Week of June 7, 2020 – The Most Holy Trinity, Our Parish Feastday

June 7 – June 14, 2020

Weekly Activities – Services will resume on Sunday, June 21.

Services will resume on Sunday, June 21; meetings and activities are cancelled until further notice, with the exception of the Food Pantry.

 Wednesday, June 10, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ~ EXTENDED HOURS ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall
Now operating every other Wednesday (June 10, June 24, July 8, etc.) but with extended hours. Volunteers will distribute pre-prepared bags of groceries.

Mass Intentions – Services are scheduled to resume on Sunday, June 21, 2020.

Mass for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity celebrated at neighboring St. Joseph University Church is available on YouTube. You can watch it at any time by Clicking HERE.

We also invite you to follow the daily Mass readings for the week of June 7. They are available on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by Clicking HERE. Select the desired day on their Roman Liturgical Calendar, and the text of the readings for that day will appear

News from our Parish Community

Feastday Greeting from Father Victor ~ Happy Feast Day To You All.

Today we join the whole church as we celebrate the feast of Blessed Trinity, OUR FEAST DAY. The feast reminds us that there are three persons in one God – the Father (the creator), the Son (the redeemer), and the Holy Spirit (the comforter). As we celebrate this feast, we are all called to live and imitate the unity that exists in the Trinity. As the body of Christ-Christians, we are called everyday to model our lives after the unity and love of the Trinity. 

The second reading (2 Cor 13:11-13) calls us to: “Mend our ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with us. Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

Especially this time of unrest in our country when the long old sin of racial discrimination has reached its peak and causing anarchy. Today’s second reading tells us what we should or must do to be true children of God. And the reading concluded by blessing us with the blessing from the Trinity. While the Gospel tells us that out of love God sent his son to save us and whoever believe in him will be saved.To believe is to express what we believe in words and in actions. May we continue to be the true reflection of God’s love, unit, and peace always wherever we find ourselves. Amen.

Happy Holy Trinity Sunday!

Father Victor Announces Resumption of Sunday Mass ~ My dear Parishioners, I will like to inform you all that we shall begin first public mass on June 21 following the directives of the bishop. The bishop cautioned that churches must meet all the requirements and guidelines for reopening before Masses can be celebrated. For those who can’t attend due to ill health should please stay at home as you still continue to enjoy the dispensation from Masses till you are strong to do so. The committee for reopening will meet to prepare the church for worship. I hope to see you all soon as we reunite again to continue to praise God as a family. I sincerely missed you all, no one knows the worth of a thing till one is deprived of that thing. After this time I think I should appreciate every seconds of each day. Stay safe, stay healthy, and be firm in Faith. Fr. Victor Ibhawa, Administrator BTC

New Office Hours ~ We are happy to report that the parish has been able to extend office hours to two days each week. Our secretary, Pat Pendleton, will be in the office every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:30am-2:30pm.

Trinity Sunday, a sonnet by Rev. Malcolm Guite

In the Beginning, not in time or space,
But in the quick before both space and time,
In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace,
In three in one and one in three, in rhyme,
In music, in the whole creation story,
In His own image, His imagination,
The Triune Poet makes us for His glory,
And makes us each the other’s inspiration.
He calls us out of darkness, chaos, chance,
To improvise a music of our own,
To sing the chord that calls us to the dance,
Three notes resounding from a single tone,
To sing the End in whom we all begin;
Our God beyond, beside us and within.

Reflection on Scripture Readings for Trinity Sunday ~ Ex 34:4-6, 8-9; 2 Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18 ~ Cardinal Bo prays that this Feast of the Holy Trinity will bring healing to a planet wounded by COVID & racial Injustice: “It is not the COVID which is destroying humanity. It is the anti-Trinitarian tendency that has infected the family, country and the world.”

Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, Myanmar, expressed this in his June 7, 2020 message provided to ZENIT English for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, which contains a profound analysis of the Trinity in a contemporary context. The President of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) prayed that amid the difficulties facing humanity especially at this time, that we let the power of the Trinity touch us all.

Speaking on the Trinity, Cardinal Bo prayed the “blessings of the Trinity, the Father, Son and the  Holy Spirit fill every corner of your house and bring joy, peace and good health to all.” Recognizing that this blessing unites us with the past, present and future, he observed that we celebrate with joy, God the Father, the Creator; the Son, the savior and liberator; and the Holy Spirit, the counselor and consoler.”

“Let this feast of Trinity,” he hopes, come as a healing power of a planet wounded by COVID and racial injustice.” Today, he says, we gather to celebrate this Trinitarian experience. God is all this, at once: God for us: the Creator: the Father;  God with Us: (Emmanuel) the Son; God Within Us : (Temple of the Holy Spirit), the Holy Spirit.”

The Archbishop of Yangon reminded we are created by God the Father, we are saved by Christ the Son, and we are led into holiness through the Holy Spirit. “In short,” he says, “Trinity is God’s love in action.”

“Trinitarian experience is not an exotic one. It is embedded in each one of us.  Life is a multi layered experience. But it does not destroy our uniqueness as a person with a clear identity. We, as individuals, are made of three distinct attributes: body, soul and mind.” These three, he noted, produce the unity of the person who I am.

To a world battling the coronavirus pandemic, he encourages faithful to not lose hope. On this feast day, he encourages all faithful to turn away from the theological and philosophical abstracts and turn towards how the exemplary life of Trinity can guide us in our lives. “As we look around seeing so many families lie wounded, our country remains wounded and the world is at war with itself. It is not the COVID which is destroying humanity,” he suggests, saying: “It is the anti -Trinitarian tendency that has infected the family, country and the world.”

Rosary Video for All Ages ~ As we end the month of May dedicated to Our Lady, our pastoral associate and director of religious education, Pat Dyer, would like to share her YouTube video on The Rosary. The opening portion of her video was made with the children in mind, so be sure they join in.

Diocesan Guidelines for Resumption of Worship Services ~ On May 20, The Diocese of Buffalo issued guidelines for the reopening of our churches, which is now imminent. If you would like to see what our return to the pews might look like, Click HERE to read the 10-page document. 

Stewardship ~ On behalf of the parish, Father Victor would like to express his gratitude to all who have have continued their weekly offerings. While we have not been able to worship together since March 15, many expenses associated with running the parish continue. If you are blessed to be in a position to support the parish financially, please consider resuming your contributions. Checks payable to “Blessed Trinity Church” should be sent to the church at 317 Leroy Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14214.

Until the current COVID-19 restrictions on services and activities are lifted, we will not be preparing a weekly bulletin. However, there may well be announcements that Father Victor would like to share with our parish family. The most efficient way to do this is to utilize email messaging, but our secretary has email addresses for only about 40 parishioners. Please share your current email address with Pat so that you will be able to receive such announcements in a timely fashion. You may submit this information using the contact feature at the bottom of this page or by calling Pat at 716-833-0301 on Wednesdays between 10:30am and 2:30pm.

Have your responded to the 2020 Census? It is a once-in-a-decade chance to inform how billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated for critical public services. The current corona virus pandemic should certainly enforce in our minds how crucial such funding can be. Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives, and will also have an impact on planning and funding for health clinics and highways, fire departments and disaster response, education programs such as Head Start and college tuition assistance, and so much more. The Diocese of Buffalo has joined other faith communities and civic organizations in encouraging all people in our community to participate. You should have received a census form in the mail during the month of March. If you misplaced yours, go to 2020census.gov to find out how you obtain another or complete the census online. Then ask your friends and family as well as your neighbors and co-workers if THEY have completed the census, and — if not — encourage them to do the same.

Do you miss being at church? Of course long-time parishioners can probably close their eyes and picture the view from a favorite pew. But until we can be physically present, it is possible to make a virtual visit. Buffalo Rising and Explore Buffalo teamed up to give their online followers a “tour” of Blessed Trinity. You can join them, by Clicking HERE. You will be treated to both exterior and interior photos and more than a little history. Take the “tour” and test your knowledge about your house of worship.

Our Faith Formation Program now has its own page on our web site. Click HERE to look for complete information on the resumption of programs, classes and volunteer opportunities as they become available. 

A Message from Catholic Charities Appeal 2020:

Catholic Charities is doing everything possible to continue to serve our neighbors in need at this time. We are operating every service we safely can and especially those most vital at this time such as basic emergency assistance, including our food pantries (all nine are up and running, assisted by CC staff from other departments) and counseling and mental health services. We are here to help! Many of our staff are working remotely and returning office calls daily.

For the Appeal, our office at 741 Delaware Ave. is closed to visitors. Parishes (and even individual parishioners) are asked to mail donations to our office, 741 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY 14209, Attn: Appeal Department. We also encourage online donations:https://www.ccwny.org/donation when possible. Appeal staff are working remotely and returning office calls daily. Please call Clara Moran, 716-713-4410, with questions or concerns. We are grateful for the returns that are being mailed already!

For a daily update about Catholic Charities, go to our home page at ccwny.org. Thank you!

Faith Formation Program Provides On-line Opportunities ~ Buffalo’s Department of Lifelong Faith Formation’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry has officially partnered with “ProjectYM Live” a program designed especially for youth and young adults. In this time of “Social Distancing,” try Church in a way our parents could never have imagined.

Call to Stewardship ~ Our Parish Finance Council seeks a parishioner with accounting skills to join our committee. Please see Father Victor if you are able to serve in this capacity.

Is it time to update your contact information? During this period when the COVID-19 Protocols prevent us from attending church services, there will surely be occasions when the parish has important information to convey to the faithful. Does the church office have your correct mailing address and phone number? Have you shared your email address? Make sure that we have been notified of any changes in your 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 Wednesday between 10:30am and 2:30pm; sending an email to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com; or using the contact feature below 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 ~ Because of the COVID-19 protocols, Father Victor has had to discontinue his “last Friday” visits to homebound parishioners. However, if someone is ill and in need of Last Rites, please call him at the rectory.

News from our Vicariate Cluster and the Wider Community

Our Friends at Family Promise of WNY are just finishing renovations to their facility on Hickory Street. When they are able to resume intakes in the coming weeks, they will do so with double the capacity as “a safer, more private and more comfortable shelter” for temporarily homeless families. Their anticipation is heightened as they brace for the housing crisis that they know is coming when the current NYS eviction moratorium is lifted. If you are in a position to lend financial support to this community asset for which Blessed Trinity is a support congregation, your contribution will be doubled by two generous donors. Click HERE to make a donation or learn more about Family Promise.

Help for Victims of Domestic Violence ~ Because of COVID-19, the Family Justice Center (“FJC”) is not accepting walk-in appointments or in-person meetings. In case of emergency, call 911. For help with safety planning or other services you may need during this time, call or text the FJC Safeline, 716-558-SAFE (7233).

Food Assistance for Seniors ~ The County of Erie advises anyone over the age of 60 who is in need of food assistance to call 716-858-8526.