December 17 – December 24, 2017

Weekly Activities

Sunday, December 17 following Mass ~ Anointing of the Sick and Well-Aging

Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 p.m. ~ Advent Service of Lessons and Carols in Church

Monday, December 18 at 6:30 p.m. ~ Decorating Church for Christmas

Tuesday, December 19 at 6:30 p.m. ~ Decorating Church for Christmas

Tuesday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in Church

Thursday, December 21 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, December 23 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ NEW HOURS – SAT. ONLY – Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, December 23 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

*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, December 17 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ Vincent, Frances and Agnes Manion (Requested by Estate)

Monday, December 18 ~ No Service

Tuesday, December 19 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, December 20 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Thursday, December 21 ~ St. Peter Canisius ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Fred Godert, Jr. (Family)

Friday, December 22 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – All Souls (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Saturday, December 23 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Vincent, Frances and Agnes Manion (Estate)

Sunday, December 24 ~ Fourth Sunday of Advent ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. ~ All Souls (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Sunday, December 24 ~ Christmas Eve Mass of the Nativity at 10:00 p.m., preceded by choral preludes at 9:30 p.m.

Monday, December 25 ~ Christmas Day Mass of the Nativity at 10:00 a.m.

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, December 23 and 24:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Michael Ogoh; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Sharon Dunnigan, Grace Iheke, Chris Porter;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Bernice Bradley, Mary Kresse

The St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum present Lessons and Carols at Blessed Trinity,

    

News from our Parish Community

Stewardship … Time ~ Talent ~ Treasure

Sunday, December 24, is both the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. Consequently, there will be two services. Attendance at the 10am morning Mass satisfies your Sunday obligation. The 10pm evening Mass is our Christmas Eve or first Mass in celebration of The Nativity of the Lord. It will be preceded by choral preludes sung by the choir beginning at 9:30pm. As in the past, there will be a second Christmas Mass at 10am on Christmas Day, December 25.

We’re decorating for Christmas this week! ~ Next Sunday is not only the Fourth Sunday of Advent, it is also Christmas Eve. We will begin decorating the church this Monday, December 18, at 6:30pm and continue at the same time on Tuesday, December 19, if necessary. Many hands do, indeed, “make light work,” so please help lighten the load for all of us by joining the decorating team. Enter through the side door near the wheelchair ramp.

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord ~ We, like St. John the Baptist, are “preparers” of the way of the Lord.  Your Music Ministers have been preparing for the birth of our Savior for many weeks now. Our first task is to bring Scripture and prayer to life through the lyrical word to inspire people to worship together through musical liturgy.  This week’s choral meditation is a Blessed Trinity favorite, Beyond the Moon and Stars, by Dan Schutte.  The text certainly describes why we put so much energy into preparing the way of the Lord:

Our eyes have longed to see your loving face,
to live within your courts for all our days.
Your roads have led us, Lord, ‘cross desert sand.
We place our hopes and dreams within your hand.
Upon our darkness, Lord, a light has shown.
You chose to dwell with us in flesh and bone.
With shining star at night, and cloud by day,
you brought us here to see your love’s display.
When life’s great journey ends, and day is done,
then may our eyes behold your Holy One.

Beyond the moon and stars, as deep as night,
so great our hunger, Lord, to see your light.
The sparrow finds her home beneath your wing.
So may we come to rest where angels sing.

Preparation continues this Tuesday evening in the choir loft at 7:00 p.m. – please join us!

The Giving Tree ~ Your first week response to the Giving Tree for Gerard Place and St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy was very heartwarming and gives us hope that all the envelopes will have been claimed by this weekend. Please remember to place you cash donation (or check payable to “Blessed Trinity) in the same envelope and drop it in the collection basket by Sunday, December 24.

Steve Quebral, left, and the St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum

Lessons and Carols at Blessed Trinity ~ We extend our prayerful thanks to Steve Quebral and the members of the Saint John Paul II Schola Cantorum, who presented the beautiful Advent Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at our church on Sunday, December 17. This traditional English service, which dates back almost 100 years, celebrates the birth of Jesus by telling the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus in a series of short Bible readings interspersed with a cappella choral music and congregational singing. We thank everyone who attended, especially the members of our own congregation who served as greeters and readers. If you would like to hear more of this talented group, they will be performing a concert on December 31 at All Saints Church, 127 Chadduck Avenue, Buffalo.

Prisoner Gifts 2017: Continuing Sr. Karen Klimczak’s message of hope to the imprisoned, “Though separated, they are not forgotten.” On Friday, December 8, volunteers representing churches, schools, social agencies, and friends unpacked, sorted and counted supplies for 2,120 gift bags destined for the women at Albion Correctional Facility and the men at Wende. Each bag contained 2 books, ramen noodles,  a pair of socks, a granola bar, a bag of candy, 2 packages of hot chocolate, and a note of peace and encouragement. Paint of WNY generously donated their truck and employees on Tuesday to help load the boxes of gift bags and deliver to the prisons on that snowy day. A Big Thank You is extended to all at Blessed Trinity who donated books, hot chocolate or money (a total of $283 was collected with $63 extra used to fill shortages). Thank you to those who decorated over 400 gift bags and to those who helped package the gifts. Thanks to Judy Casassa for recycling all the cardboard boxes and for handling set-up arrangements. Thanks and appreciation to our maintenance man, Dennis, for being at the door to meet deliveries. The help of parishioners who stayed late to clean up was also greatly appreciated. A special thanks and acknowledgement to Coordinator Jan Burns for her hard work bringing this project to another successful conclusion.  Hopefully we have left fingerprints of peace.

The Ladies Sodality would like to “give credit where credit is due.” Because of the generosity of our parishioners, the 2017 Christmas gift drive for the homebound produced amazing results. A very special “thank you” to the volunteers who delivered poinsettias and gift bags and visited with homebound parishioners and those in senior care facilities. We would appreciate feedback about your experience.

Greetings from Tanzania ~ Our CCCB parishes have received an email greeting from Sister Maureen Harris, who is almost at the mid point of her six-month mission trip to Tanzania, Africa. She attached a photo (posted below) from her trip to the city of Butimba, where she introduced the novices from her religious order to pizza — with mixed results.

Christmas Flower Donations ~ The envelopes containing your donations will be placed on the altar during the Christmas season. The persons named on the envelopes will be remembered at all of our Masses. Thank you for your generous donations.

New parking spaces have been added to the wheelchair ramp side of the church to compensate for losing ten spaces behind the old school building (FLARE) with the sale of the building. The new owner plans to rehab the structure into twenty apartments, a project that will certainly benefit the neighborhood.

MLK Day of Organizing is January 15, 2018 at Ss. Columba-Brigid Church (75 Hickory Street in Buffalo). It will be a day of learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. and learning ways to organize a community action. Churches in the northern vicariate are welcomed to help in this planning. For more information ask Fr. Jud Weiksnar at 716-852-3331.

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 the year ends and 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.

Sr. Maureen and novices from her Order in Butimba, Tanzania

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Christmas Nativity Sets on display at Ss. Columba-Brigid Church (75 Hickory & Eagle Streets – one block south of Clinton Street). Father Roy Herberger invites you to experience a display of 580 nativity sets from 58 countries (1-4pm every Saturday and Sunday from the weekend of November 25-26 until the weekend of January 6 & 7 (except December 23-24). There is no charge and there is a special section for children. Please call Father Roy at 716-852-2076 for additional information.

“Stories for Christmas” will air on Sunday, December 17 at 1pm and Monday, December 25 at 11pm on WKBW-TV Channel 7…featuring uplifting local stories.

Cleaning out your closets? Catholic Charities is accepting donations of new or gently used clothing, footwear, purses, bags, and household items like small kitchen appliance, curtains, drapes, and dishes, and bed linens. Drop off weekdays 10am-2:30pm at 1122 Broadway in Buffalo or 10am-1:30pm on the first Saturday of the month (except holiday weekends). Visit ccwny.org for more information.

Struggling to make ends meet and still put food on the table? We can help. Catholic Charities is the provider of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) federal nutrition program provides nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding support, prenatal and postpartum support, referrals and supplemental food vouchers for all kinds of families with children under 5 years old. Services are free of charge. Call 716-218-1484 or visit ccwny.org/wic.