Father Victor Ibhawa (center) is welcomed by parishioners following Sunday Mass on November 6.

Father Victor Ibhawa (center) is welcomed by parishioners following Sunday Mass on November 6.

Blessed Trinity welcomes Rev. Victor Ibhawa with warmth and joyful anticipation.
Father Victor has been 
appointed by Bishop Malone to serve as
our parish priest and temporary administrator.
A native of Nigeria, he comes to us from
St. Vincent de Paul parish in Niagara Falls, NY,
where he had served as parochial vicar.

Click HERE for additional photos.

November 6 – November 13, 2016

Weekly Activities

Sunday, November 6 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Ladies Sodality Meeting & Service of Remembrance in St. Charles Hall

Tuesday, November 8 is Election Day.

Tuesday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, November 10 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day

Friday, November 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

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

Saturday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

*In response to requests from our players, we have instituted age restrictions for admission to Bingo.  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, November 6 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Bridget Dick Blesnuk (Requested by Bob and Mary Kresse)

Monday, November 7 ~ No Service

Tuesday, November 8 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, November 9 ~ Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Walter and Helen Prystawski (Dorothy Prystawski)

Thursday, November 10 ~ St. Leo the Great ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, November 11 ~ St. Martin of Tours ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – All Souls (Queen of Martyrs Parish)

Saturday, November 12 ~ St. Josaphat ~ Mass at 4:30 p.m. ~ Ray and Martha Freudenberger (Estate)

Sunday, November 13~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Aileen Horan Townsell (Angela Jost)

Assisting on the Altar – Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, November 12 and 13:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Gary Kelley; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.   Readers: Mary Kresse and Richard Plunkett;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Bernice Bradley, Mary Kresse; Fran Cahill (Loft)

Readings for the Week of November 6

Sunday: 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14; Ps 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15; 2 Thes 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38 or 20:27, 34-38
Monday: Ti 1:1-9; Ps 24:1-6; Lk 17:1-6
Tuesday: Ti 2:1-8, 11-14; Ps 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29; Lk 17:7-10
Wednesday: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Ps 46:3-6, 8, 11; 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16 -17; Jn 2:13-22
Thursday: Phlm 7-20; Ps 146:7-10; Lk 17:20-25
Friday: 2 Jn 4-9; Ps 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18; Lk 17:26-37
Saturday: 3 Jn 5-8; Ps 112:1-6; Lk 18:1-8
Sunday, Nov. 13: Mal 3:19-20; Ps 98:5-9; 2 Thes 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19

News from our Parish Community

Prisoner Gift Project 2016 – Cocoa Challenge 2016Please remember to shop for instant hot chocolate packets and place your donation in the marked rear pew. If shopping is inconvenient, consider a donation (“Peaceprints of WNY”) in an envelope marked “Prisoner Gifts,” and drop it in the collection basket. Help decorate the gift bags to be filled with items for our prison inmates. No special talent is needed – just a desire to personalize the gift. Make it a family project. Bags available at Sunday Mass or by leaving a message for Amy Johnson (Subject: Prison Project) HERE.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. See the candidates on your ballot and where they stand on the issues! Just enter your address at www.VOTE411.ORG. (A service of the League of Women Voters).

Just a few of the many parishioners who made it all happen on Oct. 30.

Just a few of the many parishioners who made it all happen on Oct. 30.

Prayerful Thanks ~ Sunday’s farewell and “thank you” celebration for Father George and Sister Barbara was a great success. And now it’s time to thank everyone who played a part in making this such a memorable event. So many people volunteered that we can’t name names, but here is how they contributed: prepared and mailed invitations; planned and participated in the liturgy; provided the music; agreed on a menu, then shopped (and shopped some more); gathered after bingo on Saturday night to take down tables and chairs and reconfigure the hall for Sunday’s reception; returned on Sunday to decorate, prepare countless trays of food, and ready beverages; supervised our wait staff of Canisius College students; cleared the hall and washed dishes; and returned again on Wednesday to reset the hall for Thursday bingo! We hope you enjoyed Sunday’s reception and had a chance to personally thank our guests of honor, and we salute the members of the BT “family” who made it all possible.

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Looking for Photos ~ Our web diva, Mickey Dick, is looking for additional photos from Sunday’s farewell party for Father George and Sister Barbara. If you have any to share, please leave a message for Mickey (Subject: photos) by clicking HERE.

Special Alert for Lectorers ~ The new “Workbook for Readers” will be available in the priest’s sacristy next week.

Solemn Vespers (Evening Prayer) ~ Closing Celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy on Sunday, November 6 at 4pm at St. Joseph Cathedral. All are invited to join Bishop Malone in thanking God for the ways in which his mercy has been demonstrated to us throughout the year.

The Diocese of Buffalo wants your feedback. A survey has been created to understand perceptions about how deacons are currently ministering within our community, as well as direct future needs so that our ordained deacons are able to effectively minister to all people within the diocese. Please visit http://bit.ly/dcnsurvey to take this short survey.

Attendees at CMG cantor workshop join in song.

Attendees at CMG cantor workshop join in song.

Former Music Director Remembered ~ On Saturday, October 22, The Church Musicians’ Guild of Buffalo remembered Bridget Blesnuk, their former board member and Blessed Trinity’s music director from 1991-2010. Almost 50 individuals involved in music ministry from parishes across Western New York attended the Bridget Blesnuk Memorial Cantor Workshop held at Our Lady Help of Christians. The workshop presenter, Mary Lynn Pleczykowski, reviewed the goals and role of a cantor and coached attendees as they practiced singing various psalm settings. Ms. Pleczykowski, who traveled from Pittsburgh, is a Master Cantor Trainer affiliated with the National association of Pastoral Musicians. Click HERE to see additional photos from this event.

New programs offered by Buffalo Public Schools ~ Information, brochures and flyers are available on table display in front vestibule.

Albert Lenhard Family Scholarship ~ The Albert Lenhard Family Scholarship Fund was established in 1985 through a bequest of the estate of Albert M. Lenhard. The Scholarship was developed to assist applicants who want to continue their formal education beyond high school at the undergraduate and graduate levels. To be eligible for the Scholarship the candidate will have to be residing in the geographic boundaries of the Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo, i.e.: Blessed Trinity, SS Columba Brigid, St. Ann, St. Katharine Drexel, St. Lawrence and St. Martin de Porres. The Lenhard Scholarship fund is administered by the pastor of St. Martin de Porres in collaboration with the African American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo and the director of the Office of Cultural Diversity. This Scholarship is awarded annually. The completed application and the Personal Statement Essay should be sent to the Office of Cultural Diversity, 795 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14203 to the attention of Milagros Ramos by December 1, 2016. An email confirmation will be sent to verify receipt of your application. The recipient of the award will be invited to receive the award in person at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, which will take place on Sunday, January 15, 2017, at 10 am at Holy Cross Church in Buffalo. Applications are available at the rectory office. Please call our secretary, Barbara Sercu, at 716-833-0301 if you are interested in applying. (Rectory office hours are: Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30am – 2:30pm).

Rectory office hours are Tuesday-Thursday from 10:30am – 2:30pm. 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.

Father Victor Ibhawa made his move to Blessed Trinity with the help of friends from his former parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Niagara Falls.

Father Victor Ibhawa made his move to Blessed Trinity with the help of friends from his former parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Niagara Falls.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Concert at SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory Street, Buffalo on Sunday, November 6 at 6pm. This special concert will combine the choirs of St. Joseph’s Church in Fredonia and the one from SS. Columba-Brigid. Some favorite local musicians will also be a part of this evening of inspiring music. A social will follow the concert and there is no charge for the event. The building is handicapped accessible.

Niagara University invites all to the 2016 McNulty Lecture on Religion in the Modern World with John L. Allen, Jr. His topic is “Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism” on Wednesday, November 9 at 5:15pm at the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University. Free and open to the public. For more information contact Dr. Brian Bennett at bbennett [at] niagara [dot] edu.

Concert for the Angels ~ A weekend of remembrance, a musical-poetic journey of healing with tenor vocalist Cory James Gallagher and writer/poet Amy Gallagher on Friday, Nov 11 @ 7pm at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 4263 St. Francis Drive, Hamburg and Saturday, Nov 12 at St. Michael Church, 651 Washington St, Buffalo. Join Cory and Amy as they lead you on a musical and poetic journey of the heart to reconnect with our loved ones that have gone before us. Events by donation.

National Donor Sabbath is observed annually Friday through Sunday two weekends before Thanksgiving (November 11-13, 2016). During this 3-day observance, faith leaders, donor families, transplant recipients, and donation and transplantation professionals join forces to increase awareness of the need for lifesaving organ, tissue and eye donation. In New York State, we have tremendous need for these acts as there are currently over 10,500 New Yorkers waiting for lifesaving organ transplants. Show compassion and love to your brothers and sisters by joining the New York State Organ, Tissue and Eye Registry. You can find out more information about the lifesaving gifts passed to others through organ, tissue and eye donation by visiting http://alliancefordonation.org.

Living Mercy Beyond the Year of Mercy presented by Deacon Bill Hynes on Monday, November 14 from 7-8pm at Our Lady of Pompeii Church, 158 Lavarack Avenue, Lancaster. The close of the Year of Mercy is quickly approaching! Here is an opportunity to reflect on mercy and to learn ways to make mercy part of our everyday lives. ALL are welcome. Refreshments following presentation. Free will offering accepted.

Grace and Mercy in the Face of Addiction on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30pm at St. Leo the Great Church, 885 Sweet Home Rd, Amherst. Please join us for an evening of prayer and reflection as we seek to provide support for people and their families dealing with the disease of addiction. A communal “Rosary for Addiction” (rosaries provided) will be followed by a presentation by Dr. Paul Updike, Director of Addiction Medicine and Recovery Services at the Catholic Health System. We hope to provide you with support through faith, prayer and the demonstration of God’s healing love as our community faces the darkness of this epidemic together. You are NOT alone. This event is free and open to the public. Questions: contact Maureen Couche, RN, parish nurse, 835-8905 x13.

Volunteers needed ~ Little Portion Friary, located at 1305 Main St (south of Canisius College), Buffalo, is a shelter for homeless men and women whose goal is to assist our guests in ending the reasons for their homelessness. Needed are men and women willing to greet and serve the guests on weekends and weekday shifts. Training is provided. It is an ideal ministry for retired seniors as well as for men and women who want another opportunity to “live out” their faith. Please consider in answering God’s call to help feed and shelter the homeless. Call Ed L. at 875-3610 x221 or 222.

Buffalo City Ballet ~ The finest training in classical ballet. Offering: Ballet, Contemporary Modern, Pointe Works for young girls, Tiny Tots pre-movement and Boys Ballet. Two classes per week for ages 3 to 18 years. This is not a hip hop or recital-based dance program. Buffalo City Ballet is a designed training program for young dancers who are serious about obtaining a dance career or entering a professional dance college. For more information contact Buffalo City Ballet @ 716-833-1243 or Marvin Askew @ 716-864-4167 weekdays between 10am-4pm. Also visit us at www.buffalocityballet.org. Slingers available on the table in front vestibule of church.