"Moved by Mercy" has been a consistent theme of Pope Francis and one that has particular urgency today. This year's theme for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Respect Life Program fills us with encouragement and hope and calls us to love, defend and celebrate all human life. It calls us to joyfully follow the example of Christ, to love without limits, and further, to act on that sense of true Christian charity.

Our parish has a clear sense of purpose. We are a parish for newcomers. This was an easy choice for us, being surrounded by refugees and immigrants. Perhaps we are not so unique if one considers that more than one in 10 people relocate each year, and that rate doubles for young adults.

In today's world, I have observed many hardships over many years that have affected many of us in the Catholic Church today. I wonder: when did it begin? Was it with the Vatican II Council, or did it really begin after the crucifixion of our beloved son, Jesus Christ?

For a few weeks now, the "back to school" ads have been signaling the waning of summertime (for which I, a cold weather aficionado, am very grateful this year - apologies to you heat lovers out there!)

During this time of uncertainty, and sometimes even hate, that some of our Hispanic brothers and sisters in Christ are feeling in this country, let us join in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

As we open our schools in this, the 170th year of the existence of the Diocese of Buffalo, we can be proud of the state of our Catholic schools in 2016.

Desiring a closer union with God, I attended daily Mass, enrolled in a Bible study, helped with programs at my parish. I prayed daily rosaries, made regular use of the Sacrament of Confession. Still I thirsted for more. God seemed far from me, and I felt like I needed to present myself in a certain fashion in order to be worthy of a closer relationship with God.

We had not even finished drying our tears and saying prayers for the families of the victims of the Orlando shooting in June when a horrific week of events confronted us in July.

I have been saddened by the events that took place in Baton Rouge, Minneapolis and Dallas. As I heard and saw this happening again, my heart just was so heavy. I wanted to do something, but the feeling was also overwhelming. How can we get rid of this terrible sin?

Hello, Diocese of Buffalo. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Patrick McPartland, and I am the new managing editor of the Western New York Catholic newspaper.

Saints... you can sense their influence, in a mysterious way even their presence, everywhere in Kraków. St. John Paul II and St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, of course, are prominent. Then there is the cell at Auschwitz that memorializes St. Maximilian Kolbe, who gave his life so that another prisoner could live. Today I offered catechesis and celebrated Eucharist with hundreds of pilgrims from Ireland in a parish church dedicated to the great St. Casimir.

Throughout the long history of our diocese, we have been served by hundreds and hundreds of dedicated priests. Today, there are 128 retired diocesan priests incurring the cost of living either on their own or the cost of living in one of our diocesan retirement homes.

United States have observed the Fortnight for Freedom in preparation for Independence Day on July 4. The theme set by the U.S. Bishops' Conference for this year's fortnight is "Witnesses to Freedom."

If someone told me that my faith would change my life a few years ago, I would not have believed them. I used to be someone that didn't want to go to church and sometimes not even Sunday school.

There is an old proverb that says, "What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over." How difficult it is for us to truly empathize with the sufferings or pain of another if we are not really witness to it, or have a connection with the one suffering.

The national Encuentros began in the Catholic Church in the United States in 1972. Since then, there have been three other Encuentros - 1977, 1985 and 2000. The third Encuentro brought together hundreds of thousands of Catholics from around the country in a consultation process that led to establishment of the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry in the United States, which also inspired the rise of Spanish speaking bishops, priests, deacons and lay leadership in diocesan offices and parishes throughout our nation.

It was American Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr who famously declared that the Christian teaching on original sin is "the only empirically verifiable doctrine of the Christian faith."

The main responsibility of this office is to promote the necessity and the value of mission-centered expressions and practices of our faith. Each year we invite all our diocesan parish communities to share in the work of our universal Church by celebrating and contributing to World Mission Sunday.

Pope Francis has given to the Church four major teaching documents - two encyclical letters and two apostolic exhortations. In each of these documents, the pope invites us to deeper, stronger, and more authentic ways of living our faith as friends and followers of Jesus Christ sent on mission to bring the Gospel to the world.

I knew what I wrote on my Diocesan Youth Board application was from my heart and every single word was the truth, but I had always been better at writing than speaking.

Father's Day is upon us and, much like its maternal counterpart, this holiday is often filled with love and appreciation, heartache and mournfulness, contempt and disesteem, or all of the above.

St. Joseph is an excellent role model for all Christian fathers. His life with Mary and Jesus teaches us to have a lot of faith in God. St. Joseph reminds fathers of the importance of prayer. He teaches fathers to protect their family by his constant protection of Mary and Jesus. He provided for his family as a carpenter and he humbly served the Lord.

We have all heard these familiar words, but how can we rejoice when we are grieving? When our hearts are broken from missing the one we love, it can seem almost impossible to even consider that we will ever feel joy again. Each day only seems to hold tears and despair, not hope or laughter.

Mary Queen of Angels Regional Catholic School in Cheektowaga is extremely proud of its status as a STREAM Academy.

It was a typical November day, perhaps overcast with a chill in the air. And like so many other mornings when I arrive to St. Amelia Parish in Tonawanda, I opened my email and checked my messages.

Could you endorse the following statement? "The time has come for our Church to be a living witness and to invest far greater human and financial resources in promoting a spirituality and practice of active nonviolence and in forming and training our Catholic communities in effective nonviolent practices."

With its mission to "reveal the healing love of Jesus to those in need," Catholic Health responds to the spiritual needs of people of all faiths. As a ministry of the Catholic Church, the health system also serves the sacramental needs of its patients, bringing the healing presence of Jesus to the sick and injured in its hospitals and nursing homes.

Much to the delight of abortion advocates, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has loosened its guidelines for the powerful abortion drug, RU-486/Mifepristone, marketed as "Mifeprex."

There's not much these days you can get for a penny. Penny candy is long gone, and many economists are talking about doing away with the penny altogether. But the one thing that a penny will still buy is a copy of The Catholic Worker newspaper.

This year's National Day of Prayer takes place around our nation on May 5. It is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, which invites people of all faiths to pray for the nation.

The bottom line is expressed in these words of the Holy Father: "It is my hope that, in reading this text, all will feel called to love and cherish family life, for 'families are not a problem; they are first and foremost an opportunity.'"

Several bills have been introduced in New York State that would fundamentally alter the doctor-patient relationship by authorizing physician-assisted suicide for individuals declared by a doctor to be terminally ill.

As we prepare to celebrate these two occasions we may find ourselves reflecting on how our parents raised us, and we may also spend some time reflecting on how we are raising our own children. Are we raising them to be children of faith and service?

I have heard comments from some who are upset over the fact that Pope Francis is "sticking his nose" into areas which are not of his concern. Most of these comments were in reaction to his encyclical letter on the ecology, "Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home." It is disturbing that these good people seem to be missing the message and mission of our pope.

Since California legalized physician-assisted suicide late last year, the proponents of such laws have set their sights on New York, with paid lobbyists, consultants and public relations firms endlessly recounting the story of Brittany Maynard.

"The single most powerful word in our democracy is 'We.'" That was how U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez opened his speech to the hundreds gathered to hear him last month. He was quoting President Obama's remarks made at the 50th anniversary celebration of the events at Selma, Ala., last year.

Today, churches of all kinds are discovering that by expecting more of their members they get more, and the members grow more. This growth is evident in church attendance, financial support, participation in ministries, as well as enthusiasm for service performed outside the congregation.

If you would know the radical meaning of Easter, think of Melanie. Think of the thousands of new Catholics who were baptized around the world at the recent Easter Vigil, along with the many others, already Christian, who were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

In this Jubilee year of Mercy we have been given a grand opportunity to look more deeply at ways to walk along in the journey of death through and to the life Jesus gave us by His Resurrection.

WWJDD? This is a hot question today: what would Jesus' disciples do?