Week of December 1, 2019 – First Sunday of Advent

December 1 – 8, 2019

Weekly Activities

Wednesday, December 4 from 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall (Food Pantry operates every Wednesday from Noon-4pm)

Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Thursday, December 5 at 8:00 p.m. ~  Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall.*

Saturday, November 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, December 1 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Blessings for Elmer Hartzell (Requested by Madonna Hartzell) and Eternal Rest for Lucille Venezia (Requested by The Duffy Girls)

Monday, December 2 ~ No Service

Tuesday, December 3 ~ St. Francis Xavier ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Mary Nelson (John E. Curtin)

Wednesday, December 4 ~ St. John Damascene ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Eternal Rest for Lucille Venezia (Rev. Victor Ibhawa)

Thursday, December 5 ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Friday, December 6 ~ St. Nicholas ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Saturday, December 7 ~ St. Ambrose ~ Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Blessings for Shirley Monnin (Family)

Sunday, December 8 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Eternal Rest for Edward F. Schroeder (Robert and Mary Reilly)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, December 7 & 8, 2019:

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

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Bob Heicklen, Simon Kresse; Eucharistic Ministers: Fran Cahill, Fidelia Ejimadu, Mary Kresse; Choir – Sharon Dunnigan

News from our Parish Community

“Share in the Care” ~ The second collection on November 30/December 1 benefits the Retirement Fund for Religious. Historically, Religious have focused on ministering to others rather than on their own retirement needs. Their surplus funds were used to fund their ministries or educate their members. Today, many women and men Religious continue to provide volunteer services for many years beyond retirement. Religious Congregations in the Diocese receive no retirement benefits from the Diocese of Buffalo, Upon This Rock Campaign, or Diocesan Priests Retirement Fund. All donations are used for Congregations with documented financial need to provide for their members over 70 years of age. Your donation to the Retirement Fund for Religious enables not only the care of retired Religious, but also helps assure that their ministries of prayer and service will continue. Please give generously.

Coming Soon ~ Monday, December 9 at 5pm, Mass for the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, followed at 6pm with a Healing Service for Victims of Abuse.

As we conclude the Thanksgiving celebrations and begin our Advent season, we are most grateful for the parishioners of Blessed Trinity Church who make our community the special place it has become. May God continue to bless us all and meet us at the point of our needs. Amen.

The Ladies Sodality annual Christmas Dinner is this Tuesday, December 3, at 6pm at The Family Tree Restaurant, 4346 Bailey Avenue in Amherst. If you have made reservations, please arrange to pay Amy Johnson this weekend. The $25/person price includes the gratuity; wine or beer is available at cost.

Delivering Gifts for Home Bound Parishioners – We are still in need of folks to deliver Christmas gift bags to our parish home bound and those in senior care facilities. Although the gift bags will have to be picked up in St. Charles Hall after Masses on Dec. 7 or 8, they can be delivered any time during that week – or any time before Christmas if you are good at keeping poinsettias alive.  If you are willing to bring a little cheer from the parish family, please contact Mickey Dick (716-832-2540) or Vera Andrew (716-704-2944).

An Advent Prayer ~ Singing in the choir at Blessed Trinity is not just about singing at the Sunday Liturgies. We are a prayerful group, and each week we strive to glorify our God through song while we pray for ourselves and others. This is an Advent prayer written by Jeanne Hunt for choir members, but it is applicable to everyone who is preparing for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let’s get ready – Jesus is coming!

In night’s quiet, when we have time and silence to think, the songs of this season come drifting into our minds.
In the quiet they are welcomed, and our spirits somehow delight in this sweet Advent time.
The dark seems comfortable, and our songs fit the mood of night.
“Come, long-awaited Savior,” into the darkness of our lives.
There is a lot of darkness in our lives…so many places where we live without God.
It is not easy to stay with him. It is not always easy to find him
in our work, in traffic, in our families. But now, gathered together, we come to his light.We can feel the warmth of his love. We can sing about his coming. Here we can find this Jesus the Christ
who is willing to walk in our darkness with us, born to become our light.

Did you know Blessed Trinity Church has one of the most beautiful acoustics in Western New York? Join us up in the loft and help enhance our Liturgies. Choir practice continues on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. in St. Charles Hall. All are welcome to attend.

Cocoa Challenge 2019 ~ We are over 75% of our Cocoa Challenge goal. With your final donations this weekend we will reach 4,200 packets of instant hot chocolate. Thank you! Gift Bags (decorated or not) should be returned this Sunday morning or bring to church for assembly on Friday December 6. Help assemble the gifts 10am to 1pm and/or 6pm to completion. Please join fellow parishioners and volunteers from the community and support Sr. Karen Klimczak’s message of hope, forgiveness, and non-violence to the prisoners at the Wende and Albion correctional facilities.

The Lord Works in Unexpected Ways – It all started with a phone call to Bud Dick late Friday afternoon, November 22, from a friend at Canisius High School. Joe Van Volkenburg indicated that Saturday was the school alumni’s Community Outreach Day, and they had more volunteers than places to send them. Could Blessed Trinity use some? Even on such short notice, it’s hard to say “no” to volunteers, so – early Saturday morning – Bud, Mickey & Judy Casassa welcomed a group of 11 consisting of alumni, family members and current students. They turned out to be one of the most gracious and hard working group of volunteers to ever visit our church, and they worked diligently from the side vestibules to the loft and back. Three hours later, we ran out of tasks to assign them. And before leaving, they even decorated a few bags for the Prison Project! Please say a prayer of thanksgiving for: Karl and Barbara McKinnie; Sam and Tammy Foley; Luke and Amy Braun; Colin, Syd and Owen Pratt; Aidan Armenia and Stan Bukowski.

Would you like a prayer for a special intention? Beginning Sunday December 1, the first Sunday of Advent, you will be provided an opportunity to submit your personal prayer requests. These requests will be prayed for at each Mass. You may submit your request by writing it on a slip of paper and placing it in the basket on the rail in front of the baptismal font. There is no need to provide your name. These written prayer requests will be in addition to the petitions shared during the Prayer of the Faithful.

Thank you to Bud and Mickey Dick, Don and Bonnie Williams, and all Parish Council volunteers who helped plan and prepare the wonderful food and desserts enjoyed by all who attended the Italian dinner on November 17 … and a very special thanks to Frank Cugino who provided his signature sauce and homemade pasta from Cugino’s Restaurant!

Save the Date ~ Blessed Trinity is serving up musical treats on Sunday, December 8, at 3 p.m. when The Freudig Singers of WNY return for their annual “Christmas Pie” performance. Come for the music; stay for the pie.

Holiday Tours of Blessed Trinity ~ Explore Buffalo is again bringing their seasonal tours to Blessed Trinity Church and inviting the public to see our beautiful structure and its festive decorations. The Thanksgiving Weekend tour will be on Saturday, November 30 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. The Christmas Weekend tour will be on Sunday, December 29 from 12:30 – 2:30 PM. Cost: $15 per person. Reservations can be made by contacting Explore Buffalo at explore [at] explorebuffalo [dot] org or 716-245-3032. Walk-ins are also welcome. Either weekend presents a wonderful opportunity for local folks to invite their visiting relatives for a pleasant and educational holiday experience. At 3:00 PM on December 29, we will also host a musical presentation by the St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum. A double bill – a gorgeous Christmas gift!!

Blessed Trinity Annual Christmas “Giving Tree” ~ For many years it has been a tradition at Blessed Trinity to have a Christmas “Giving Tree.” Each year a particular charity is chosen and our congregation has generously responded. This year our charity will be Family Promise of WNY. This charity provides temporary housing to families who have experienced a crisis and have no place to live. For additional information about this organization, please visit https://fpwny.org/. As guest families are often starting from scratch, the staff at Family Promise have expressed a need for gift cards to give families as they transition into more permanent housing. Recommended stores include Target, Walmart, Tops and other area grocery chains. You may also make a monetary donation. If you choose this option, be sure to use an envelope from The Giving Tree for your gift and drop it in the collection basket. Checks should be made payable to “Family Promise.” You can also join our parish Family Promise Team and help prepare dinner for the network’s guests on Monday, December 9. To offer assistance, please contact Amy Johnson,  (716) 836-4694.

Anyone interested in coordinating a prayer group, such as Pious Society, Sacred Heart, St. Jude, Altar Rosary, etc., please see Fr. Victor or email the church office at blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com.

Blessed Trinity Needs Your Help! We’re not asking for money, but for something 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 most recent financial report 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.

Presentation of Offertory Gifts ~ For those who have requested a Mass and would like to present the Offertory gifts, please see Head Usher, Ed Marien, prior to Mass. This also applies to those whose family members are being remembered during the Liturgy.

The Vocation View: Christ will come again! This we have been promised. The same Christ has called us all to different vocations, and some of these include Holy Orders and Religious Life. What Greater way is there to honor our Lord and King than by faithfully answering his call.

Is it time to update your contact information? We know that not everyone can attend church every weekend, so when there is important information to be shared, we often mail it.  If you have not received some of our recent mailings, please make sure that we have your correct contact information by completing this form. This is also a chance to let us know if you: wish to be included in our online email list, register as a parishioner, or request envelopes. You can also submit the requested information by phoning our secretary at 716-833-0301 any Tuesday-Thursday between 10:30am and 2:30pm; sending an email to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com; or Clicking HERE to use the contact feature of our web site to submit the information. If you choose either of the last two, please use “Contact Update” as the subject of the email or message.

Home Visits ~ Please notify the church office if you know of aged, sick, or home bound parishioners who may wish to receive a visit and the Eucharist on the last Friday of each month.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Monthly Faith Enrichment Speaker Series ~ Monday, December 16, 7-9pm: ADVENT AND CREATION—Who is God? Who are you? with Rev. Frederick Leising at Our Lady of Pompeii Parish (129 Laverack Avenue in Lancaster). Call 716-683-6522 or visit olpparish.com for information.

Seeking Volunteer Opportunity?  The Station of the Cross Catholic Radio (6325 Sheridan Road in Williamsville) has a need for call-screeners for the Mother Miriam Live program that airs 10am-11am, and also volunteers for administrative duties (labeling, sorting/stuffing envelopes, addressing envelopes, etc.). Call Dana Mielke at 716-839-6114, ext. 105. Find out more at thestationofthecross.com.

Free Legal Advice by Volunteer Lawyers Project, Wednesdays, 12-2pm at Adult Education Center (368 Virginia Street in Buffalo) and Thursdays 3:30-5:30pm at East Community High School (820 Northampton Street in Buffalo). Visit ecbavlp.com or call 716-828-8491 for more information.Weekend Retreat “JUST MEN” at Stella Niagara Center of Renewal in Lewiston, Friday November 22. Led by Fr. John Graden, OSFS, Director of Embraced by God. Space is limited. Visit stellaniagararetreats.org or call 716-754-7376, ext. 2 to register (preferably 2 weeks prior to event).

St. Gregory the Great Adoration Chapel is in need of adorers for all times and days. The Chapel is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. You do not need to be a parishioner of St. Greg’s to be an adorer; all are welcome. Contact Kathy at 716-759-7149 or Barbara at 716-634-7478 with a time that is convenient for you to come and adore, as the Blessed Sacrament cannot be left alone. The Chapel is located inside St. Gregory the Great Church, 200 St. Gregory Ct., Williamsville.