Diocesan Celebration of the Life of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Living in the Spirit of God”
January 20, 2019 at Blessed Trinity
Photo credit: Phil Woods

January 20 – January 27, 2019

Weekly Activities

Saturday, January 19 from 10:00 a.m. – 12 Noon ~ Receipt of items at St. Charles Hall for January 20 reception and basket raffle

Sunday, January 20 following 10:00 a.m. Diocesan Mass Honoring Rev. Martin Luther King ~ Reception in St. Charles Hall

Tuesday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Wednesday, January 23 from 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS

Thursday, January 24 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Saturday, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, January 27 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Anointing of the sick and well-aging in church

Sunday, January 27 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Coffee Hour in St. Charles Hall hosted by Parish Council

*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 20 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. Celebrating Life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Requested by Blessed Trinity Parish) and God’s blessings for Chaka Chapman (Requested by Tina and Mom)

Monday, January 21~ St. Agnes ~ No Service

Tuesday, January 22 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Wednesday, January 23 ~ St. Vincent; St. Marianne Cope ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Thursday, January 24 ~ St. Francis de Sales ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, January 25 ~ The Conversion of St. Paul ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Saturday, January 26 ~ St. Timothy and St. Titus ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Sunday, January 27 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Birthday Remembrance for Pauline Rollek (Bud and Mickey Dick)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, January 26/27, 2019:

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.  Reader: Lorna Cameron; Eucharistic Minister: Lucille Venezia

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Bob Heicklen, Simon Kresse; Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Pat Hartinger, Alice Davis; Choir – Kathleen Marien

Today’s second reading has St. Paul describing the different gifts bestowed by “the same Spirit” in his first Letter to the Corinthians. Symbols of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit appear above 7 of the windows in the dome. Shown here, l. to. r., dove (Wisdom),
throne (Counsel), bright robe (Understanding).
Photo credit: Char Szabo-Perricelli

News from our Parish Community

Diocesan Celebration to Take Place at Blessed Trinity ~ On Sunday, January 20, at 10am, Blessed Trinity is honored to host the annual diocesan celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s theme is:”Living in the Spirit of God: Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Our bishop, the Most Reverend Richard Malone, Th.D. will preside and the guest homilist will be Rev. Clarence Williams, CPPS, Ph.D. A reception following the Mass will include a basket raffle to raise funds for the MLK Scholarship Fund. If you are willing to donate a gift basket for the raffle or finger foods for the reception, please bring them to St. Charles Hall on Saturday, January 19, between 10am and noon. You may also call Althea Porter (716-316-8395) to arrange for pick-up.

Tuesday, January 22, is designated as a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.

Catholic Relief Services ~ A special collection for Catholic Relief Services will take place on the weekend of January 26/27. Your generosity will answer the knock of Jesus in Disguise. Your financial support is greatly appreciated.

Monthly Anointing and Birthday Blessing ~ Because of the special Mass honoring Rev. Martin Luther King on January 20, our monthly anointing of the sick and well-aging has been rescheduled for the fourth Sunday, January 27, following the 10 o’clock Mass. Mass on that day will end with a birthday blessing for all those born in the month of January.

January Coffee Hour is Sunday, January 27, following the 10am Mass. The Parish Council is our hosting organization.

Vital Employment Opportunity ~ Blessed Trinity Church is looking to employ a person to work on an as needed basis to assist in shoveling the walkways and stairs to the church on Saturday and/or Sunday before Mass, only when needed due to snow. In addition, we are looking for a person to clean the church hall after the food pantry closes on Wednesday. This can be done on Wednesday afternoon or during the  morning on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. This task takes 2-3 hours. If you are interested in one or both of these jobs, please contact Bud Dick at 716-998-7855 or Bob Heicklen at 716-881-3793. Please don’t hesitate to call; snow is in the forecast.

Thank You to our faithful volunteers who turned out on January 7 to remove the Christmas decorations, carry them to the basement, sweep, vacuum, and water the still vibrant poinsettias. We are extremely grateful to Tom, Nik and Drew Brodfuehrer; Judy Casassa, Bud and Mickey Dick, Tom Dinder, Ellen Duffy, Alan Frank, Amy Johnson, Dorothy Manuppelli, Kathy Press, Sr. Liz Savage and Palma Zanghi.

The Giving Tree ~ A warm “THANK YOU” to everyone who helped make our 2018 Giving Tree very fruitful for Haven House, a home for victims of domestic abuse. The envelopes taken off the tree during Advent were returned with $723.00. This will surely help Haven House meet some of its costs for such essentials as heat, electricity and maintenance. Many blessing to all who participate in any way.

Blessed Trinity Needs Your Help! We’re not asking for money, but for some-thing maybe even more valuable: a little bit of your TIME. Just a bit. ONE or TWO nights a month that will really help your parish. Our last financial report (included in a recent bulletin) shows the importance of BINGO. Clearly, this fundraiser is essential for our parish’s financial health. Just as clearly, it needs broad parish support in the way of MORE workers. We have Bingo every Thursday and Saturday night. Can you PLEASE commit to one or two nights a month? You can start simply by helping to sell things and — as you learn the routine — cross-train for other essential tasks. Our friendly team of workers stands ready to help you. Please contact Kathy Press at 716-445-8160 for more information. Your Parish Bingo Team thanks you!

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.

Photo Credit: Sean T. Brodfuehrer

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Monday, January 21 ~ The “Prayers for the Catholic Church” group is gathering to pray to strengthen the faith of Catholics and to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Following 12:05pm Mass at St. Louis Church (780 Main Street at Edward, Buffalo), the group will pray the Rosary outside of the Catholic Center, 795 Main St. Find out more at prayersforthecatholichurch.com or by calling 716-316-8550. Relying on the promptings of the Holy Spirit, Prayers for the Catholic Church was formed by lay Catholics of Western New York as a means to take action in response to the clerical sex abuse scandal in the Diocese of Buffalo and throughout the world. We believe our premise is simple, yet powerful – we gather to participate in Catholic Mass and communal public prayer. We pray to strengthen the faith of all Catholics, which can be challenged and compromised during this time of crisis in the Church. In addition to the January 21 event, Prayers for the Catholic Church gathers every Thursday for 12:05 p.m. Mass at St. Louis Church and prayer outside the Diocese of Buffalo Catholic Center. We see the Catholic Center, the Diocesan “headquarters,” as the focal point of the current crisis, and thus we pray that the people and activities within maintain true to their mission of serving God and His people. Since September 2018, over 50 people have joined us for Mass and prayer.

Polish Platter Dinner, Sunday January 27, 11:30am-2pm at St. John Kanty Parish (Broadway & Swinburne Street in Buffalo). Pre-sale tickets available. Call 716-893-0412 weekdays 9 am-12 pm. Off-street parking. For further information, visit saintjohnkanty.com.

 “The Eucharistic Miracles: The Suffering Heart of Jesus,” Monday January 28 at 7pm, presented by Jeffery Skurka at Our Lady of Pompeii Church (129 Laverack Avenue in Lancaster). Medical professionals determined that samples of scientifically examined consecrated communion hosts have proven to be inflamed human myocardial tissue, leaving the medical community astonished. Come learn why Jesus keeps showing us his suffering heart.

BBC BAND, Friday February 8 at 8pm, presented by the Cardinal O’Hara High School Alumni Association at Cardinal O’Hara (39 O’Hara Road in Tonawanda). Cash bar will be available. Tickets may be purchased online at cardinalohara.com or call 695-2600, ext. 312. Proceeds benefit the continuing restoration of the Arts Center and the Alumni Scholarship Fund.

2019 White Mass and Dinner for Healthcare Workers, Saturday February 9, sponsored by the Catholic Medical Association of Buffalo.  Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Richard Malone at 4:30 pm at St. Joseph Cathedral (50 Franklin Street in Buffalo). Dinner following Mass at the Adam’s Mark Hotel (120 Church Street in Buffalo). Guest speaker, Cynthia B. Hunt, MD, will present “Role of a Medical Professional in Exorcism and Deliverance.” Make reservations and payments in advance (free for medical students and clergy) at cmsbuffalo.org or call 716-688-4283 by February 1.