2nd Sunday of Advent – Week of December 9, 2018

December 9 – December 16, 2018

Weekly Activities


Sunday, December 9 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Pick up gifts for homebound in St. Charles Hall

Sunday, December 9 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Liturgy Committee Meeting

Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 p.m. ~ Choir Rehearsal in St. Charles Hall

Wednesday, December 12 from 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. ~ Catholic Central Food Pantry in St. Charles Hall – NEW HOURS

Thursday, December 13 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Friday, December 14 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. ~ Assembly of Prison Project Gift Bags in Church

Friday, December 14 from 6:00 p.m. – completion ~ Assembly of Prison Project Gift Bags in Church

Saturday, December 15 at 8:00 p.m. ~ Bingo will be played in St. Charles Hall*

Sunday, December 16 following 10:00 a.m. Mass ~ Anointing of the sick and well-aging in church

Monday, December 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m. ~ Decorating church for Christmas

Tuesday, December 17 beginning at 6:30 p.m. ~ Decorating church for Christmas

*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.

The Freudig Singers of WNY perform a premier setting of The Huron Carol at Blessed Trinity on Dec 2, 2018.

Mass Intentions

Sunday, December 9 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Bridget Blesnuk (Requested by Family) and Edward Wilbert (Requested by Seta and Family)

Monday, December 10 ~ No Service

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

Wednesday, December 12 ~ Our Lady of Guadalupe ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Thursday, December 13 ~ St. Lucy ~ Mass at 11:00 a. m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Friday, December 14 ~ St. John of the Cross ~ Mass at 11:00 a.m. – For the intentions of our parishioners, both living and deceased (Blessed Trinity Parish)

Saturday, December 15 ~ Vigil Mass at 4:30 p.m. – Deceased Members of the Ryan, Reilly, Reynolds and Pfeiffer Families (Estate of Mary Reilly)

Sunday, December 16 ~ Mass at 10:00 a.m. – Birthday Remembrance for Irene Hodur (Bonnie and Don Williams) and God’s Blessings for Sylvester Chapman (Judy Casassa)

Ministry Schedule for Saturday and Sunday, December 15/16:

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

Sunday, 10:00 a.m.  Readers: Gary Kelley, Mary Kresse;  Eucharistic Ministers: Dan Korchowsky, Pat Hartinger, John Curtin;  CHOIR – Kathleen Marien

Assembly of gift bags for Prison Project
Assembly of gift bags for 2018 Prison Project will take place this Friday, December 14.
2010 Photo: Derek Gee, Buffalo News.

News from our Parish Community

Retirement Fund for Religious ~ There will be a second collection on the weekend of December 8/9 for the Retirement Fund for Religious. It supports hundreds of senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests who have spent their lives serving others — even in “retirement” — but never benefited from a Diocesan retirement plan. Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Discernment ~ Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate, describes discernment as more than intelligence or common sense. “The gift of discernment has become all the more necessary today, since contemporary life offers immense possibilities for action and distrac-tion, and the world presents all of them as valid and good. Discernment also enables us to recognize the concrete means that the Lord provides in his mysterious and loving plan, to make us move beyond mere good inten-tions.” (167-169). Liturgy preparation requires developing a methodology to allow the opportunity for the Lord to speak to us. Prayer about the needs of our community is the initial step in developing a musical liturgy as well as prayer throughout the selection of hymns and musical settings. The texts sung at BT are carefully chosen to reflect the readings within the Liturgy as well as the needs of our community. As servants of the Liturgy, our priority must be to proclaim the Gospel message in a manner that is meaningful for our community. Therefore, every member of Blessed Trinity should feel free to share the music that brings them closer to the Lord. Please continue to bring your musical favorites to the attention of any one of the members of our Parish Music Ministry so they can be added to our musical Liturgy.  Choral Christmas preparation continues on Tuesday, December 11 at 7:00 in St. Charles Hall. All are welcome. …. Elizabeth

Cocoa Challenge 2018 ~ With this weekend’s donations plus your generous cash contributions, we have reached our goal of 4,200 packets. THANK YOU! The Prisoner Package Project, a work of mercy and hope, was begun by Sr. Karen Klimczak, SSJ, and is now continued by Peaceprints Prison Minis-tries. Bag Decorators…Remember to return all your bags (decorated or not) by Friday Dec. 14. Place them in the box in the back pew. We still need volunteers to help fill 2,100 gift bags for inmates at the Albion and Wende Correctional Facilities. The gifts will be assembled here at Blessed Trinity on Friday Dec. 14 during the day from 10am to 1pm and in the evening from 6pm to completion.

Church Decorating for Christmas ~ Volunteers are needed to help decor-ate. We will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 17, and continue at the same time on Tuesday, December 18. Please enter using the side door near the wheelchair ramp.

Parish bingo team hoping
to welcome new volunteers.

Blessed Trinity Needs Your Help! We’re not asking for money, but for some-thing 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 last financial report (included in a recent bulletin) 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!

Know Your Faith: What is Advent? What are we called to do? How can we be prepared?The Latin word for Advent is Adventus meaning coming. Who is coming? Jesus the son of God, made man for us. The season of Advent calls us to prepare to re-enact the coming of Jesus which we cele-brate at Christmas and to prepare for his second coming. “I will come again to take you with me” (John 14:3). The season of Advent also reminds us that the coming of Jesus can be reflected upon in three ways.  Jesus came, Jesus comes, and Jesus will come. As Jesus came in its historic sense, he brought us salvation. As he comes in its mysterious sense, he brings graces to us, and when Jesus will come in glory, he will come with Justice. How can I best live out this season of Advent? We are not called to do extra-ordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way. Live in love, show love, give love, receive love, be kind, be compassionate, and forgive. We are called to keep making efforts each day to be better persons, to strive for good all the time and avoid evil. To strive to build and mend bridges of our relationship between us and God and our neighbors. Finally Advent calls us to be happy children of God waiting for the return of God our father. May the spirit of God empower us to live our lives according to God’s will. Amen. Happy Advent season!

Water With Blessings ~ In the spring, the Ladies Sodality solicited donations in support of the Felician Sisters “Gift of Clean Water” initiative. A total of $1,200 was collected and sent to the Sisters’ Our Lady of Hope Province in Beaver Falls, PA. The Sodality has received an acknowledge-ment letter from Provincial Minister Sister Mary Christopher Moore, CSSF, which reads, in part: “Thank you for the most generous gift of support from the parishioners of Blessed Trinity Church….This gift will enable Haitian mothers… specially chosen and trained …to use proven water filter tech-nology to provide clean, safe drinking water to their families and several neighboring families. We are deeply grateful for this gift, humbled by the kindness, and blessed by your interest in…this life-giving and life-changing initiative.” Your dollars purchased 20 filtration units for the women of Jacmel, Haiti. Visit feliciansistershaiti.com to see how our gift “is making a difference.” Sister Mary Christopher promised that “we will remember each of you…in our daily prayers,” and again thanked us for our “kindness and generosity.”

Under This Roof Fund ~ We are extremely grateful to everyone who responded to our “Fall Fest” fundraiser — both party attendees and financial supporters. Your response exceeded our expectations and, to date, proceeds total $7,260.00. Thank you to all!

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.

Has your contact information changed? Our parish secretary is finding that our parish records contain a growing number of not-in-service phone numbers, and the recent parish mailing resulted in several letters returned for “expired forwarding.” If your contact information has changed, you can notify the rectory office in one of several ways: use the form on the back of the bulletin; phone our secretary at 716-833-0301 any Tuesday-Thursday between 10:30am and 2:30pm; send an email to blessedtrinitychurch [at] gmail [dot] com; or Click HERE to use the contact feature of our web site to submit the information. If you choose either of the last two, please use “New Contact” as the subject of the email or message.

Home Visits ~ Please notify the church office if you know of aged, sick, or homebound 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

Deacon Greg Feary Presents: The Mary of Advent, Monday December 17, 7-8pm at Our Lady of Pompeii Church (158 Laverack Avenue in  Lancaster). How can Mary help us prepare for Christmas?  Explore the stories of the Mary of Advent that we find in Scripture, song, and art to fill your Advent with joyful expectation.  Visit olpparish.com or call 716-683-6522.

Camp Turner’s WinterCamp ’18 is Friday December 28 at 10am through Sunday December 30 at 6pm for Boys and girls, ages 7-15.  An optional round trip bus is available from Williamsville and Hamburg. The cabins are toasty, the food is delicious, and our experienced staff is excited to make this a great experience for everyone. An RN is on-site at all times. Visit CampTurner.com for activity descriptions and online registration. If you have any questions, e-mail  CampTurner [at] gmail [dot] com  or call 716-354-4555.