Construction Centennial Observance, August 6, 2023

Church cornerstone dedicated by Bishop Turner on August 7, 1923.

Blessed Trinity R. C. Church, a Buffalo Landmark since 1977, is observing the centennial of the laying of its cornerstone on Sunday, August 6, 2023. Rev. Robert L. Gebhard, Jr., Senior Parochial Vicar, will conclude the 10:00 AM Mass with an outdoor rededication ceremony commemorating the original dedication by Bishop William Turner on August 7, 1923. It marks the beginning of a five-year centennial observance of the building’s construction from 1923-1928.

The anniversary event will begin with the Sunday worship service including hymns accompanied by Music Director Elizabeth Bailey-Sands Clay on the church’s original 1927 Tellers-Kent organ. It concludes with a reception in the parish hall at which members of the church’s docent team will be recognized.

Long considered one of the finest examples of Lombard-Romanesque architecture in the United States, the building’s distinctive features include handmade Harvard bricks laid in a medieval fashion; extensive use of terra cotta, both structural and decorative; and more than 2000 Christian symbols displayed in its art and architecture. In addition to being the first landmark named by the City of Buffalo’s Landmark and Preservation Board in 1977, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is recognized as a New York State Historic Site.

Blessed Trinity Joins E/S Garden Walk, July 22-23, 2023

Blessed Trinity’s multiple flower beds provide a “garden walk” all their own, but we are just one of many stops on Buffalo’s East Side Garden Walk taking place on Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 from 10am – 3pm, rain or shine. Take a self-guided tour of our multiple floral gardens which extend along the east and west sides of our Landmark Church and surround the parish rectory. Then circle round to the back side of the rectory to visit Father Bob’s vegetable and herb garden! We are located at 317 Leroy Avenue (between Fillmore and Grider) with off-street parking for all our visitors.

2023 Alumni Gathering, Sunday, Sept. 24

Annual Alumni Memorial Mass
Sept 24, 2023 at 10AM

CALLING ALL SCHOOL ALUMNI ~ Sunday, September 24, is the date of the 2023 Alumni Memorial Mass and all-class reception. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for 10 AM Mass at Blessed Trinity Church. During the Mass, all recently deceased school graduates will be remembered by name. Members of those classes celebrating significant anniversaries (1973, 1963 and 1953) are invited to make arrangements to participate in a special way. A hard copy newsletter containing details will be mailed to everyone in the alumni committee’s database. If you have moved since August 2022 or are not sure if they have your current contact information, please use the “Contact Us” template below to submit your information and mention “alumni” as part of your message. If you are aware of any graduate who has passed since September 2022 but is not included in our In Memoriam posts for 2022 and 2023, please use this same form to advise the committee. Approximate year of graduation and/or maiden name of married woman is especially helpful.

The Choir that Never Quits, January 8, 2023

 

Choir members among those
to sing on Little Christmas.

Never mind “rain, shine, sleet or snow,” even the Christmas Blizzard of 2022 can’t deter this group! If they couldn’t “do” Christmas, they’ll be there for Little Christmas, and you’re invited to join them. The Christmas Caroling that was to have preceded our Christmas Eve service will now take place before Sunday Mass on January 8, the Feast of the Epiphany or “Little Christmas,” beginning at 9:30 AM. Please come early and Praise the Lord with them in song.

“Inside Blessed Trinity Church” with Explore Buffalo, Jan. 7, 2023

Blessed Trinity Welcomes Explore Buffalo
for the first tour of 2023.
Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 p.m.

Click HERE to reserve your place.

Built between 1925 and 1928, Blessed Trinity Church is considered to be the purest replication of twelfth century Lombard-Romanesque architecture in the USA. In addition to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, it is a NYS Historical Site and was the first architectural landmark recognized by Buffalo’s Landmark & Preservation Board in 1977.

Experienced docents will be on hand to highlight the building’s history and design and share their knowledge of its unique handmade bricks set in a style dating back to the Middle Ages, the extensive use of terra cotta in its construction, and the fantastic array of Christian symbolism found in its sculpture and artwork. The Christmas setting will be a bonus for visitors to this church that needs no decoration. Weather permitting, the 90-minute tourism opportunity will include an interpretation of the building’s ornate facade.

Located at 317 Leroy Avenue in Buffalo, the church is wheelchair accessible with ample off-street parking behind the church and adjacent to the east side door.

 

Peaceprints of WNY Prison Project Returns December 9, 2022

Prison Project Volunteers at Blessed Trinity
Photo credit: WKBW-TV

Following a COVID induced 2-year hiatus, the Christmas Prison Package Project is back. On Friday, December 9, community volunteers will gather in Blessed Trinity Church for the thirteenth year to continue Sister Karen Klimczak’s legacy project. Originally created by the late Sr. Karen as a way to assure incarcerated men that they were not forgotten, the effort has since expanded to include women inmates. Thousands of pre-packaged food items as well as paperback books collected from area congregations, community members and businesses, will be packed into 2,000+ hand-decorated bags and readied for delivery to Albion and Wende Correctional Facilities. The sponsoring organization, Peaceprints of WNY, welcomes volunteers to the church on December 9, 2022, for either of two shifts: 10:00AM—12:00PM or 6:00—9:00PM. Located at 317 Leroy Avenue in Buffalo, the Landmark church is wheelchair accessible with ample off-street parking.