St. James, Apostle
July 25
St. James, known as the Greater in order to distinguish him from the other Apostle St. James, was St. John’s brother. With Peter and John he was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration, and later, of the agony in the garden. There are two symbols on the church façade representing St. James, one of which is this shell (third from left) on one of the 45 decorated roofline corbels.
Photo credit: Gary Kelley
July 22 – July 29, 2018
Weekly Activities
Thursday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Saturday, July 28 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Saturday, July 28 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, July 22 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Kathy Mallery (Family)
Monday, July 23 ~ St. Bridget ~ No Service
Tuesday, July 24 ~ St. Sharbel Makhluf ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Wednesday, July 25 ~ St. James, Apostle ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Thursday, July 26 ~ St. Joachim and St. Anne ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Friday, July 27 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Saturday, July 28 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Kathy Mallery (Family)
Sunday, July 29 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Sara Dick (Family)
Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, July 28 & 29:
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Reader: Michael Ogoh; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Readers: Bob Heicklen, David Iheke; Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Pat Hartinger, Mary Kresse
St. Joachim and St. Anne
July 26
This depiction of St. Anne and the Child Mary appears in a stained glass window in the shrine area near the left (east) side entrance of the church. She is celebrated along with her husband, St. Joachim, on July 26.
News from our Parish Community
Join the BT Family Promise Team ~ Our volunteer team, led by Amy Johnson, assists temporarily homeless families housed at Ss. Colomba-Brigid Parish under the Family Promise program. They will be preparing and serving a Monday evening dinner on July 23. Our next hosting opportunity is Monday, October 22. If you are able to help with this ministry by preparing part of the meal, please contact Amy Johnson at 716-836-4694.
Buffalo Central City Parish Meetings ~ Father Victor and the Parish Council invite every parishioner to attend the “town hall” meeting in St. Charles Hall on Tuesday evening, August 7, at 7pm. A three-year arrangement under which the CCCB parishes of St. Lawrence and St. Martin de Porres have been linked with the suburban parish of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be coming to an end. Rev. Ronald P. Sadjak, who previously served all three parishes, will remain as pastor at Nativity. Bishop Richard Malone is asking the central city parishes of St. Martin de Porres and St. Lawrence to join with Blessed Trinity and Ss. Columba-Brigid “to enact a ministry plan that will lead to their successful growth in ministry and continued witness to faith and justice on Buffalo’s East Side.” The Bishop remains committed to keeping all four of our parishes open and in active ministry. Sr. Maureen, our CCCB Pastoral Care Minister, has been invited to join the newly created Central City Task Force together with Rev. Joseph Rogliano (our Vicar) and Deacon Ron Thaler. The task force has been charged with the responsibility of setting up “town hall” meetings in each of the four parishes to review the accomplishments of parish ministries, discuss parish vitality, determine the desires of each parish for its own future, and suggest possibilities for future cooperation to ensure the health of our central city parish life. Each parish will host the task force and its own parish family to pray, discuss, and discern. Our town hall is August 7. In the interim, Bishop Malone asks us to “please join me as we pray for the creative energy of God’s Holy Spirit to continue to move, work, and inspire new venues of ministry for Buffalo’s Central City.”
What Mass setting is that? You may have noticed a new Mass setting this weekend – one we’ve never used at Blessed Trinity, to my knowledge. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), also called Mother Cabrini, was an Italian-American religious sister who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Catholic religious institute that was a major support to the Italian immigrants to the United States. Cabrini took religious vows in 1877 and added Xavier to her name to honor the Jesuit saint, Francis Xavier, the patron saint of missionary service. She was the first naturalized citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church on July 7, 1946. The Mass setting used at Blessed Trinity is changed regularly to help keep our liturgy dynamic. During the summer months, music is selected directly from Breaking Bread so everyone can read the music if they wish. You may also have noticed a change to the hymn board in the church: in addition to the four horizontal hymn numbers, there is a vertical line of numbers which represents the weekly Mass setting. That way, if you miss the announcement at the beginning Mass, you will still know what is going on. Mother Cabrini’s example continues to be relevant to our community. Enjoy this music! … Elizabeth
Don’t Miss Out! The July 15 bulletin included an insert about formation of the 2018-19 Parish Council. If you did not receive this information, please pick up a copy of the green sheet on the tables near each door. The Council wants all our parishioners to “be in the know.”
Could you be the face of Christ to another? Our Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo are offering Compassion Ministry Training to any parishioner who is interested in learning more about visiting the sick of our parish who are homebound or hospitalized, or those living in senior care facilities. The six-session program begins Monday, September 10, at St. Lawrence Parish. For details, call Sr. Maureen Harris, OSF at 716-897-9948 (x114) or Pat Dyer at 716-256-2598.
Do you know that Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer? The Catechism of the Catholic Church reveals that “from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, [the Church] has honored with great respect the memory of the dead.” In its reference to the Second Vatican Council’s conclusion that “it is a wholly and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins,” the Catechism adds: “Our prayer for them is capable of not only helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.” Consider contacting the church office (716-833-0301) to request a Mass for yourself, your deceased loved ones, or for any intention. The stipend is $15.
Know Your Faith ~ How do we respond when people say Catholics worship statues? The right answer to this question is, Catholics absolutely DO NOT worship statues or images in any form. Worship is reserved for God alone. Catholics use religious images/statues for worship. There is a difference between religious use of statues and worshiping statues. God forbade the worship of images/statues called idolatry in the first of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not carve idols….” (Exodus 20:4-5). The Catholic Church absolutely condemned idolatry in any form.
The making and use of religious statue is a thoroughly biblical practice. In the Bible, God also commanded the use of religious images/statues when God asked that an Ark be made for his dwelling and gave the description of the statues that will be found in the Ark. “Make two cherubim of beaten gold ….” (Exodus 25:18-20).
In the book of first Chronicles, chapter 28:18-19, David planned for the temple to be built for God and wrote down all that would be in the temple including the different types of images.
The books of Numbers tell us that the Israelites were bitten by serpents in the wilderness when they expressed their lack of faith in God by complaining against God. God forgave them after Moses interceded for them asked for God’s mercy. God commanded Moses to make a (statue of) a fiery serpent to set it on a pole, and anyone bitten who looks at it shall live (Numbers 21:8-9).
When a Catholic kneels or bows in prayer before a statue, they are not worshiping it in any way whatsoever. They are using it as a person might use a picture of his family — to recall them, even pray for them, when he is not with them. He obviously does not consider a picture of his children as being his actual children, but simply a reminder of them. And so it is with sacred art in any form. It is used ultimately to raise our hearts and minds to God — to aid us in prayer.
Statues and other pieces of religious art became a means for the Church to teach the Bible. A person could walk into a monastery or church and learn about Jesus Christ by simply looking at the religious art and the story that the art told. In fact, the Catholic Church’s long history of art reflects her ability to impact and evangelize within culture.
The greatest artistic period of the modern world was the Renaissance period. If you tour Europe and look at Renaissance art, it is almost all religious art pointing to Christian Tradition or Biblical stories. The art of the time period reflects the Catholic Church’s ability to evangelize an entire culture so that everything spoke of the glory of God.
So why do we use religious statues/images? Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. The use of sacred art is to evangelize, catechize and inspire. It is also used to show reverence and honor for God and His saints.
Religious Ed Volunteers ~ We are in need of volunteers to help with the Religious Education of our parish children. Anyone interested in helping, please sign up on the orange sheets at the church entrances or call Father Victor (716-833-0301) during rectory office hours. You are also asked to call Father Victor if you are interested in enrolling a child or young adult preparing for Confirmation.
Marriage Moment. Summer is a time of rest – sort of. Maybe you take a vacation or ease up on your work schedule. But you may still feel busy. Consider, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31) Can you take some quiet, restful couple time this week?
Has your contact information changed? Our parish secretary is finding that our parish records contain a growing number of not-in-service phone numbers, and the recent parish mailing resulted in several letters returned for “expired forwarding.” If your contact information has changed, you can notify the rectory office in one of several ways: use the form on the back of the bulletin; phone our secretary at 716-833-0301 any Tuesday-Thursday between 10:30am and 2:30pm; send an email to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com; or Click HERE to use the contact feature of our web site to submit the information. If you choose either of the last two, please use “New Contact” as the subject of the email or message.
Home Visits ~ Please notify the church office if you know of aged, sick, or homebound parishioners who may wish to receive a visit and the Eucharist on the last Friday of each month.
Our food pantry has a new name. The former Helping Hands Food Pantry is now known as the Catholic Central Food Pantry. The pantry’s hours, services and qualifications for assistance remain unchanged.
Stargazer lilies, which once graced our Easter altar, bloom again
on Leroy Avenue near the new church sign .
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Father Baker Day. Celebrate Father Baker Day on Sunday, July 29, beginning at 12 noon with Mass at Our Lady of Victory Basilica (767 Ridge Road in Lackawanna) followed a reception. Commemorating the 82nd anniversary of Father Nelson Baker’s passing. To reserve your space at the reception, contact OLV’s Special Events office at 716-828-9289.
Contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and recording artist, Paul Koleske, will be offering his concert of personally composed sacred music on Sunday, July 29 at 6:30 pm at St. Mary of the Lake Parish in Hamburg. He will integrate faith witness and testimony with his music to show how it applies to you and your life. Paul has been on EWTN and is known throughout the nation for his music and speaking presentations. This is a very spiritually and uplifting event and you are invited to bring family and friends. Free-will offering. For additional information, visit paulkoleske.com.
Chicken BBQ on Sunday, July 29 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm (or until sold out) at Sacred Heart Church (380 East Fairmount Avenue I Lakewood). All pre-sale meals must be picked up by 1 pm. Dinner includes chicken by Weidner’s BBQ, potato and macaroni salads, roll, cookies, and bottled water. For information or tickets, contact the office at 716-763-2815.
Celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola at IggyFest, Tuesday evening, July 31, from 6 to 9. IggyFest is a fundraiser for The Nativity Miguel Middle School at St. Michael’s Church (51 St. Michael’s Place, next to the Church on Washington Street). Festival begins at 5:15pm Mass followed by live music with “Wilma,” 50/50, raffles, grilled menu, beer, wine. Volunteers needed. Contact nlanger [at] nativitymiguelbuffalo [dot] org or call 716-836-5188.
Thursday August 2 – Sunday August 5 is Summerfest 2018 at Fourteen Holy Helpers Parish (1345 Indian Church Road in West Seneca). Kicking off with a Meat Raffle on Thursday, August 2 at 7 pm in the hall. Join us each day for delicious dinners, raffles, Vera Bradley Bingo on Saturday, and much more. Prepare to be entertained with great live music including Nerds Gone Wild, Hit N’ Run, and The Buffalo Touch Polka Band. Don’t miss our Polka Mass on Sunday, August 5 at 12 noon, followed by our Polish Dinner. For more information, visit 14hh.org or call 716-674-2374.
Pilgrim Statue Comes to WNY ~ The National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be at Our Lady of Pompeii church for Veneration on Tuesday, August 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. a Vigil Mass for the feast of the Assumption will be celebrated followed by the Rosary and presentation by Mr. Bill Sockey, who is the custodian of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue and travels with the Statue throughout the United States. Stockey will present the Message of Our Lady of Fatima, that will include the five reasons for reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the promise by Our Lady of Fatima that was confided to Sr. Lucia, one of the three children, who witnessed the Marian apparitions at Fatima.
Sacred Sites of the UK – a Pilgrimage with Bishop Malone, October 26 – November 5. Visit Walsingham (EWTN Studios), Canterbury, Lindisfarne, St. Andrews, London, Edinburgh, York, and Cambridge! For reservations, contact Marianne at Unitours, 1-800-777-7432 or mpisano [at] unitours [dot] com.