Nativity of St. John the Baptist – Week of June 24, 2018

June 24- July 1, 2018

Weekly Activities

Sunday, June 24 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall, hosted by Liturgy Committee

Thursday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, June 30 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, June 30 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, June 24 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Requested by Estate of Mary Reilly)

Monday, June 25 ~ No Service

Tuesday, June 26 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Wednesday, June 27 ~ St. Cyril of Alexandria ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. –  Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Thursday, June 28 ~ St. Irenaeus ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, June 29 ~ St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Saturday, June 30~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Ann Pauline Home (Luis Clay)

Sunday, July 1 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Lorna Cameron; Eucharistic Minister: Michale Ogoh

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Don and Bonnie Williams;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky Pat Hartinger; Kathleen Marien (Loft)

News from our Parish Community

The Resourceful Musician ~ Weekly Mass hymn selection is no small task, and there are a variety of resources to which to turn when planning the liturgy. The official guidelines on music in the liturgy as put forth by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and our rich and plentiful musical heritage means it is difficult to narrow down the weekly options to just a few. According to the USCCB, Communion songs should have texts with themes of joy, wonder, unity, gratitude, and praise. Following ancient Roman liturgical tradition, the Communion song might reflect themes of the Gospel reading from the day. It is also appropriate to select a Communion song that reflects liturgical action, i.e. consuming the Body and Blood of Christ. This week’s Communion hymn managed to reflect all three of these criteria – “Taste and See” is certainly a theme of joy and praise, and it contains a bit of text from Luke 1 from this weekend’s Gospel.  This hymn also reflects the liturgical action of receiving communion. It is easy to understand why it was an appropriate selection based on our national guidelines.  Thanks, USCCB! … Elizabeth

Due to the July 4th Holiday, please send your bulletin submissions for the July 7-8 Bulletin to the Rectory Office no later than the morning of July 2.

Water With Blessings Drive Benefits 80 Haitian Families ~The women of our Ladies Sodality would like to thank all the parishioners who donated to the Sodality’s Water With Blessings collection (April 22-May 13). As announced at its June 13 dinner, contributions to the collection totaled $1,200.00 and represented individual donations in amounts from $3 to $250, including a memorial contribution by Mary Karlis in memory of her mother, Evelyn Schmelzer. The monies will provide 20 water filter kits for the “Water Women” of Jacmel, Haiti. The 20 filters will in turn produce clean drinking waters for 80 families in Jacmel. The Haitian Water With Blessings project is spear-headed by the Felician Sisters of N. America who are working to “wash out” cholera in Haiti, one village at a time.

Sodality Dinner ~ Our Ladies Sodality welcomed members as well as women from Ss. Columba-Brigid, St. Martin de Porres, St. Rose of Lima, and Queen of Martyrs parishes at their June 13 dinner, marking the conclusion of their 2017-18 season. The evening’s guest speaker, Sister Maureen Harris, shared insights into the lives of the religious women at her Congregation’s Mission in Tanzania. Her presentation included photographs and mementos from her recent six-month stay at the Mission. Other dinner highlights included Sodality President Vera Andrew’s presentation of a $500 gift from the organization to the parish and an announcement regarding the success of the Sodality’s recent Water With Blessings collection. To view more photos from the dinner, Click HERE.

Family Promise of WNY ~ Our volunteer team, led by Amy Johnson, assisted temporarily homeless families housed at Ss. Colomba-Brigid Parish by preparing and serving a Saturday evening dinner on June 16. If you are able to help with this ministry by preparing part of the meal, please contact Amy Johnson at 716-836-4694. Our next scheduled dinner date is Saturday, July 21.

Know Your Faith ~ Why must we begin every gathering as Catholic Christians with the Sign of the Cross?There are several reasons for this gesture:
~ It reminds us that God the Son died for us on the cross. Each time we sign the cross on ourselves will affirm that we are saved.
~ It reminds us of our identity as One. Through this Trinitarian Formula, our sins are forgiven; we become God’s children and members of the Church.
~ We remind ourselves at each gathering that we are together, not as worldly people, but identified as Children of God. Our gatherings are for the praise of God and the salvation of our souls.
~ We make the Sign of the Cross to invite the Trinity to be present in our gathering to create in us, to redeem us, and strengthen us in the activities that has brought us together. We conclude with the sign of the cross in thanksgiving for the presence of God throughout the course of our gathering.
~ Finally, the Sign of the Cross shields away from us the snare of the evil one and dispels from us the plans of the devil and his angels … Fr. Victor

Mass Intentions Available ~ The Sacrifice of the Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer. Please contact the church office (716-833-0301) to request a Mass intention for a deceased loved one or a special intention. Even weekend Masses are available during the summer. The Mass stipend is $15.

Pray for Christians in the Middle East ~ This is the message we receive every day from the Christians of Iraq, Syria, and other Middle Eastern countries, who have been persecuted in recent years for committing one crime: that of being Christians. To awaken the world from its indifference, Pope Francis has convoked an ecumenical prayer meeting on July 7 in Bari, Italy, with the participation of the patriarchs and leaders of the Churches and Christian communities of the Middle East. During this month of preparation for the Pope’s meeting in Bari, show your commitment by remembering Christians of the Middle East in your daily prayer.

BT in Architectural Spotlight ~ The May 22, 2018 Buffalo News (pages B-1 and C-12) highlights architectural features of our church in a pictorial array. To really appreciate the fine work of their photographer, Derek Gee, and view places in the church that you can’t normally see, visit the Buffalo News Photo Gallery. It includes 100 photos taken of our church!

Celebrating Our Future Along With Our Past ~ On May 27, we combined an anniversary remembrance with Trinity Sunday’s celebration of our parish feast day. During the 10am Mass, we recognized those who have joined the parish in the last year and a half — so essential to our future — while also commemorating the 90th anniversary of the completion of our church building, dedicated by Bishop Turner on June 3, 1928. Click HERE to see photos from the Mass, the blessing of the church cornerstone and our new sign, and the social which followed.

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.

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.

De-cluttering? Donate your gently used clothing items to St. Vincent de Paul. There is a blue bin located in the back parking lot to the right of St. Charles Hall. They ask that no loose items be left there. Please pack your donations in plastic bags. This bin is for clothing only. If you have appliances of other household goods, schedule a pick up by calling 716-882-3360.

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.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Dinner Lecture Series continues at Christ the King Seminary (711 Knox Road in East Aurora). There are 3 remaining Wednesday evening events, each beginning with dinner at 5:45pm in the main dining room and a lecture at 6:45-8:45pm. Our summer dinner lecture series is a relaxing way to recharge your faith! Enjoy a meal and learn about a topic from one of our faculty members. Each evening is $35 for dinner and talk ($25 for talk only). Register at cks.edu or call 716-655-7099. June 20: Transform Daily Life Through the Trinity; July 18: The Lost Art of Letter Writing: Dorothy Day, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton; July 25 : Thomas Merton Part II: Theological & Spiritual Influences.