St. Thérèse of Lisieux, France (St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus) is honored by the Church on October 1. She was canonized in 1925 – while our church was being built – and remains “one of the most popular saints of modern times because of her ‘Little Way’ of seeking holiness through the everyday things in the ordinary circumstances of life. The beautiful ceramic decorations around the shrine niche [in the right transept] are some of the most beautiful in the church.” (Rev. Walter Kern’s Guidebook to Blessed Trinity R.C. Church, page 27.)
Photo credit: Margaret Dick.
September 30 – October 7, 2018
Weekly Activities
Sunday, September 30 following Mass ~ September Birthday Blessing; Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall
Tuesday, October 2 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall
Thursday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Friday, October 5 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS
Saturday, October 6 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS
Saturday, October 6 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Sunday, October 7 following Mass ~ Sodality’s Mary’s Mystery Walking Tour of Church
*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 30 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – John and Mary Nutt (Requested by Family) and Edward Dombasi Zola (Requested by Kathleen Marien)
Monday, October 1 ~ St. Therese of the Child Jesus ~ No Service
Tuesday, October 2 ~ The Holy Guardian Angels ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Wednesday, October 3 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Thursday, October 4 ~ St. Francis of Assisi ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Friday, October 5 ~ Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)
Saturday, October 6 ~ St Bruno; Bl. Marie Rose Durocher ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – John F. Curtin (Family)
Sunday, October 7 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Pauline Rollek (The Ladies Sodality)
Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7:
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Reader: John Curtin; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Readers: Maggie Gatson, Grace Iheke; Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Pat Hartinger, Bernice Bradley; CHOIR – Kathleen Marien
the ballroom of The Twentieth Century Club will be the setting for “Fall Fest” on Oct. 19. Please join us.
News from our Parish Community
Special Collection ~ There will be a special collection for Christ the King Seminary on the weekend of September 29/30.
Oktoberfest Benefits Sisters of St. Joseph ~ The annual Oktoberfest befitting the ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph takes place on Sunday, September 30, from 5-9pm in the school gym at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parish, 157 Cleveland Drive in Cheektowaga. There will be German food (sit-down and takeout), beverages, music and dancing. Admission is only $6 at the door. Sr. Liz Savage, Sr. Barbara Horan, and Sr. Peggy Gallagher would love to see you there. Prosit!
Mary’s Mystery Tour: Sunday, October 7 ~ There are many obvious images of the Blessed Virgin in our church, but there is a treasure trove of Marian symbols that you have probably never noticed. All are welcome to join members of the Ladies Sodality immediately after Sunday Mass on October 7 for a walking tour from the church’s front portico to its Marian entrance, discovering images of Mary “hiding in plain sight” along the way. It promises to be a fun and faith-filled way to open the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and her Rosary as a powerful prayer for world peace.
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 for the church’s Under This Roof Fund. This promises to be a delightful, relaxing evening — the kind we haven’t been able to enjoy as a parish family in some time. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served beginning at 6pm, followed by a three-course dinner at 7pm, with musical offerings from The Neville Francis Band. Reservations are due by Thursday, October 11. Please click HERE for details and a link to our reservation form.
Retreat Set for October 20 ~ The retreat for lectors and Eucharistic ministers has been scheduled for Saturday, October 20, from 9am-4pm at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora. If you serve the parish in one of these ministries, please be sure to use the sign-up sheet on the altar rail to reserve your place.
Members named to steering committee ~ The diocesan task force which met with our congregation in August has recommended that Bishop Malone create a steering committee to study the possible linkage of the CCCB parishes of Blessed Trinity, St. Lawrence and St. Martin de Porres. Vera Andrew, Bud Dick and Bob Heicklen have been chosen to join Father Victor in representing our parish on the committee. Their first meeting is October 16. We ask that you pray for all of them as they accept this challenging assignment.
Know Your Faith ~ Why are priests not allowed to marry?
Just as everyone is called to married life, so too everyone is called to the priestly life (1Pet 2:9 a holy nation, a kingly people, a royal priesthood…). The choices to embrace either the married life or priestly life depend on individuals. So there are many reasons why priests are not allowed to marry. We shall discuss few of them here just for the purpose of this column.
In the Eastern rites of the Church it is common for married men to be ordained to the priesthood. Further, in the Latin rite there are a few married men, converted ministers from other faiths, who are ordained to the Catholic priesthood. This, however, is not common. Finally, in neither the Latin rite nor the Eastern rites do priests (or deacons) marry after they have been ordained, except in extraordinary circumstances.
The reasons Latin rite priests can’t marry is both theological and canonical. Theologically, it may be pointed out that priests serve in the place of Christ and therefore, their ministry specially configures them to Christ. As is clear from Scripture, Christ was not married (except in a mystical sense, to the Church). By remaining celibate and devoting themselves to the service of the Church, priests more closely model, configure themselves to, and consecrate themselves to Christ. As Christ himself makes clear, none of us will be married in heaven (Mt 22:23–30). By remaining unmarried in this life, priests are more closely configured to the final, eschatological state that will be all of ours.
Paul makes it very clear that remaining single allows one’s attention to be undivided in serving the Lord (1 Cor 7:32–35). He recommends celibacy to all (1 Cor 7:7) but especially to ministers, who as soldiers of Christ he urges to abstain from “civilian affairs” (2 Tm 2:3–4). Canonically, priests cannot marry for a number of reasons. First, priests who belong to religious orders take vows of celibacy. Second, while diocesan priests do not take vows, they do make a promise of celibacy. Third, the Church has established impediments that block the validity of marriages attempted by those who have been ordained. Canon 1087 states: “Persons who are in holy orders invalidly attempt marriage.” This impediment remains as long as the priest has not been dispensed from it, even if he were to attempt a civil marriage, even if he left the Church and joined a non-Catholic sect, and even if he apostatized from the Christian faith altogether. He cannot be validly married after ordination unless he receives a dispensation from the Holy See (CIC 1078 §2, 1).
Join the BT Family Promise Team ~ Our volunteer team, led by Amy Johnson, assists temporarily homeless families housed at Ss. Colomba-Brigid Parish underthe 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.
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.
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.
St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226), whose feast we celebrate on October 4, is depicted in the dome of our church in a painting by Buffalo-born artist Joseph Mazur. St. Francis appears in a group of twelve figures identified as “Monks, Hermits, and Religious” in Rev. Walter Kern’s Guidebook to Blessed Trinity R. C. Church, p. 38. He is the second kneeling figure from the left in this photo by Gary Kelley.
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Holy Hour for Reparation and Healing, Sunday September 30 at 3pm ~ Holy Hour of Prayer for Reparation and Healing with Bishop Malone at The Hour of Divine Mercy at St. Joseph Cathedral (50 Franklin Street in Buffalo).
St. Francis is Coming! Saturday, October 6 from 8-9 pm, Queen of Martyrs Church, (180 George Urban Blvd., Cheektowaga) welcomes one of the world’s most popular saints. A St. Francis of Assisi impersonator will be telling the saint’s astonishing life story in a live theatrical presentation. See how the son of a wealthy merchant gave up everything for the sake of Christ. Free event.
Griefshare Support Group meets two Wednesdays each month, beginning October 10 at 6:30pm at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish (129 Laverack Avenue in Lancaster). Register at olpparish.com or call Sister Joyce at 716-683-6522.
The Kingdom of Happiness begins in October at St. Leo the Great. For 8 weeks, escape the kingdom of man, expose the “anti-beatitudes,” and dive deeper than ever before to discover TRUE happiness. Thursday evenings from October 11 – December 13, 7-8:30 pm. For further information, contact Dawn Iacono at diacono [at] stleothegreatamherst [dot] com or call 835-8905, ext. 12.
Big Book Sale on Friday October 12 and Friday, October 19 (1:30-5pm) at St. Joseph Center for Spirituality (4975 Strickler Road in Clarence).
Oktoberfest. Celebrate Fall with food, fellowship, and fun at South Buffalo Catholic School Notre Dame Academy on Saturday, October 13 from 1-11 pm at 1125 Abbott Rd., Buffalo. Included in this fun-filled event are basket raffles, games of chance, large ticket raffle items, and a full beer tent. Traditional German foods will be served from 1-4 pm. Food trucks will join the merriment at 6 pm. A corn-hole tournament will take place from 2-5 pm. Matt Sperber will perform at 4 pm and the Buffalo 5 will take the stage from 7-11 pm. For more information, contact elizabethbell118 [at] gmail [dot] com.
“Fur”ever in My Heart Pet Remembrance service will be held on Sunday, October 14 at 2 pm at Mt. Olivet Cemetery (4000 Elmwood Avenue in Kenmore). The service will feature Keith Kelly performing songs, with poems and pieces interspersed throughout the program along with the reading of your pet’s name. Call 716-873-6500 by October 4th for a reservation to have your pet’s names included in the program book. Program is presented as part of the Bereavement Support Programs, Catholic Diocese Cemeteries.
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.