St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
September 21
St. Matthew, whose feast day is celebrated on September 21, is depicted in this pendentive supporting Blessed Trinity’s great dome. “Since Christ sent the Apostles out to preach the Good News of how much God loves us, this church rightly places the missionary emphasis of the Church in a prominent position.” Rev. Walter Kern’s Guidebook to Blessed Trinity R. C. Church, page 21. Photo Credit: Gary Kelley.
September 16 – September 23, 2018
Weekly Activities
Sunday, September 16 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Anointing of the sick and well-aging
Monday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Bible discussion in St. Charles Hall
Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall
Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall
Thursday, September 20 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Friday, September 21 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS
Saturday, September 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS
Saturday, September 22 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Sunday, September 23 following Mass ~ Blessed Trinity School Alumni Reception 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, September 16 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Ralph and Geraldine Stroh (Requested by Richard Stroh) and Celia, Robert, Aurora, and Emanuel Marien (Requested by Kathleen Marien)
Monday, September 17 ~ St. Robert Bellarmine ~ No Service
Tuesday, September 18 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Kevin Viola and Joseph Viola (Family)
Wednesday, September 19 ~ St. Januarius ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Thursday, September 20 ~ Ss. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Paul Chŏng Ha-sang & Companions ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Friday, September 21 ~ St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Saturday, September 22 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Birthday Thanksgiving for Frances Pernick (Family)
Sunday, September 23 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Blessed Trinity School Alumni (BTS Alumni)
Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, September 22 & 23:
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Reader: Michael Ogoh; Eucharistic Minister: Lorna Cameron
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Readers: Bob Heicklen, Avery White; Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Alice Davis, Pat Hartinger; CHOIR – Dan Korchowsky
On Sunday, Sep 23, we welcome alumni of Blessed Trinity School for their annual Mass and all-class reunion. This photo from the 1950s shows Pastor Rev. Charles Kraehn and a group of the school’s “patrol boys.”
News from our Parish Community
Special Collection ~ There will be a special collection for Christ the King Seminary on the weekend of September 15/16.
Parish Bible Discussion Meetings will resume on Monday, September 17 at 7 pm in St. Charles Hall. Readings for these meetings are taken from Genesis 12-23, Abraham and Sarah’s Journey, by Kevin and Louise Perrotta: Loyola Press, 2002. Assigned reading for September 17 is the entire Week 3 section. Please contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 if you wish to obtain the book and participate in the discussion.
New Parish Council Member
Colleen Schroeder
New Parish Council Member
Thomas Dinder
New Parish Council Member
Brenda St. John
Parish Council ~ The first meeting of our new Parish Council is this Wednesday, September 19, at 7pm in St. Charles Hall. After our summer recess, there are a number of time-sensitive items on the agenda, as well as our new member welcome and selection of officers and committee chairs. Please call Mickey Dick at 832-2540 if you will be unable to attend.
Blessed Trinity School Alumni ~ On Sunday, September 23, we welcome alumni of the parish grammar school and friends for their annual Alumni Sunday. A 9:30am guided mini-tour of the church will precede our 10am Mass at which recently deceased alumni of the school will be remembered. We are especially pleased that members of the Class of 1968 will be with us to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, as well as representatives of the Class of 1958 who will be commemorating their sixtieth. Blessed Trinity School operated from 1909-1975, educating more than 2,300 students. If you know anyone who attended the grammar school, please be sure to mention the annual all-class gathering to them. Click HERE for additional information regarding planned activities and weekend events of the Class of ’68.
Please mark your calendar and plan to join us Friday, October 19 (6pm) at the historic Twentieth Century Club (595 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo) for Fall Fest, a benefit dinner dance for the church’s Under This Roof Fund. Letters and reservation forms have been mailed to parishioners. Additional copies may be found at the side doors.
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 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.
Military Veterans ~ The WNY Catholic is looking for military veterans to interview for the upcoming Veterans Section in November. If you are a vet or know of a vet who would like to tell his/her story, contact the Managing Editor, Patrick McPartland, at pmcpartland [at] buffalodiocese [dot] org.
Special Anniversaries Celebrated ~ Are you or someone you know celebrating your 50th, 60th, or 70th Wedding Anniversary this year? If so, you are invited to participate in a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard Malone at St. Joseph Cathedral on Sunday, October 14, at 10:30am. Contact your parish rectory as soon as possible if you wish to be included.
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 ~ What is a Sacrament? A sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace instituted by Jesus by which grace is given to us. The liturgical life of the Catholic Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. There are seven sacraments in the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders. (We shall examine each of these seven sacraments in the future). What are the reasons for the Sacrament? The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs, they also have a teaching function. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and object, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called “sacraments of faith.” The sacraments impart grace but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God rightly, and to practice charity. How is it a means of Salvation? When we receive grace, grace helps us to live worthy lives as Christians. The doctrine of the sacraments is the doctrine of the second part of God’s way of salvation to us. It deals with the holy signs which Christ instituted as the vehicles of his grace. Why say Christ instituted the sacrament? Each of the seven sacraments corresponds to an action taken by Jesus Christ during His life here on earth. Jesus received baptism at the hands of John the Baptist; He blessed the marriage at Cana through the miracle of the water-made-wine; He consecrated bread and wine at the Last Supper, declared that they were His Body and Blood, and ordered his disciples to do the same; He breathed on those same disciples and gave them the gift of His Holy Spirit; etc. Finally, when the Church administers the sacraments to the faithful, she recalls the events in Christ’s life that correspond to each sacrament. Through the various sacraments, we are not only granted the graces that they signify; we are drawn into the mysteries of Christ’s own life.
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.
Symbols of the seven sacraments appear in the dome window soffits. From rt. to lt. in this photo: crosier (Confirmation), chalice (Eucharist), crossed keys (Reconciliation), Ambry
(Anointing of the Sick), clasped hands (Matrimony)
Photo Credit: Char Szabo-Perricelli
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
“Healing Through Meditation,” Tuesday, September 18, 7pm at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore with presenter, Dawn Iacono, Director of Parish Outreach at St. Leo the Great Church. From scripture to quieting one’s inner self to a hands-on expression, Dawn will lead us on a meditative journey. Registration is limited and open to the community at no charge. Call Marianne Hubert, Director of Grief Support Services, at 716-873-6500.
A Peace-Justice-Non Violence Assembly, sponsored by the WNY Peace Center, Thursday, September 20, 5:30pm in Niagara Square, Buffalo. A time to stand together for the world we want. Time to end the violence of: poverty, racism and war. Time to end violence against immigrants, women, the marginalized and Mother Earth. Let us stand together to develop a culture of non-violence. Info at 716-332-3904 or wnypeace.org.
Open House at Mt. Olivet Cemetary (4000 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo), Saturday, September 22 from 9am to 2pm. Pre-planning discount and incentives available.
Monday Evening Faith Enrichment Series begins September 17 at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish (158 Laverack Avenue in Lancaster). “Forgiveness, baggage, fessing up, and difficulties in forgiving” with Bishop Edward Grosz at the OLP Ministry Center. Future dates this year are October 22, November 26, and December 17.