"The new forms of racism must be brought face to face with the figure of Christ" - U.S. Bishops, "Brothers and Sisters to Us."

For quite some time I have had an interest in the plight of the homeless. I have read about it, prayed over it, and have done small things to help.

A vocation is something that we all have. God has entrusted to each person a particular job or task that has not been entrusted to anyone else. God calls us within our own hearts, but also in and through the believing community we call the Church.

Back in November 2013, Pope Francis released an "Apostolic Exhortation" called "Evangelii Gaudium," "The Joy of the Gospel." It is as wide in scope as it is daunting in length. As a PDF from the Vatican site, it runs more than 200 pages. This has, I am sure, scared many away from even beginning to read it.

If anyone is looking for me on Feb. 14, I will be in Portland, Maine - and not on a vacation! That day, the memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius (and, though not in the official liturgical calendar, St. Valentine's Day!) is the long-awaited date for the Mass of Installation of the 12th bishop of the Diocese of Portland. Bishop Robert P. Deeley, my successor, was a seminary classmate when we began our studies for the priesthood in Cardinal O'Connell Seminary in Boston in September of 1964. We offer him our prayers for a blessed and fruitful tenure as Maine's new chief shepherd.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the National Day of Prayer for the African-American and African Family. The theme Father Jim Goode, founder of this day and Solid Ground Ministry, chose, comes from St. Augustine of Hippo, "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." We celebrate this annually on Feb. 2.

The adage goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." The moral behind the adage is that what you see on the outside may be quite different from what you see when you look further. The same is true of our Catholic schools.

As I watched in shock, the same questions kept coming back to me: How can these soldiers do this? How can they act so brutally against their fellow man?

On Nov. 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis presented our Church with his first apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" which translates to Joy of the Gospel. This exhortation is divided into five chapters: The Church's Missionary Transformation, Amid the Crisis of Communal Commitment, The Proclamation of the Gospel, The Social Dimension of Evangelization and Spirit-filled Evangelizers. The apostolic exhortation speaks both to evangelization and social justice.

Each January 1 marks a celebration of the "World Day of Peace" and along with that comes a message from the pope regarding our own participation in bringing about a "peaceable kingdom" here on earth. This year Pope Francis, in his first Peace Day message, has chosen to emphasize the idea of "fraternity" as "the foundation and pathway to peace."

The fact that Time magazine chose Pope Francis from among some other very, very compelling possibilities as Person of the Year reveals the worldwide acclaim the man is achieving and the acceptance and the fascination.

I have in my files a note passed to me some years ago. It relates to a survey of the words or phrases people most like to hear said to them with sincerity. The most welcomed phrase: "I love you." In second place: "You are forgiven." In third place (are you ready for this?): "Supper is ready." Those three most welcomed phrases are said to us at Christmas.

On Dec. 12, many throughout the world will join our Mexican brothers and sisters to celebrate the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe. Pope John Paul II named her Mother of the Americas.

The great generosity of the people of Western New York was very evident in the 2012 Retirement Fund for Religious appeal. For the first time in the history of this 25-year appeal, the Diocese of Buffalo ranked first in the nation, collecting $884,000. Although this amount includes online donations from throughout the United States, more than $775,000 was contributed locally. Approximately $768,000 of this amount was distributed to congregations of women ($631,222) and men ($137,514) religious that serve in the Diocese of Buffalo.

In its preparation for the October 2014 Extraordinary General Synod of Bishops on the theme "The Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization," the Holy See is asking the world's bishops to consult "widely" among the Catholic faithful. So it is that there is a questionnaire, provided by the Vatican, available on this website.

Stan is a cradle Catholic, from a large family. A doctor by trade, he married and raised two children. Perhaps it comes as no surprise that he stays quite active and healthy. What may be a surprise is that he wears a scapular, and spends more time praying the rosary, attending Mass or adoration, and reading the Bible than he does in recreation or exercise.

With Thanksgiving Day approaching, it is an opportune moment for me to say a sincere "Thank you!" to the good people of the Diocese of Buffalo. I am a few months into my second year as your bishop.

I doubt that Pope Francis has heard of Ernie Banks, the Hall of Fame shortstop. But like "Mr. Cub," whose love for baseball led him to exclaim "Let's play two!" before Sunday doubleheaders in the 1950s, the pope from the end of the world seems to think that papal canonizations are better in tandem: hence the recent announcement that Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II will be canonized together on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014.

November is Black Catholic History Month, as named by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. This year the diocesan African and African-American Commissions of the Office of Cultural Diversity kicked off the celebration with a Revival that took place at St. Martin de Porres in October.

Bishop Malone's Christmas message:

Soon we will go to the polls to cast our votes for the president and vice president of the United States, congressional representatives, and state and local officials. When exercising our voting rights, we are not only acting as good citizens. We are also putting our faith into concrete action. Catholics, by virtue of our baptism, are called to be salt to the earth and light to the world. We must not hide our light under a bushel basket, but rather courageously defend our moral principles and promote human dignity and the common good in the public square.

During the Oct. 11 debate, Vice President Joseph Biden looked into the camera and emphatically said: "With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution — Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital — none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact."

With our Lenten journey near its conclusion, we turn our focus from fasting, abstinence and almsgiving, to Christ's suffering on the cross for us, His resurrection and the promise of eternal life.

Bishop Kmiec's statement for the Rally for Religious Freedom in downtown Buffalo:

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), offers "10 Things to Remember for Lent" as the Church prepares to begin the season with Ash Wednesday on February 22:

1. The rule that created the uproar has not changed at all, but was finalized as is. Friday evening, after a day of touting meaningful changes in the mandate, HHS issued a regulation finalizing the rule first issued in August 2011, "without change." So religious employers dedicated to serving people of other faiths are still not exempt as "religious employers." Indeed, the rule describes them as "non-exempt."