22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Week of August 28, 2016

August 28 – September 4, 2016

Weekly Activities

Thursday, September 1 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Friday, September 2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, September 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, September 3 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

*Please remember that we have instituted age restrictions for admission to Bingo in response to requests from our players. As of  October 15, 2015, 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, August 28 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Cleveland Witherspoon (Requested by Family)

Monday, August 29 ~ The Passion of St. John the Baptist ~ No Service

Tuesday, August 30  ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, August 31 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Blessed Trinity Parish (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Thursday, September 1 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anna Snyder (Estate)

Friday, September 2 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Agnes and Cleveland Witherspoon (Family)

Saturday, September 3 ~ St. Gregory the Great ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Deceased Members of Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Sunday, September 4 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Intentions of the Mgbenka Family (Fidelia Ejimadu)

Assisting on the Altar – Ministry Schedule for Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4:

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

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.   Readers: Don Williams, Helen Roddy Gray; Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Judy Casassa, Kathleen Marien, Sr. Liz Savage (Loft)

Readings for the Week of August 28

Sunday: Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Ps 68:4-7, 11-11; Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a; Lk 14:1, 7-14
Monday: 1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119:97-102; Mk 6:17-29
Tuesday: 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Ps 145:8-14; Lk 4:31-37
Wednesday: 1 Cor 3:1-9; Ps 33:12-15, 20-21; Lk 4:38-44
Thursday: 1 Cor 3:18-23; Ps 24:1-6; Lk 5:1-11
Friday: 1 Cor 4:1-5; Ps 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40; Lk 5:33-39
Saturday: 1 Cor 4:6b-15; Ps 145:17-21; Lk 6:1-5
Sunday, Sept. 4: Wis 9:13-18b; Ps 90:3-6, 12-17; Phlm 1:9-10, 12-17; Lk 14:25-33

News from our Parish Community

Weekly Highlight from Faithful Citizenship: A message from Sister Maureen Harris ~ How does the Church help the Catholic Faithful to speak about political and social Questions? The other two principles of Catholic Social teaching not covered previously are “The Common Good” and “Solidarity.”

       The Common Good #49 – 51

In #49 it is stated that “Human dignity is respected and the common good is fostered only if human rights are protected and basic responsibilities are met. Every human being has a right to life, …and a right to access those things required for human decency – food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing, freedom of religion and family life.”

#50 “The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Employers contribute to the common good through the services or products they provide and by creating jobs that uphold the dignity and right of the workers – to productive work, to decent and just wages, to adequate benefits and security in their old age…”

#51 “We have a duty to care for God’s creation, ‘our common home.’ As stewards called by God to share the responsibility for the future earth, we should work for a world in which people respect and protect all of creation and seek to live simply in harmony with it for the sake of future generations.”

Solidarity #52 – 56

#52 “We are the one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbors has global dimensions and requires us to eradicate racism and address extreme poverty and disease plaguing so much of the world.”

“These four principles provide a moral framework that does not easily fit ideologies of ‘right’ or ‘left,’ ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative,’ or the platform of any political party. They are common to all people.” How will we consider them on election day?

From “A Call to Political Responsibility” from the Catholic Bishops of the United States – “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” It is online if you want to read it yourself at www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithfulcitizenship/upload.

Rooted in Our Faith: Day of Reflection for the National Black Catholic Congress XII ~ The African American Commission of the Office of Cultural Diversity will be hosting a Day of Reflection on Saturday, September 10, at Ss. Columba-Brigid. Every five years since 1987, the National Black Catholic Congress convenes a congress culminating in a pastoral plan of action. Months before each congress, dioceses across the U.S. hold a Day of Reflection on the chosen theme. The Congress XII theme is “The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me; Act Justly, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly with Your God.” The Day of Reflection will begin with onsite registration at 9:30 AM and conclude with Mass at 4 PM. Anyone may register for the Day of Reflection by completing a registration form. Registration forms are available at our church and should be returned to the Office of Cultural Diversity by September 5. For more information please contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 or Milagros Ramos at 716-847-2217.

Blessed Trinity School Alumni will hold their annual Alumni Sunday on September 18. A 9:30 AM guided mini-tour of the church will precede our 10 AM Memorial Mass at which recently deceased alumni and faculty of the school will be remembered. Blessed Trinity School operated from 1909-1975, educating more than 2,300 students. If you know anyone who attended the grammar school, please be sure to mention the annual all-class gathering to them. Additional information regarding planned activities and the alumni committee raffle are available by Clicking HERE, or by calling Bud or Mickey Dick at 716-832-2540.

Blessed Trinity Part of  “Summer School” Curriculum ~ Twenty-five teachers from the Lewiston-Porter School District, accompanied by local preservationist Tom Yots, participated in a docent-led architectural tour of our church on Thursday, August 18. We thank them for choosing to visit Blessed Trinity as part of their summertime professional development program.

TRY (Teaching and Restoring Youth), a program for homeless young women ages 16 to 21, is in need of a variety of donations for our Annual Fund Raising Dinner to be held Friday, September 23 at 6 p.m. at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens Restaurant. If you can donate anything for our baskets, please leave them at church marked “TRY” and we will pick them up. Monetary donations can be sent directly to Annual Dinner, c/o Sr. Mary Augusta, 228 Brinkman Ave, Buffalo 14211. For dinner reservations call 716-896-5332. If there are any questions email SMAKaiser [at] roadrunner [dot] com.

Looking for a Bible Study? There is a lot of information out there now: video programs, the internet, social media. But, if you are looking for a solid Bible study program that has withstood the test of time, the Catholic Biblical Studies program may be just what you are looking for. The CBSP has been conducting classes in the Buffalo Diocese for 25 years. Entry into a study of the Bible is a lifelong journey. It begins with the first step! Please join us in September at one of our introductory classes: Tuesday 7-9pm at St. Mary’s Church, 1 St. Mary’s Hill, Lancaster; or Wednesday 10am-noon at Newman Center, UB North Campus, 495 Skinnersville Rd, Amherst. Registration information, including class dates and cost, is available on their website where you can also learn more about who we are and other upcoming events and programs. Visit us at www.cbstudies.org or call 716-871-9180. For “first-hand information,” see our parishioner Elsieta Chapman.

A Network of Caring ~ When you call on Catholic Charities,  you connect to a wealth of support. From professional counseling, mental health assessments, senior support, troubled teen programs, parenting to education and work readiness programs and more, we’ll respond with goals to grow stronger together. For more information, call 856-4494 or go to www.ccwny.org. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Rectory office hours are Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM. Please call our secretary, Barbara Sercu, at 716-833-0301 if you have information for the bulletin, changes to your phone number or mailing address, or would like to register as a parishioner.

Our Helping Hands Food Pantry has extended its hours and now operates on both Friday and Saturday mornings from 9 AM – 12 Noon. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Luis Clay at 716-812-3461.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Summer Celebration Features Big Band Dance Under the Stars! Sunday, August 28 from 7-9 PM, St. Joseph University Church will host an outdoor Big Band Concert and Dance featuring the Jim Tudini Band with Bobby Militello. Join us for a great summer evening of music and dance under the stars! The Jim Tudini Band is an 11 piece contemporary big band perfect for dancing. Tudini has played with such notables as the Tommy Dorsey Band, Doc Severinson and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The band specializes in traditional big band music as well as songs from the 70s through the 90s. Donation for the dance is $10 per person at the door. Beverages and light snacks will be available for purchase. For information contact 833-0298.

Celebrate Saint Mother Teresa ~ On the day of her canonization, September 4, 2016 , celebrate the heroic life Saint Mother Teresa by entering through the Holy Doors of Mercy at St. Leo the Great Church, 885 Sweet Home Rd, Amherst at the Hour of Mercy, 3 pm, as we recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy followed by a movie of her life, “Mother Teresa,” starring Olivia Hussey. The film is free and 177 minutes long, so feel free to bring a “pillow for the pew” and enjoy being inspired by the extraordinary life of our new saint. Questions, contact Dawn Iacono at diacono [at] stleothegreatamherst [dot] com.

September Concert ~ The Evangelization Committee at St. Martin de Porres (“SMDP”) is sponsoring The George Scott Big Band in concert at the church on Saturday, September 10 from 5-7 p.m. Tickets are available for $10.  Please call the SMDP office at 883-PRAY for further information.

Prayer Service for Mercy ~ Join women and men Religious of the Diocese of Buffalo during this Year of Mercy for a Prayer Service for Mercy. The Buffalo Leadership Conference of Women Religious is inviting the public to join us in a prayer for Mercy. Host sites include: September 9 at 7 pm, St. Mary Center, 241 Lafayette Ave, Buffalo; September 11 at 2 pm, Immaculate Conception Convent, 5229 South Park Ave, Hamburg; Sacred Heart Center, 22 Meadowbrook Pkwy, Cheektowaga; St. Mary of the Angels Convent, 210 Reist St, Williamsville.

Uptown Fresh ~ A Healthy Lifestyle Market featuring fresh fruits and vegetables is now taking place every Saturday from 10 AM – 2 PM at the corner of Bailey and Dartmouth in Buffalo. It began operation on June 25 and will continue every Saturday (except Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3) through September 24.

“Griefshare” Support Group to meet at Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church ~ If you’ve experienced the death of a loved one, or know someone who has, please consider joining us on September 21 at 6:30 PM in our Ministry Center, 129 Laverack Avenue, Lancaster, NY. A different DVD will be shown on two Wednesdays of each month on how to cope with grief and loss. Coffee and an informal discussion will follow. Call Sister Joyce to register at 716-683-6522 x103.