Jan 12, 2020 | In Memoriam
“I believe in … the Communion of Saints….and life everlasting. Amen.”
The last of 12 symbols on our church façade depicting tenants of the Faith (belief in life everlasting) as recited in The Apostles Creed.
Photo credit: Margaret Dick
Richard J. Gibney, ’41
Richard J. Gibney, ’41
October 9, 1927 – January 8, 2020
John Kennedy, ’45
Lee J. Vaughan, ’56
Lee J. Vaughan, ’56
June 22, 1942 – February 29, 2020
Rev. Donald L. Measer, ’46
Sr. Linda Glaeser, SSJ, ’61
Edward A. Mauger, ’55
Katherine Speyer LeClaire, ’59
Leonard J. Higgins, ’48
Susanne M. Gampp, ’73
Mary Crehan, ’56
Mary Crehan, ’56
June 29, 2020 at age 77
Mary Joan Hriczko Santiago, ’67
May 9, 1953 – July 31, 2020
Paul Moline, ’68
Paul Moline, ’68
May 17, 1954 – August 4, 2020
Rev. Msgr. Kevin T. O’Neill
Rev. Msgr Kevin T. O’Neill
July 16, 1935 – August 11, 2020
Assistant Pastor, 1971-1975
Leona A. Louis Frank, ’55
Leona A. Louis Frank, ’55
1941 – August 19, 2020
Sr. Dorothy M. Smith, OSF, ’48
Sr. Dorothy M. Smith, O.S.F., ’48
January 26, 1934 – September 7, 2020
Carol Best Kaun, ’52
October 1, 2020
David E. Fruehauf, ’50
David E. Fruehauf, ’50
April 9, 1937 – October 10, 2020
David H. Balzer, ’56
David H. Balzer, ’56
January 25, 1942 – November 12, 2020
Arnold J. Horn, ’43
Arnold Joseph Horn, ’43
December 9, 1929 – December 7, 2020
Michael E. Forster, ’60
December 20, 1945 – December 12, 2020
Janey A. Zylka, ’70
James J. Foley, ’41
Sep 1, 2019 | Alumni News & Photos, Architecture, News & Photos
The church bell which hung in the former church and school
building from 1909 until 2018 is now permanently
displayed on Leroy Avenue.
Photo credit: Margaret Dick
Welcome Home St. Helena ~ The first building constructed by Blessed Trinity parish was a combination church/school building completed in 1907 at 307 Leroy Avenue. Two years later, a bell manufactured by the McShane Bell Company in Baltimore, Maryland was installed in its steeple. It was customary for a church bell to be given a saint’s name, and Blessed Trinity’s bell – a gift of parishioner Helena Eckard — was named “St. Helena” after her patron saint. The 2017 sale of the former church/school building (visible on the right side of this photo) necessitated removal of the bell. This challenging task took place in October 2018 with the help of the building’s new owner, John Cozzarelli. Repair and restoration of the bell was entrusted to the Verdin Bell Company at its Cincinnati, Ohio facility, and on August 27, 2019 the refurbished bell was installed on a newly-built concrete pedestal located on the church lawn. The parish is grateful to alumni of Blessed Trinity School, the Ladies Sodality of Blessed Trinity, and two benefactors whose contributions preserved this important part of parish history, and to Mr. Cozzarelli who provided equipment and workers each time the 1,200 pound bell was moved. Decorative work on the pedestal having now been completed, the century-old bell is fully restored and ready to peal once more. Hidden from public view for 110 years, “St. Helena” is now a new Leroy Avenue destination, available for all to see. Please stop for a visit and photo-op.
Jul 27, 2019 | Alumni News & Photos
Docent Tom Brodfuehrer, ’75, describes unique Harvard bricks during church tour preceding annual alumni Mass.
Alumni Mass – Our Annual Alumni Mass will be held at Blessed Trinity Church on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 10:00 AM. We look forward to welcoming all Alumni, especially the Fiftieth Anniversary Class of 1969. A reception in St Charles Hall following the Mass provides an ideal opportunity to view or display school photos and memorabilia, reminisce and renew old acquaintances. (As in past years, we ask those who are able to bring a food item to share at the reception). Additional details about the day’s events and any individual class reunions will be posted here as they become available.
As part of our Annual Mass we pause to remember all deceased alumni and faculty. The names of graduates who have passed away since last year’s Mass will be read. We will be remembering Charles A. Ferella, ’68; Michael J. Demma, ’66; Martha E. Collier Wagner, ’63; Robert V. “Bob” Pritchard, ’61; Sr. Jean Marie Klaus (Sr. Mary Andrew), ’58; Sheila Gillogly, ’57; William F. Pernick, Jr., ’57; Donald R. Moreno, ’52; Daniel O’Connor, ’51; Madeline G. LaPenna, ’50; Lois Knapp Gillen, ’49; and Glenn H. Grundtisch, ’41. Please inform the Committee if you are aware of other recent alumni or faculty deaths so that they may be included as well.
Keeping in Touch – The Alumni Committee continues to provide a time and place for you to renew acquaintances, but we can’t guarantee that the people you want to see the most will be there. That’s where you come in. Bobbe Lukasik, who maintains our database, will be happy to provide whatever information she has for your former classmates and friends so that you can reach out and make that reunion happen.
BTS Social media presence ~ In addition to the “School Alumni” pages of this web site, the Alumni maintains a “Blessed Trinity School Alumni” Facebook page. We encourage you to “like” us on Facebook and share your memories or class photos. You’d be amazed at how many comments one class photo can generate. The BT Web Diva, Margaret Stiffler Dick (’59), will happily assist you in adding photos or information to the Facebook page or web site. You can reach her at mnbdick [at] roadrunner [dot] com or 716-832-2540.
Every year we lose touch with some of our base because of changes in contact information. Please don’t become a missing person when our 2019 newsletter is mailed in early September. If you have moved, changed your email address or abandoned your land line telephone, please notify Bobbe Lukasik of your new contact information. You can also use the contact feature below to update your information; just remember to specify “alumni” as the subject.
We hope you will plan to join us on Sunday, October 6, 2019. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with Bud Dick, 716-832-2540, mnbdick [at] roadrunner [dot] com or Bobbe (Schmelzer) Lukasik, 716-684-5365, bertababe2 [at] yahoo [dot] com.
Jan 11, 2019 | In Memoriam
Donald R. Moreno, ’52
Donald R. Moreno, ’52
January 6, 2019
Robert V. “Bob” Pritchard, ’61
February 11, 2019
Madeline G.
LaPenna, ’50
Madeline G. LaPenna, ’50
January 28, 1937 – March 2, 2019
Martha Collier Wagner, ’63
Martha E. Collier Wagner, ’63
March 22, 1949 – April 1, 2019
Michael J. Demma, ’66
Michael J. Demma, ’66
April 5, 2019
Robert G. Arns, ’47
Robert G. Arns, ’47
July 24, 1933 – April 6, 2019
Glenn Grundtisch, ’41
Glenn H. Grundtisch, ’41
October 29, 1926 – April 14, 2019
Sr. Jean Klaus, ’58
Sister Jean Marie Klaus, ’58
(Sister Mary Andrew)
June 22, 1943 – April 16, 2019
Charles A. Ferella, ’68
Charles A. Ferella, ’68
June 8, 2019
Joan Young Ives, ’43
Joan Young Ives, ’43
June 20, 1929 – July 18, 2019
Bridget McCafferty Howard, ’61
July 2019
Daniel O’Connor, ’51
Daniel O’Connor, ’51
July 21, 2019 at age 81
Teresa Sommer Walters, ’67
Teresa M. Sommer Walters, ’67
August 16, 2019 at age 67
Charlene Stone Callaro, ’59
Charlene Stone Callaro, ’59
February 5, 1945 ~ September 2, 2019
Rev. Msgr. William J. Gallagher
Rev. Msgr. William J. Gallagher
May 11, 1940 – November 11, 2019
Assistant Pastor, 1969 – 1971
Robert J. O’Connor, ’50
Robert J. O’Connor IV, ’50
September 12, 1936 – December 5, 2019
Rosemary MacVittie White, ’43
Oct 5, 2018 | Alumni News & Photos, News & Photos
1909 church bell removed from the former church and school building on Oct 4, 2018
On Thursday, October 4, 2018, Blessed Trinity’s 109-year-old church bell was removed from the bell tower of the former church and school building at 307 Leroy. She is now en route to the Verdin Bell Company’s facility in Cincinnati, OH where restoration work will take place. In the removal process, we discovered two errors in the parish’s recorded history of the bell. Engraving on the back side of the bell, not previously visible, revealed that the bell was donated by Helena Eckert (not Helen Eckard) and was named in honor of St. Helen (sorry, St. Cecelia). We are especially grateful to the building’s new owner, John Cozzarelli, and his employees for their assistance in removing the bell and very appreciative of everyone who has contributed funds for the project. The Blessed Trinity School Alumni solicited donations from their members as a gift to this parish this fall. When the restoration and repair work is completed, we hope to mount and display the bell on the parish grounds. Click HERE to see additional photos.
Aug 24, 2018 | Alumni News & Photos
The Alumni Committee has decided to forgo the usual money raffle this year and instead take on a project to help Blessed Trinity. The recent sale of the old school building has necessitated removal of the church/school bell located in the building’s bell tower.
The combination church/school building opened in 1907, and two years later the 1,200 pound bell manufactured by the McShane Bell Company in Baltimore, Maryland was installed in its bell tower. It was customary for a church bell to be given a saint’s name, and Blessed Trinity’s bell — a gift of parishioner Helen Eckard — is named after St. Cecilia, the patroness of musicians.
Your only recollection of the bell may be a nun’s stern warning not to touch the bell rope hanging outside the third floor gym. However, from its installation in 1909 until the dedication of the new church in 1928, it was recognized throughout the neighborhood as a call to pray the Angelus and a summons to Sunday and Holy Day Masses.
The bell has not been rung on a regular basis for almost a century. If you attended the 2006 reunion Mass, the bell was rung at that time, and it has not tolled since until Trinity Sunday of this year when alumni from the classes of 1958 and 1975 did so in recognition of the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the “new” church. Blessed Trinity is working with the Verdin Bell Company and John Cozzarelli, the new owner of our former school building, to facilitate removal of the bell, probably in early September. The present plan is to have the bell repaired and restored at Verdin’s facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then brought back to Buffalo for placement on the parish grounds. The church will then once again be able to use the bell and preserve an important part of its past.
Obviously this removal and restoration project comes with a cost. The parish is fortunate to have covered a portion of the expense thanks to Mr. Cozzarelli and a fortuitous donation from a couple who happened to attend a Sunday Mass and wanted to help with the project. The Alumni Committee believes that we could fund the balance of this project as a lasting gift to the parish from its school Alumni. We are hoping that you will agree.
If you would like to contribute to the bell project, please make your check payable to Blessed Trinity Alumni and specify “bell donation” on the memo line of the check. Checks may be mailed to “Blessed Trinity School Alumni, 317 Leroy Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14214. Donors’ names will be displayed in the church and on the church’s web site. (Written acknowledgements will also be provided if required by IRS Regulations). We hope you will join the members of the Alumni Committee in making this campaign “a bell ringer”!
Recent photo of bell
