship Information ~ The Albert Lenhard Family Scholarship Fund was established in 1985 through a bequest of the estate of Albert M. Lenhard to assist applicants who want to continue their formal education beyond high school at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Applications are due by December 29. Information including criteria and eligibility requirements has been posted at the two side church entrances. If you are interested, we have available copies of the application forms. Please contact/see Sister Barbara. Thank you.
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
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.