The Presentation of the Lord
February 2
The Presentation, depicted in terra cotta oval relief in the church narthex.
Photo credit: Margaret Dick

January 28 – February 4, 2018

Weekly Activities

Sunday, January 28 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, February 1 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, February 3 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Helping Hands Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, February 3 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, January 28 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Most Rev. Dominic Luong (Requested by John Curtin)

Monday, January 29 ~ No Service

Tuesday, January 30 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Wednesday, January 31 ~ St. John Bosco ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – A. Michael Andrew (Mother, Sister and Family)

Thursday, February 1 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Friday, February 2 ~ First Friday ~ Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds, and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Saturday, February 3 ~ St. Blaise, St. Ansgar~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Catherine M. Maher (Estate)

Sunday, February 4 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Holly Hecker (Bud & Mickey Dick)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, February 3 and 4:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: John Curtin; Eucharistic Minister: Lorna Cameron

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Gary Kelley, Miles James;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Pat Hartinger, Mary Kresse, Maggie Gatson, Bernice Bradley; Sharon Dunnigan, Loft

Photo Credit: Sean T. Brodfuehrer

News from our Parish Community

Living a Stewardship Life.
It is all about your heart. Everything we have is a gift from God that we are to use to help others.

God Bless You on Your Birthday ~ We celebrate monthly birthdays with a special prayer on the last Sunday of the month. On January 28, we will be honoring all those born in January.

Monthly Coffee Hour is Sunday, January 28, following Mass. It will be hosted by our bingo volunteers. Please stop by St. Charles Hall for coffee and conversation with your parish family.

First Friday is February 2. Please sign up to participate in Adoration during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 8-11am.  Mass will follow Benediction at 11am. The sign-up sheets are located at the side doors of church.

Blessing of Throats ~ Saturday, February 3, is the Feast of St. Blaise. Blessings of throats will take place at both weekend Masses.

The choir welcomes new members on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Keeping Our Faith Fresh ~ Truly marvelous progress has been made toward full, conscious, and active participation of our Roman Catholic assemblies since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Some of us are too young to remember how challenging it was to ask people to open their books to learn a new song before Vatican II. I suspect with Blessed Trinity’s 70+ year choral tradition that was not necessarily the case in our parish over the years. Music selections for January 27/28 all came from contemporary composers after Vatican II.  Michael Joncas (1985), Owen Alstott (1977), Marty Haugan (2010), Dan Schutte (2015), Scott Soper (2002) and Tom Kendzia (1998) wrote today’s music and even some of the texts. It’s a beautiful thing to have a musical tradition that goes back for decades yet continues to grow and change. I believe we are getting ever closer to full, conscious and active participation at Mass! Choir practice resumes on February 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m (in St. Charles Hall). All are welcome!

December Giving Tree ~ Thank you to all who donated generously to our Annual Giving Tree, resulting in an abundance of wonderful “fruit.” Forty-six envelopes “blossomed” into $1,266.00! Gerard Place and St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy each received a check for $633.00 to apply to operating costs.

Mass of Thanksgiving for the success of the Upon This Rock Campaign with Bishop Richard J. Malone will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, January 30, at Infant of Prague Parish  (921 Cleveland Drive in Cheektowaga).

Making a Difference – One Family at a Timeis 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.

Sign Up for a Prayer Partner ~ Lent is a time when we are called to pray for the needs of others. If you would like to participate in the Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo (“CCCB”) Prayer Partner Program, please sign up by the weekend of January 27. Registration sheets will be found on the altar rail. You will then receive the name of a person from another CCCB parish to pray for, and that person will be given your name to pray for throughout the Lenten season. If you have questions or you are a homebound person who wishes participate, please call Pam Zanghi (716-834-9129) or Dan Korchowsky (716-465-4771). You will have the chance to meet your prayer partner at a pot-luck dinner on April 19.

Save These Dates ~ Your Parish Council is busy finalizing plans for our 2018 Lenten Program, which will take place on three consecutive Wednesday evenings: February 28, March 7 and March 14. Please plan now to attend, and watch for details in future bulletins and online “This Week” posts at blessedtrinitybuffalo.org.

Sodality Dues Reminder for 2018 ~ Sodality membership runs with the calendar year, so please remember to renew. 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.”

MLK Day of Organizing: Part 2The conversation about community organizing continues on Wednesday, February 7, from 7:15-8:30pm at Ss. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory Street. To register, please call their parish office at 716-852-3331.

Bible Study ~ Plans for the next series of Bible study meetings are underway. Please continue to watch this space and the bulletin for details of our next meeting and assigned readings. Contact Althea Porter at 716-316-8395 for more information.

Openings for Mass Intentions ~ Thank you to all who have recently placed Mass intentions. We again have openings on Saturdays and Sundays, so 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.

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.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Catholic Charities’ 2018 Appeal Begins. “I have never been so excited to learn in my life,” said Victoria, a student in Catholic Charities’ Tomorrow’s Youth Today program. Tomorrow’s Youth Today is just one of many services offered through Catholic Charities. In the program, students like Victoria are able to upgrade reading or math skill levels, prepare for the high school equivalency exam, gain job readiness skills and find paid work experiences and other employment preparation. Your donation to the Catholic Charities’ 2018 Appeal helps us to continue to educate, mentor, and set up young people for success. Donate by calling 218-1400 or visit cc.wny.org/donation.

2018 White Mass for all healthcare workers will be held on Saturday, February 10, at 4:30pm at St. Joseph Cathedral (50 Franklin Street in Buffao). Bishop Richard Malone will celebrate Mass and confer a blessing on all healthcare workers; dinner and speaker will follow at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. Ellen Snyder will speak of her miraculous healing of stage IV breast cancer and Marie Romagnano, Catastrophic Injury Medical Director and founder of Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy, will be the keynote speaker. Tickets can be purchased online at cmabuffalo.org or call Dr. Roetzer at 716-228-0439.

Homemade Spaghetti Dinner, Saturday, February 10 (4-7pm), hosted by the Sodality of Our Lady at Fourteen Holy Helpers Church in the Msgr. Ebner Hall (1345 Indian Church Road in West Seneca). Tickets will be on sale at the door only: adult $9, child (3-10), family with 3+ children $35. Dinner includes all you can eat spaghetti, 2 meatballs, salad, bread and butter, beverage, along with a Valentine’s cupcake. Wine and beer will be available for purchase. Please call the church Rectory at 716-674-2374 with questions.

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.

Mass celebrating the First Anniversary of the designation of St. Mary of the Angels (202 South Union St., Olean, NY) as a Minor Basilica by Pope Francis is Sunday, February 11, at 11:30am.  Very Rev. Gregory Dobson, Rector of the basilica, will preside. Highlights of the celebration will include the announcement of a proclamation received by Bishop Richard Malone that will affect pilgrims to the basilica and the unveiling of a special insignia that will be displayed in the basilica. The basilica will also host a public tour at 10:15am conducted by the author of the Vatican application for minor basilica status. Complimentary refreshments will be served after Mass in the basilica’s dining hall. All are invited.