Happy Mother’s Day
This depiction of St. Anne and the Child Mary appears in a stained glass window in the shrine area near the left (east) side entrance of the church.

May 13 – May 20, 2018

Weekly Activities

Sunday, May 13 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Mother’s Day Breakfast in St. Charles Hall hosted by Holy Name Society

Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Parish Council Meeting in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, May 17 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall

Saturday, May 19 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, May 20 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Anointing of the sick and well-aging in church

Sunday, May 20 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Liturgy Committee Meeting 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, May 13 ~ Mother’s Day ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Pauline Rollek (Requested by Bob and Mary Kresse) and My Daughter and Her Family (Requested by Fidelia Ejimadu)

Monday, May 14 ~ St. Matthias ~ No Service

Tuesday, May 15 ~ St. Isidore ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m.  – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Wednesday, May 16 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. –  All Deceased Members of the Wilbert and Brown Family (JC and Family)

Thursday, May 17 ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, May 18 ~ St. John I ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Frances Chruney (The Family)

Saturday, May 19 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Lillian Hundley (John Curtin)

Sunday, May 20 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Eugene and Anna Koenig (Sister Ann Helene Koenig)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: John Curtin; Eucharistic Minister: Michael Ogoh

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Bob Heicklen, Bernice Bradley;  Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Pat Hartinger, Maggie Gatson; Mary Kresse (Choir)

Fr. Victor is joined by women of the parish at the 2018 Mother’s Day Brunch.

News from our Parish Community

Happy Mother’s Day

The Parish Council will meet on Wednesday, May 16, at 7pm in St. Charles Hall. If you are unable to attend, please contact Mickey Dick.

The Blessed Trinity Choir is honored to be singing at this year’s Church Musicians’ Guild Festival Mass on Thursday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m. at St. John Gualbert Church in Cheektowaga.  This Mass is an opportunity for all of the church musicians in our diocese to get together to celebrate the Eucharist and our commitment to beautiful music.  All are welcome!

Anointing of the sick and well-aging will take place in church after Mass on Sunday, May 20.

Liturgy Committee Meeting has been rescheduled (due to the Mother’s Day Breakfast).  It will take place after Mass on Sunday, May 20, in St. Charles Hall. New members are always welcome!

The women of the parish would like to thank the Holy Name Society for preparing and serving today’s Mother’s Day Breakfast. It is a wonderful treat for which we are truly appreciative. Click HERE to see more photos from the brunch.

Ascension + Mother’s Day = Musical Diversity. While the Feast of Ascension fell on Thursday this past week, the celebration continued in this weekend’s liturgy with the first reading centered around Jesus’ ascent into heaven and the Gospel focusing on His work through the disciples.  It is our task as church musicians to express both the divine and practical roles Jesus exemplified while simultaneously celebrating our mothers – that’s a pretty broad range!  The Holly She Bears a Berry is a BT favorite that is usually reserved for Christmas, but it was very appropriate for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.  While a divinity scholar could write a thesis on the imagery in this selection by James E. Clemens, the last verse clearly portrays the song’s appropriateness for this Mass:

Oh, the holly she bears a berry, as blood it is red,
And we trust in our Savior, who rose from the dead.
And Mary she bore Jesus, our Savior for to be,
And the first tree that’s in the greenwood, it was the holly.

 Ascension and Motherhood – perfect for today’s celebration. Choir practice continues on Tuesday, May 15, at 7:00pm in St. Charles Hall.  We always welcome new members! Elizabeth

Water With Blessings ~ The Ladies Sodality’s special collection to provide mothers in Jacmal, Haiti with water purification systems ends on Sunday, May 13. If you would still like to contribute toward the $60 cost of each filter system, please be sure to take one of the special envelopes from the tables as you leave church today and place your donation in next weekend’s collection. We also ask that you continue praying each day “in solidarity with all God’s thirsty children.” We thank you for your support of our project. (If you have a talent for crocheting or knitting, you can also help by creating colorful protective “socks” for the water filters. You can find instructions at the project’s web site, https://www.waterwithblessings.org/crochet-for-a-cause.html or request a copy from Mickey Dick.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful volunteers (docents, greeters, salespeople, choir members, welcoming parishioners) who helped to make last weekend’s Sacred Sites Open House so successful. More than 70 people participated in the event – some from just down the street, some from as far away as Tennessee and Belize! A special tip-of-the-hat to the members of the St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum. Their beautiful a cappella chant and polyphonic music filled the church – truly “sacred sounds in a sacred setting.” Even Mother Nature cooperated to help all the photographers! Bless you all! For photos from the Eight Annual Sacred Sites Weekend, Click HERE.

Our Ladies Sodality will hold their season-ending June dinner in St. Charles Hall on Wednesday evening, June 13, and would like to invite all women of the parish to attend. We have asked Sister Maureen Harris, OSF, the Spiritual Care Outreach Coordinator for our Catholic Churches of Central Buffalo (“CCCB”), to be our guest speaker. Sr. Maureen has recently returned from a six-month assignment in Tanzania, Africa. With the help of photos from her journey, Sister Maureen will be sharing her faith experience with us, including insights into the life and ministries of the native Sisters of her congregation in the mission. The evening will feature a buffet dinner from Baba’s Place, and the $20 per person cost will include: salad, vegetable lasagna, chicken parmesan, garlic bread, dessert, wine, soda, coffee, and tea. We will also be inviting women from the other CCCB parishes to join us for the evening in St. Charles Hall, beginning at 6pm.

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.

Family Promise of WNY ~ Thanks to our volunteer team, led by Amy Johnson, who prepared dinner on Saturday, April 21, for temporarily homeless families sheltered for the week at Ss. Colomba-Brigid Parish. Our next scheduled dinner dates are June 16 and July 21. If you are able to help with this ministry by preparing part of the meal, please contact Amy Johnson at 716-836-4694.

Spring Cleaning? 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–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.

Mass Intentions Available ~ The Sacrifice of the Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer. Contact the church office to request a Mass for yourself, your loved ones, or for any intention. We have both weekday and weekend availability.

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.

Members of our choir are honored to sing at the Church Musicians’ Guild’s season-ending celebration on May 17.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

The African American Commission of The Office of Cultural Diversity Presents a retreat on Saturday, May 19 (9:30am-3:30pm) for those over 55 years old.  EMBRACING LIFE CHANGES: God + Self + Others, will be held at St. Anthony’s Church (306 Ingham Avenue in Lackawanna). Call 716-847-2217 for more information or email  mramos [at] buffalodiocese [dot] org.

Voices of Mercy ~ St. Margaret Parish will host St. Luke’s Mission Voices of Mercy on Wednesday, May 23, 6:30-7:30pm, at St. Margaret (1395 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo).  A free will offering may be made to benefit St. Luke’s. Refreshments will be served following the concert in the rectory adjoining the church. For further information, contact Diane at 716-876-5318.

TOLTON: From Slave to Priest – performed live with Jim Coleman ~ Learn about Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African-American priest, in a powerful multimedia performance on Wednesday, May 23, at 7pm (Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna) and Thursday, May 24 at 2pm and 7pm (Marie Maday Theater at Lyons’ Hall, Canisius College in Buffalo). Free-will Offering. Sponsored by Paul and Susan Santandreu and the Diocese of Buffalo. Find out more at ToltonDrama.com or call Luz Milagros Ramos at 716-847-2217.

Thursday May 24 is Rock Around the Block, hosted by St. John School (1085 Englewood Avenue in Kenmore) with food trucks and music by Vinderosa Trio. Call 716-873-6500 for more information.

The Society of Our Lady of Divine Mercy is hosting a Divine Mercy concert, “Proclaim God’s Marvelous Deeds,” at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Orchard Park on May 25  at 7:00 P.M. It is a Praise and Worship concert of God’s Mercy. There is a free-will offering and proceeds go to fund the Pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine for St. Faustina Day.

Celebrating Memorial Day at a Catholic Cemetery is truly a mixture of flags and wreaths and tributes and taps. Join us as we honor those who have served our country in the military at one of our Memorial Day Masses. On Saturday, May 26 at 10am, Masses will be held at the following cemeteries: Mount Olivet in Kenmore, Holy Cross in Lackawanna, Gate of Heaven in Lewiston, and Holy Sepulchre in Cheektowaga. On Monday, May 28 at 10am, Masses will be held at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lockport and St. Adalbert Cemetery in Lancaster. Honoring all those buried in the cemetery is the focus of our Eucharistic celebrations and our voiced intercessions. For more information, please call 716-873-6500.

Have you experienced a loss in your family that your children are having a hard time with? The Office of Family Life Ministries can send you a packet of unique resources that can help you talk about death with children ages pre-school through teens. Please let us know the ages of the children that you are communicating with when you request this information. Contact us at familylife [at] buffalodiocese [dot] org or call 716-847-2210.

St. Mary’s High School is looking for interested applicants to become host families for incoming international students for the next school year.  If you would like more information, please reach out to Andrea Drabik, Dean of Student Life & Enrollment at adrabik [at] smhlancers [dot] org.