February 18, 2018 – February 25, 2018
Weekly Activities
Sunday, February 18 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Anointing of the sick and well-aging in church
Monday, February 19 following 6:30 p.m. Journey Mass ~ CCCB Social in St. Charles Hall
Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall
Wednesday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall
Thursday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Saturday, February 24 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Saturday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*
Sunday, February 25 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour 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, February 18 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Pauline Rollek (Requested by Judy Casassa)
Grace Diamond
1921-2018
Monday, February 19 ~ CCCB Lenten Journey Mass at 6:30 p.m. in Church – CCCB Parish Communities
Tuesday, February 20 ~ Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. – Grace Diamond
Wednesday, February 21 ~ St. Peter Damian ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)
Thursday, February 22 ~ The Chair of St. Peter ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Friday, February 23 ~ St. Polycarp ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)
Friday, February 23 ~ Stations of the Cross at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24 ~ Seven Holy Founders of Servite Order ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – John D. Kresse (Bob and Mary Kresse)
Sunday, February 25 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Dorothy Clough (Judy Casassa) and Allen M. Andrew, Sr. (Wife, Daughter and Grandchildren)
Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25:
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. Reader: Lorna Cameron; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia
Sunday, 10:00 a.m. Readers: Chris Porter, Maggie Gatson; Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Alice Davis, Pat Hartinger, Mary Kresse, John Curtin; Sharon Dunnigan, Loft
News from our Parish Community
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven.” (Mk. 10:17-21).
What is God calling me to let go of? What is God asking me to become?
Anointing of the sick and well-aging will take place in church following the 10am Mass on Sunday, February 18.
Monday evening Lenten Journey Masses hosted by the Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo (“CCCB”) will begin here at Blessed Trinity on February 19 at 6:30pm. If you are donating finger-foods for the social that follows the Mass, please drop them off at St. Charles Hall before Mass.
Ladies Sodality members are asked to assemble in church at 10:30am on Tuesday, February 20, prior to the Mass of Christian Burial for member Grace Diamond. All are welcome to join them in reciting the Rosary.
The Parish Council meets on Wednesday, February 21, at 7pm in St. Charles Hall. Members who are unable to attend are asked to contact Council President Mickey Dick.
Stations of the Cross will be prayed in church at 6pm each Friday of Lent.
Intentional Preparation ~ Your choir is already hard at work developing the music program for Lent and Easter. You may have noticed some significant changes in the music at Mass today. We are working together to take responsibility for the beautiful psalm texts along our Lenten Journey. That is why you hear every voice in the choir cantoring the psalm. We are many individuals, but together we unify as one voice, as Christ unifies us as one people. You also heard a Mass Setting that is completely new to Blessed Trinity. It is the Mass of Joy and Peace, by Tony Alonso. It is not in our Breaking Bread hymnals, but it is gentle and melodic and we will all become comfortable with it quickly. We won’t get to hear the beautiful Gloria until the Easter Vigil, though, so look forward with us to wonderful things to come. Choir practice continues Tuesday at 7:00 in St. Charles Hall. All are welcome! Elizabeth
Our 2018 Lenten program will take place on three consecutive Wednesday evenings: February 28, March 7 and March 14. On February 28, Sr. Liz Savage will lead our prayerful consideration and discussion of two meditations (“Suffering in Communion with the Lord” and “As Those Who Serve”) from Joseph Cardinal Bernadin’s book, The Gift of Peace. Copies will be provided. We will gather to share simple refreshments at 6:45pm; our program will begin at 7pm. If you can help by providing fruit or cookies for February 28 or required food items for the March 7 soup supper, please add your name and phone number to the appropriate sign-up sheet in church or call Mickey Dick, 832-2540.
The Ladies Sodality monthly programs will resume after Sunday Mass on March 4. Participants will meet the women who accompanied Jesus to the cross and the tomb as they are depicted in the art work and symbols within our church.
Child and Youth Religious Education Program is scheduled to resume in the fall, but we need to know the number and ages of prospective students. If you are interested in enrolling a child or young adult preparing for Confirmation, please call Father Victor at 716-833-0301 .
Bible Study will resume at 7pm on Monday March 19 in St. Charles Hall and continue on Monday evenings through April 16. The first assigned reading is from the booklet, Genesis 12-23 Abraham and Sarah’s Journey, by Kevin and Louise Perrotta (Loyola Press, 2002), pages 4-23. Please contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 to obtain the booklet and participate in bible study.
Gerard Place ~ We received a nice thank you letter from Gerard Place for our Advent Giving Tree Donation of $633. Thank you again to all who made this possible.
Sodality Dues Reminder for 2018 ~ Sodality membership runs with the calendar year. Have you renewed? Dues are still only $5 and Mickey Dick, our membership chair, will be happy to accept your payment in cash or check payable to “Ladies Sodality of Blessed Trinity.” You may also drop your dues in the collection basket in an envelope marked “Sodality Dues.”
Sunday TV Mass. For those who are unable to physically attend Mass, the Diocese of Buffalo provides a televised Mass from the Our Lady Chapel at St. Joseph Cathedral that airs each Sunday on WUTV-Fox channel at 7:30am. The broadcast on February 18 features celebrant Rev. John Mack and Deacon Tim Maloney. The celebrant on February 25 is Rev. Cole Webster.
Home Visits ~ Please notify the church office if you know of aged, sick, or homebound parishioners who may wish to receive a visit from Father Victor on the last Friday of each month.
“Making a Difference – One Family at a Time” is the mission of Family Promise of WNY. The network of local religious organizations responds to the needs of homeless families. It is one of only three local agencies that keep families together as a unit in an emergency shelter. As a host congregation, Ss. Columba-Brigid Parish shelters families for a week, four times a year, and serves as the Family Promise Day Center providing laundry, shower, kitchen facilities, mail delivery, internet access, case management, and school bus service. As a support parish, Blessed Trinity cooks and serves one dinner a week during the four weeks hosted by Ss. C-B. Our next date is March 24. We need a few new volunteers to join our BT team. If willing to help, please contact Amy Johnson at 716-836-4694.
Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Do you know that Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer? Contact the church office (716-833-0301) to request a Mass for your loved ones for any intention. Office hours are: 10:30am-2:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday. The Mass Stipend is $15.
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.
Important Deadlines to Remember ~ As we begin the new year, 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 announcements should be submitted 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 ~ We have created a parish group email to be used for 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.
Decorated corbels on exterior of church ambulatory
Photo credit: Gary Kelley
News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community
Buffalo Employment Training Center has new classes March 1 – June 30. For information, or call 716-856-5627.
Two five-week classes begin soon at Christ the King Seminary. “From the Beginning: The Gospel of John,” taught by our academic dean, Michael Sherry, begins Thursday evening, February 8 from 6:30 to 8:30. “Sacraments & Ministry,” taught by Eileen Warner, begins Tuesday, February 20 (either 9:30-11:30 am or 6:30-8:30 pm). For more information about retreats and lectures, visit cks.edu.
Catholic Women’s Conference 2018: The Heart of a Woman. Want to be inspired and uplifted? Does your faith need a boost? Join hundreds of women from New York and surrounding areas as they gather on Saturday, February 24 from 7:30am-3pm at Cardinal O’Hara High School (39 O’Hara Road in Tonawanda). Keynote speaker: Dr. Janet Smith, as well as Kate Wicker and Sr. Tatum McWhirter; Mass with Bishop Richard Malone. Tickets $35. For further information or to purchase tickets, call 716-222-0622 or visit catholicwomenofbuffalo.org.
Catholic Charities’ 2018 Appeal. Jesus was entrusted to and raised lovingly by his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. Catholic Charities gives ordinary citizens the opportunity to raise an extraordinary child through our Foster Care and Adoption programs. Catholic Charities provides foster care for children of all ages in Erie County who cannot safely live in their own homes. Catholic Charities also works with the birth families toward reunification, all while providing referrals for needed services and support. To support our mission of providing happy and safe homes for children across Erie County, please donate to our 2018 Appeal by calling 716-218-1400 or visit ccwny.org/donation.
Annual Lenten Homemade Pierogi & Placek Sale from February 17-March 25 at St. John Kanty Parish (101 Swineburne Street in Buffalo). Kanty’s Kitchen is open Saturdays 3-5pm and Sundays 9:30am-12pm. Farmers cheese or sauerkraut pierogis; sold frozen and 6/package. Lunch available on March 25 (Palm Sunday) and large basket raffle. For further information, call 716-893-0412 or visit saintjohnkanty.com.
Join Bishop Richard Malone as he visits the sacred sites of England and Scotland! Pilgrimage includes Walsingham, Canterbury, Lindisfarne, St. Andrews, London, Edinburgh, York, and Cambridge. October 26 to November 5 – 11 days. $3,999 from Buffalo/Toronto. For information and reservations, contact Marianna Pisano at 800-777-7432, mpisano [at] unitours [dot] com, or book online at bit.ly/BishopPilgrimage.
A Gathering Place ~ Are you an older adult who is looking for a social program? Or do you have a loved one who could benefit from one? Try Catholic Charities’ A Gathering Place, a program designed for adults age 60+ who may need assistance with activities of daily living, in addition to physical and cognitive activities and socialization. The program is held in a supervised and safe environment at 128 Wilson Street in Buffalo. Services include individualized program options, nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day, and shower services. For more information, call 716-896-6388. For more information on Catholic Charities and other services and programs we provide, visit ccwny.org. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.