“I believe in … the Communion of Saints….and life everlating. Amen.”

The Feast of All Saints on November 1 and the Commemoration of All Souls on November 2 remind us of these tenants of our Faith, expressed in The Apostles Creed and depicted in symbols on the right side of the main doors to our church. In the words of Pope Paul VI: “We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers.”

October 29 – November 5, 2017

Weekly Activities

Tuesday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, November 2 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Friday, November 3, 7:00-9:00 p.m. ~ Wine Tasting in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, November 4 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ NEW HOURS – SAT. ONLY – Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, November 4 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, November 5 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Ladies Sodality Service of Remembrance 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. 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.

The Communion of Saints depicted in iconography on the façade of Blessed Trinity Church. Photo Credit: Margaret Dick.

Mass Intentions

Sunday, October  29 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Catherine M. Maher (Requested by Estate)

Sunday, October 29 ~ Mass at 2:00 p.m. ~ Twenty-fifth Anniversary Mass of Father Chris Okoli

Monday, October  30 ~ No Service

Tuesday, October  31 ~ Communion Service at 11:00 a.m.

Wednesday, November 1 ~ All Saints Day ~ Mass at 6:00 p.m. ~ Vincent, Frances and Agnes Manion (Estate)

Thursday, November 2 ~ All Souls Day ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Friday, November 3 ~ St. Martin de Porres ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Vincent, Frances and Agnes Manion (Estate)

Saturday, November 4 ~ St. Charles Borromeo ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Vincent, Frances and Agnes Manion (Estate)

Sunday, November 5 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Laurence D. Miano (Bob and Mary Kresse)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, November 4 and 5:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Lorna Cameron; Eucharistic Minister: Michael Ogoh

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Maggie Gatson, David Iheke;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, John Curtin, Pat Hartinger, Mary Kresse, Fran Cahill; Sharon Dunnigan (Choir)

    

Sommelier Bill Warren uncorks wine and wisdom at a BT this Friday, Nov 3.

News from our Parish Community

All the teachings of stewardship come directly from the Gospels, the Old Testament and theletters of the New Testament. Stewardship is not a new fad or environmental word. Stewardship is the way God expected His people to live since the beginning of time.

Rev. Cole T. Webster

Change in Weekday Services, November 1-3. All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation, is Wednesday, November 1. Instead of a Communion Service in the morning, there will be Mass at 6pm. Our celebrant will be our former business manager, Rev. Cole T. Webster. This will be Father Webster’s First Mass at Blessed Trinity since being ordained in May of this year. Mass on All Souls Day, Thursday, November 2, will be at the usual 11am Daily Mass time. There will be NO First Friday Adoration and Benediction in November or December.

This week only, there will be a change in parish office hours. Our secretary, Pat Pendleton, will be working on Monday and Tuesday, October 30 and 31, from 10:30am-2:30pm. If you have any bulletin announcements, please be sure they are received in the office on Monday. Information to be included in the after-Mass announcements must be received by Tuesday.

Friday’s Wine Tasting ~ This is the last weekend to obtain tickets for the November 3 Wine Tasting for a $25 donation. They will be $30 if purchased at the door. If you’ve attended previous wine tastings, no sales pitch is necessary; if this is your first time, you are in for a real treat. Please remember that we are counting on parishioners to do what they do best: provide favorite hors d’oeuvres and desserts for our guests. In addition to a great variety of wines from Aurora Liquor, beer and non-alcoholic beverages are included. A silent auction and basket raffle add to the fun. All proceeds benefit the church’s “Under This Roof Fund.” Tickets are available after Sunday Mass from Bud Dick or by calling 716-832-2540. The wine tasting runs from 7 – 9 PM on Friday, November 3.

Visitors in the Loft ~ On Sunday, October 29, we welcome William Fay and the Choir from St. John XXIII Church in West Seneca, who will join our Blessed Trinity Choir in song and praise.  It is wonderful to have twenty-five voices praising God from the loft.  Thank you for enhancing our liturgical experience . We are looking forward to visiting your church for liturgy in December!  The Mass setting we are using this month is the Santa Clara Mass.  It is not in the Breaking Bread Hymnal, but it should be in your heart, because you have heard it before.  We will continue to use the Glory to God from the Mass of Creation, which is #873. Advent is coming! Please consider joining the choir as an “extra” for Christmas. Praise in Song continues on Tuesday evenings at 7pm in St. Charles Hall.

The Ladies Sodality will meet after the 10am Mass on Sunday, November 5. They will be holding their annual service of remembrance for deceased members, particularly Virginia Tapley and Agnes Manion. All women of the parish are invited to attend and share their memories of these gentle ladies.

The Parish is invited to join Father Chris Okoli, Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at Sisters Hospital, in celebration of his twenty-fifth Priestly Anniversary at a 2pm Mass on Sunday, October 29, in our church, followed by a reception in St. Charles Hall.

Special Collections ~ Thank you for your generosity in donating to the October 21/22 collection for World Mission Sunday. The second collection on November 4/5 benefits the Catholic University.

Have you noticed the boxes that have started filling the back pews of the church?? We’re getting ready for the 2017 Peaceprints Prison Project in December. As in previous years, Blessed Trinity is responsible for contributing 4,000 packages of cocoa. We’ve noticed that the cost of hot chocolate boxes is twice the price we’ve traditionally paid for them. In order to economize, the project committee will buy cocoa packages in bulk. If you know of a place to buy cocoa at a good price, please do so and bring them in during November. If not, we will gladly accept cash donations. See Judy Cassasa about this. Also, we need lots of decorated bags. Your family, school, or community group is encouraged to lend their artistry to prepare bags to send a message of joy and peace to our prison brothers and sisters. See Amy Johnson; she will provide the bags.Thank you!

While Father Victor is away (through December 17), Rev. Peter Drilling, former rector of St. Joseph’s Cathedral, and Rev. Martin Eneh will celebrate Masses and Sacraments each Thursday through Sunday at the times indicated below. Please remember that there is a temporary change in daily services during this time. There will be no service on Mondays. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Jack Curtin will offer a Communion Service at 11:00 am. There will be Mass at 11:00 a.m. each Thursday and Friday. There is NO CHANGE in the weekend Mass times.

We pray for all who are ill and have requested our prayers, especially parishioners Fran Cahill, Gerald Gallisdorfer, Barbara Draper, Richard Plunkett, and Anthony and Mary Hartmann. Please inform the parish of those who are sick by calling the rectory office so that they can be added to our prayer list and schedule for home visits, as needed.

Helping Hands Food Pantry ~ The Helping Hands Food Pantry not operates on Saturdays only from 10am to 2pm. Its director, Luis Clay, is also seeking additional volunteers. Please contact the church office at 716-833-0301 if you or someone you know might be interested in this opportunity.

We are in need of additional lectors and Eucharistic ministers. We will be including young readers in this helping ministry. Those who are interested, please contact the office at 716-833-0301.

Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Thank you to all who have recently placed Mass intentions. Please contact the church office (716-833-0301) with your requests. Office hours are: 10:30am-2:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday. The Mass Stipend is $15.

Important Deadlines to Remember ~ As we think ahead to 2018, 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 please remember to submit your announcements to 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 ~ Several parishioners have inquired about the possibility of group email 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.

We welcome your donation of cocoa for Sr. Karen Klimczak’s Christmas Prison Project.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Living out our Faith in the Universal Church ~ The Diocese of Buffalo’s African Ministry Commission of the Office of Cultural Diversity invites you to a special Retreat and Bazaar 2017 on November 4 and 5 at St. Martin de Porres Church, 555 Northampton Street, Buffalo. Saturday’s retreat, from 6-9pm, is a night of adoration, worship, preaching and prayer, featuring guest speaker Rev. Cornelius Kelechi Ejiogu, S.S.J., from the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Sunday’s celebration will begin with Mass at 9:30am, followed by a African Thanksgiving Bazaar from 10:30-12:30pm. In Africa, people are asked to give a gift from the heart in thanksgiving to God for the blessing of the harvest. Gifts are presented and auctioned at a thanksgiving bazaar, with monies raised used for a village or community need. The proceeds of the November 5 auction will go toward the Buffalo Peace House. Contact the Office of Cultural Diversity, 716-847-2217, for additional information.

Sunday November 5 (12-4pm) is a Spaghetti Dinner at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish Mininstry Center (129 Laverack Avenue in Lancaster). Call the rectory at 716-683-6522 for information.

The Maryknoll Mission Society is inviting young writers (grades 6-12) to submit an essay on the topic, “Recognizing Violence and Promoting Peace.” November 10 is the contest deadline for submission of your essay,  with prizes up to $3000 in scholarship funds. Find out more at Maryknollsociety.org/Essay.

November 15 Women’s Health Program ~ Catholic Health presents a free dinner program, “Genetic Testing and Women’s Cancers: Are You at Risk?”on Wednesday, November 15, from 5:30-7:30pm at the Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Avenue, Buffalo. Registration begins at 5pm; reservations are required by calling 716-447-6205. Women’s health experts Stacey Akers, MD, and Karen Gutierrez, NP, provide an in-depth look at the various gynecologic cancers and discuss the link between endometriosis, ovarian and breast cancer. They’ll present the latest information on prevention, detection, and treatment options, and whether genetic testing is right for you.

Concert for The Angels…An Evening of Remembrance with Cory James Gallagher, is Sunday, November 12, 5pm at SS. Columba-Brigid Church in Buffalo (75 Hickory) and Saturday, November 18, 7pm at St. Mary of the Lake in Hamburg (4737 Lakeshore). Donations will help cover the cost of medical treatment for his father, Daniel Gallagher.

Western New York Caregiver Partnership offers support to caregivers and seeks volunteers. Visit wnyacp.org or call 800-342-9871 to learn more.