February 26 – March 5, 2017
Weekly Activities
Sunday, February 26 at 9:40 a.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in Church
Sunday, February 26 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Sodality Raffle and Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall
Tuesday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall
Thursday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Friday, March 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Saturday, March 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 Noon ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Saturday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Sunday, March 5 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Ladies Sodality Meeting 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
Our new daily Mass schedule is now in effect.
Mass on Mondays and Tuesdays will be an 8:00 am;
Mass on Wednesday – Friday will continue at 11:00 am.
Sunday, February 26 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Kenneth and Katherine Bee (Requested by John Bee)
Monday, February 27 ~ Mass at 8:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Tuesday, February 28 ~ Mass at 8:00 a.m. – Anne Crocker (John J. Emerling and Robert J. Fink)
Wednesday, March 1 ~ Ash Wednesday ~ Mass at 6:00 p.m. – Ray and Martha Freudenberger (Estate)
Thursday, March 2 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – All Souls (Queen of Martyrs Parish)
Friday, March 3 ~ First Friday ~ Adoration and Benediction from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. in Daily Mass Chapel
Friday, March 3 ~ St. Katharine Drexel ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Anne Crocker (John J. Emerling and Robert J. Fink)
Friday, March 3 ~ Stations of the Cross in church at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 4~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)
Sunday, March 5 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Peter and Mary Viola (Joseph Viola)
Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5:
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Reader: Jack Curtin; Eucharistic Minister: Lorna Cameron
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Readers: Bob Heicklen, Maggie Gatson; Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Alice Davis, Sharon Dunigan; Fran Cahill (Choir)
News from our Parish Community
The Sodality’s Spring Raffle took place on Sunday, February 26, at a special coffee hour in St. Charles Hall immediately following Mass. Congratulations to our winners: Mary Kresse – “Basket of Cheer” valued at $250; Naoma Allen – $50 gift cards for Wegmans Food Markets; Sr. Liz Savage – $50 gift card for Dash’s Market; Colleen Schroeder – gift bag of Trader Joe’s products valued at $35.00. We are grateful to Wegmans, Dash Markets, and Traders Joe’s for their donations. We also thank Jill Hennig and Bill Warren of Aurora Liquor in East Aurora for assisting us with the Basket of Cheer.
This Wednesday, March 1, is Ash Wednesday ~ Our parish Mass, including Distribution of Ashes, will take place at 6pm. There will be no 11am Mass on Ash Wednesday.
First Friday Adoration and Benediction will take place this Friday morning, March 3, from 8-11am in the Daily Mass Chapel, followed by Mass at 11:00. During Exposition, the Blessed Sacrament is never to be left unattended. Consider starting your Lenten devotions by spending at least one-half hour in prayer and meditation with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. If possible, please commit to a specific time by using the pink sign-up sheets at the side doors, or call the church office during regular office hours.
Stations of the Cross will take place at 6pm each Friday during Lent beginning on March 3.
Religious Education Update ~ Our first religious education class will take place on Sunday morning, March 5, from 9-9:45am in St. Charles Hall. We will be focusing on Liturgy and Prayer during these classes. If you have not already done so, please return your completed enrollment form to the Rectory this week. Additional forms are available at Mass if needed. We will be following the Buffalo Diocesan directives for Faith Formation and parents are expected to attend class with their children. We are in desperate need of more teachers. If you are interested in helping to teach a small group of children with planned activities, please contact Elizabeth Clay at 472-0009.
Reader and Eucharistic Ministers Meeting with Father Victor will take place after Mass on Sunday, March 5. Anyone interested in serving in these ministries is invited to attend.
Members of the Ladies Sodality invite women of the parish to join them for tea in St. Charles Hall on Sunday, March 5, following the 10am Mass. After a very brief general membership meeting, we will be discussing your ideas for parish activities and programs in the coming months. Please bring your favorite tea cup. We’ll start our discussion with what makes it special to you.
Our 2017 Parish Lenten Program will take place on three Wednesday evenings. On March 8 and 15 we will meet at 5:30 for a simple supper in St. Charles Hall, followed by a guest speaker and time for discussion beginning at 7:00. A religious service is planned for March 22 at 7pm in church. Sign-up sheets are at the side doors of church for anyone who would like to offer cookies for March 8 and 15. In addition, our cluster of Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo will continue its Monday evening Lenten Journey Masses. They will begin on March 6 at 7pm at St. Lawrence Church and culminate with a penance service at Blessed Trinity on April 10.
Prayer Partner Program begins March 1 ~ If you haven’t experienced this yet, we hope you will try this year. Sign up on the lavendar sheets by the church doors to be given a name of someone from one of the participating parishes to pray for during Lent. And someone from another parish will be praying for you. In our world today, praying for the needs of another in Jesus’ name seems so important. Direct your questions to Sr. Maureen at 716-897-9948 x 114 or 716-892-2471.
Lofty Moves ~ We are delighted to welcome our own Elizabeth Bailey-Sands Clay as Interim Music Director. Although many of you have heard Elizabeth sing as a soloist and member of the choir, she actually began her musical career as a church organist. Despite her many responsibilities, including that of our new Religious Education Coordinator, Elizabeth has agreed to abandon her comfortable seat on the alto bench for the “hot seat” of the organ bench. Please join us in thanking her for sharing yet another of her talents with her Blessed Trinity family.
2016 Donation Reports for tax filing purposes are available upon request. Please contact the church office if you need proof of your 2016 contributions to the church. Office hours are: 10:30am-2:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday; 716-833-0301.
Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Thank you to all who have recently placed Mass intentions. We continue to have both weekday and weekend openings in the coming months. Please contact the church office (716-833-0301) with your request. Office hours are: 10:30am-2:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday. The Mass Stipend is $15.
Vocation View: Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ It is only in God where true peace and fulfillment are found. In the midst of today’s confusion there are many people longing for God, but need to be pointed toward Him. Is God calling you to lead His children toward Him? If God is calling you to a Church vocation, call Fr. Andrew Lauricella at 716-847-5535. You can also check out the “Priest of the Month” stories on our website www.buffalovacations.org.
We thank you for all your generous donations and ask that you consider increasing your weekly offerings, if at all possible.
Important Deadlines to Remember ~ Our bulletin is printed on Thursdays, so please remember to submit your announcements to our secretary, Pat Pendleton, no later than Noon on Wednesday. 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 ~ 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.
Our Landmark church building is featured on a mural created by Danial Galas on a the building located at 72 Jewett Avenue at Halbert Street. The building was originally owned by the Culliton Ice Cream Co. Local historian and preservationist, Chuck LaChiusa, has shared some marvelous photos of the mural depicting Blessed Trinity and other historical sites in the neighborhood on his web site. Click HERE to view them.
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Annual Spaghetti Dinner & Theme Basket Auction ~ Assumption Church Hall, Sunday, March 5 from 11 am to 3 pm at 435 Amherst Street. All proceeds will benefit Our Lady of Black Rock School. Dinner and a sheet of 25 Tickets is $10 (Dinner Only is $7).
Marriage Preparation (Pre-Cana) is an important part of the journey into love and marriage. a Pre-Cana program is scheduled at St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church, 2660 Niagara Falls Blvd., Tonawanda on Saturday, March 11 from 9am to 3pm in the school cafeteria. All couples planning to marry in 2017 are invited to participate in this small group preparation program. The schedule for the day includes presentations and activities with sponsor couples from our Marriage Ministry as well as time for questions and answers. Contact St. Christopher’s rectory office at 716-692-2660 to register.
Catholic Women’s Conference ~ “Joyful, Patient, Faithful” will take place Saturday, March 18 from 8:00am to 3:30pm at Cardinal O’Hara High School. $35, $40 at the door…register at www.catholicwomenofbuffalo.org.