Week of August 16, 2026 – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

August 16 – 23, 2026

To Live-stream the 10AM Sunday Mass, “Follow” Blessed Trinity R. C. Church on Facebook. You will receive a “notification” (under bell symbol) when we go live.

This website also includes a “Bulletins” page where visitors may view an exact copy of the weekly bulletin and inserts in PDF format, as well as a calendar for our Family of Parishes.

News from our Parish

 

Happening this week at Blessed Trinity:

Monday, 8/17 – What is ALPHA? Find out beginning at 6:00pm in St. Charles Hall.
Tuesday, 8/18 – ALPHA discussion continued at 6:00pm in St. Charles Hall.
Wednesday, 8/19 – Helping Hands Food Pantry, 9:30am-1:30pm in St. Charles Hall – Use Dewey Ave entrance.
Thursday, 8/20 – Bingo in St. Charles Hall. Doors open at 6:30pm; games begin at 8:00pm.
Saturday, 8/22 – “Church work” with our newly formed team of sacristans; 11:00am in church.

Our annual “Meet the Neighbors” celebration on Saturday, August 15 was great. The event, chaired by Becky Fasanello, was blessed with perfect weather, volunteers, neighbors and friends from our sister parishes. Children got to meet local firefighters and members of the Buffalo Police Dive Team. They also enjoyed cavorting in the bounce house, having their faces painted and creating original works of art. And more than a few adults took advantage of the latter two activities. Everyone went home with a souvenir, be it a toy or book or plant. A number of visitors took the time to step inside church–some for the first time ever–where they were greeted by members of our docent team. And kudos to all the volunteers who cooked hot dogs or helped with setup and cleanup. Another job well done.

Mother Nature has been pretty stingy when it comes to rainfall this summer, but our volunteer watering teams have been doing a masterful job of keeping our gardens looking beautiful. We have weekly commitments through August 29, but help is needed for the week beginning August 30 and into September. If you are able to commit to watering for one week (Sun-Sat), sign up on the yellow calendars on the information table at the ramp (east) side entrance. Find a week that works for you — hopefully one with some rain in the forecast — and enter your name in the “Sunday” square at the beginning of that week. If you’ve never done this before, there are others who will be happy to familiarize you with the location of various hose/sprinkler hookups. Our gardens are looking their seasonal best right now, so be sure to walk all around the church and enjoy!

Housekeeping in our House of Worship, Sat. Aug 22. Our recently formed team of volunteer sacristans return this coming Saturday at 11AM to continue their light housekeeping in our house of worship. Additional volunteers are always welcome, so bring your long-handled dusters and meet at 11AM at the Daily Mass Chapel door (next to the garage).

Can’t commit to church cleaning? Here’s an “assignment” you can handle at home. The parish is in need of another volunteer to assist with the washing and ironing of altar linens; that is, purificators, corporals and small towels. You can find details in this Sunday’s bulletin or direct your questions to Father Bob or Pat Dyer. Call the rectory office (716-833-0301) to sign up.

Our weekly bulletin is available on this website. It contains a wealth of additional information about other parish/family news and volunteer opportunities including: Father Bob’s insight into this Sunday’s readings, weekly Mass intentions, a “thank you” for donations to our recent fundraiser and where the monies are being used, a job opening for Director of Discipleship in our Family, details of the four ALPHA sessions starting this week, first members of our Welcome Desk team, a special movie offering on Aug 26, the Aug 22nd Diocesan Multicultural Mass, and notes “From the Loft” about a new hymn introduced at Sunday’s Mass, “Here at This Table” by Janet Sullivan Whitaker and Max Whitaker. Please take the time to read it each week.

Weekly Offering Envelopes – By now you should have received a starter set of envelopes from our new vendor. If not, please let us know by calling the rectory office at 716-833-0301 during regular office hours. In the interim, you may still use the generic “Offering Envelope” found on the information table near the ramp side door. We should be returning to the regular bimonthly packet of envelopes for September.

Bible Study will resume in the fall.

Mass is the highest and greatest form of prayer. Contact the office (716-833-0301) to request a Mass intention for yourself, your loved ones, a special need, or in thanksgiving for prayers answered. The Mass stipend or offering is $15. If a specific date is desired, please call as far in advance as possible. Our secretary, Barb Sercu, is in the office Monday – Wednesday from 10:30am to 2:30pm.

Food Pantry in Need of Volunteers ~ The Catholic Central Helping Hands Food Pantry operates EVERY Wednesday from 9:30am – 1:30pm from our St. Charles Hall at 350 Dewey Avenue. Following the “Shopper’s Choice” model, residents of zip codes 14214 & 14215 are welcome to help themselves, according to household size, to portions of carbohydrates, grains, proteins and canned vegetables. Bread and sweets are generally available. The pantry also stocks infant care items. More volunteers are needed. To learn how you might be able to help, call 716-217-0816 or email ccfp14215 [at] gmail [dot] com for information.

We play Bingo every Thursday in St. Charles Hall, 350 Dewey Ave. Doors open at 6:30pm, concessions open at 7:30, and games begin at 8:00pm. Please plan to join us. You can check the latest carryover figures on our Facebook page.

FAMILY PROMISE OF WNY: Feed the Hungry, Shelter the Homeless. Family Promise offers us the opportunity to perform these acts of charity in a very direct and personal manner. As a support congregation, Blessed Trinity parishioners purchase and deliver groceries to the Family Promise shelter at Ss. Columba-Brigid Parish. With a few more volunteers we could continue this corporal work of mercy at least one day a month. Working in pairs, you could anticipate your turn to occur every third month. We hope you will join us. If you want more background information go to the web site, www.fpwny.org, or contact their Executive Director, Luanne Firestone at 716-771-3007.

• Family Promise is certified by NYS and can house up to six families.
• It is one of only two emergency shelters in Erie County that allow fathers and teenage sons to stay with their family.
• Families are referred by the Dept. of Social Services and receive case management in finding employment and permanent housing, security deposit assistance, day care, school transport, and follow up support upon leaving the shelter.
• In 2020, the Homeless Alliance of WNY rated Family Promise with the best success rate for moving families into permanent homes.

Is it time to update your contact information? During the pandemic when COVID-19 Protocols prevented many from attending church services, the ability to keep in touch by telephone, mail or email took on increased importance. Because not everyone has computer access, really important information is sent in a letter. Even though you are now able to attend Mass in person, this may be a good time to ask yourself: Does the church office have my correct mailing address and phone number? Have I shared my 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 receive the bulletin electronically via email, register as a parishioner, or request envelopes. You can also submit the requested information by phoning our secretary at 716-833-0301 any Monday, Tuesday, or 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.

Enjoy a virtual tour of our Landmark house of worship, courtesy of Buffalo Rising and Explore Buffalo. By Clicking HERE, you will be treated to both exterior and interior photos and more than a little history.