The parish staff and trustees of St. John Kanty Parish, located on Broadway and Swinburne, want the public to know that their church is open. With solid volunteer support and healthy pierogi sales, the parish is surviving in a changing neighborhood, which they think is changing for the better.

The excitement is blooming at St. John the Baptist in Alden as they prepare for their new community garden. Working with a grant from the Whole Kids Foundation, as well as generous parishioners and local businesses, they have begun a school-wide garden initiative as a way to teach principles of healthy living and sustainability through authentic educational experiences.

St. Christopher Bereavement Team will have their Annual Children's Memorial Prayer Service on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at St. Christopher Church, 2660 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Tonawanda.

April 25 is Administrative Professionals' Day, a moment to recognize all those office workers who take the calls, fix the copier and do all the little things to make the office run smoother. We've asked for and received pictures of a few office managers and parish administrators from all over the diocese as a way to honor all of the hard work they do. View our latest photo gallery, and be sure to thank your administrative professionals today!

St. Lawrence Parish at 1520 East Delavan Ave., Buffalo, will hold a special Mass of devotion to Our Lady.

SPRINGBROOK — By this summer, more local Catholics may be "takin' it to the streets" as part of two new initiatives at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, in Springbrook. A special training workshop will be held on April 21 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for those wishing to effectively minister to people in the community.

At St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore, parishioners have engaged in a number of initiatives to reduce the community's carbon footprint. Since October, this has included collections of Styrofoam, long recognized as a non-biodegradable material that clogs up landfills, after Masses in the church.

The following liturgies are scheduled for Holy Week at St. Joseph Cathedral.

The Diocese of Buffalo will host the relics of St. Padre Pio as they make a North American tour. The first- and second-class relics will be at St. Gabriel Parish in Elma on April 21. Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate a Mass in honor of the stigmatist and mystic at 8 a.m.

Fran Angelo visits his namesake at least once a day to say "thank you." Their friendship was forged 65 years ago in a time of crisis when, Fran believes, his namesake saved his life. It's a story of faith, the power of prayer and a beloved Western New York tradition that created the bond between the Buffalo police officer and a legendary 16th century missionary named Francis Xavier. It's a story that continues to inspire many as Fran once again joined hundreds of others in observing the Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier at St. Michael Church during the first week of March.

St. Leo the Great's traditional Lenten Friday night fish fry will be extra special in March when Bob Halligan and members of the Celtic band Ceili Rain come to the Amherst church for a night of music and talk. This special event will take place Friday, March 9, with fish being served from 5-7 p.m. Stations of the Cross take place at 7 p.m. Halligan will give a talk about his experiences being adopted and adopting a child himself.

St. Mary of the Angels celebrated the first year of Pope Francis' designation of the Olean church as a minor basilica with a special Mass and dedications on Feb. 11. The congregation witnessed the unveiling of a permanent display of Pope Francis' coat of arms and heard the proclamation of an additional date in the year to offer the plenary indulgence. The proclamation, in the form of a letter by Bishop Richard J. Malone, was read by pastor Father Gregory Dobson.

In 1988, the University of Notre Dame Campus Ministry department first purchased a small set of Schulmerich bells. Thirty years later, the choir has expanded to cover more than five full octaves, plus three octaves of handchimes, providing music ministry to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the South Bend community, and parishes around the United States.

Four neighboring Depew and Lancaster parishes are joining together to offer a two-part Lenten retreat, entitled "A Heart for God," on Monday, Feb. 26, and Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 7 to 8:15 p.m. This is the third consecutive year St. Mary of the Assumption, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Our Lady of Pompeii and St. Martha parishes have collaborated on presenting a faith enrichment Lenten program.

A full Church witnessed history on Feb. 11 as Deborah Brown became the first layperson installed as pastoral administrator in the Diocese of Buffalo. Bishop Richard J. Malone installed Brown at St. John the Baptist Parish in Alden during the 11 a.m. Mass.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has named the first lay woman to lead a pastoral team at a parish.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, will distribute ashes at the 12:05 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, on Wednesday, February 14, Ash Wednesday.

At SS. Columba-Brigid Parish in Buffalo, a packed church came together to remember the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., a day before what would have been the slain civil rights leader's 89th birthday and months before the 50th anniversary of his death. Bishop Richard J. Malone served as celebrant at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. diocesan celebration on Jan. 14, with Deacon LeRoy T. Gill Jr., from the Archdiocese of Chicago, serving as guest homilist.

As the Diocese of Buffalo celebrates its educational institutions during Catholic Schools Week, Bishop Richard J. Malone made a pastoral visit to St. Aloysius Church and Regional School in Springville Thursday morning.

This month, many will honor slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with prayer vigils, peace marches and service projects. SS. Columba-Brigid Parish is planning something a little closer to King's vision: building a community.

Bishop Richard J. Malone paid a visit to St. Paul Parish in Kenmore for a special occasion, the completion of a new addition to the parish in December. The bishop blessed the new gathering place, a parish center, after that morning's 11 o'clock Mass before a gathering of clergy and members of the parish community.

The Diocese of Buffalo will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m. at SS. Columba & Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. Deacon LeRoy T. Gill Jr. of the Archdiocese of Chicago will be the guest homilist.

St. Michael Parish hopes to be a light in the darkness for Catholics everywhere, especially in downtown Buffalo. The Jesuit-run parish has installed a light in its bell tower as a beacon for those lost in faith and those lost on Washington Street.

For many, holidays are a time for joy and sharing with family. But for some, the colored lights and burning candles cast a shadow of depression. Many are saddened by the loss of family members or fear of dealing with the first Christmas since the death of a loved one.

St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, has scheduled a number of celebrations during the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Not everyone has the luxury of enjoying a hearty dinner surrounded with family on Christmas day. Many people locally have no family in town, or no family at all. Others are unable to afford a meal, especially for a family. Local meal providers such as Meals on Wheels and the Warming House are not open that day.

As the Advent season draws to a close, St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore will welcome a special guest in the form of a multitalented musician, motivational speaker and world traveler. At 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 17, the parish will welcome Sujeet Desai, a local musician born with Down syndrome who, among other talents, is classically trained in seven instruments and has become a leading advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

All the parishes of the Southern Cattaraugus County vicariate joined together at the behest of Our Lady of Fatima to pray for the end of war.

Last month, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda held a training session for Catholics looking to incorporate exercise into their daily prayer. Colleen Scariano and Deanne Miller, the co-founders of SoulCore, held a training session intended to introduce others to teaching the experience they first began in Carmel, Ind.

Harmonia continues its tradition of a cappella Advent and Christmas music, performed in the beauty of candlelight.

Bishop Richard J. Malone announced the diocesan Upon This Rock capital and endowment campaign has raised $107 million since February 2016, surpassing its goal of $100 million, thanks to the donations and efforts of 27,000 benefactors who gave gifts of varying sizes. The bishop made the announcement during a press conference Nov. 20.

The Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest judicial court, has ruled that Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, was within his rights to issue a decree on Aug. 14, 2013, closing St. Ann Church on Broadway in Buffalo.

As part of a humanitarian effort to help children in need throughout the world, St. Mary Parish in Canaseraga has formed a committee to raise money to purchase a van for Sister Stan's Children Inc., to help Sister Stan Terese Mario Mumuni, of the Marian Sisters of Eucharistic Love, transport children to her orphanage in Ghana. Sister Stan has made it her life's goal to help "spirit children," infants born with birth defects who would otherwise have been rejected by their families.

A recent family collaboration resulted in $200,000 to benefit Our Lady of Victory Organizations via their ongoing capital campaign. The campaign, entitled The Campaign for "Father Baker's" ­- Continuing His Legacy of Caring, which started in 2012, has now reached $11.5 million of its $12 million goal to enrich the lives of people in the Western New York area. The capital campaign runs until Dec. 31.

This month, the linked parishes of St. Martin of Tours and St. Thomas Aquinas in South Buffalo will celebrate their Irish-American heritage with Father William Quinlivan. He has invited two Irish retreat ministers, Sister Briege McKenna, OSC, and Father Kevin Scallon, CM, from Oct. 16-19 for a special four-day parish mission retreat.

Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Lancaster will welcome Respect Life Month by bringing in a Catholic doctor to speak against physician-assisted suicide as part of its Faith Enrichment Speaker Series.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Fatima appearance, several local parishes will host special celebrations throughout the year beginning this month.

Since 1948, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Bowmansville has been the home of one of the first-ever statues of Our Lady of Fatima, sculpted to depict the Virgin Mary as she appeared to the three shepherd children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, in Portugal in 1917. As the parish was preparing for the centennial anniversary celebrations to end, Father Robert Zilliox, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus, spoke about the history of the statue and how it came to Bowmansville.

Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston will hold special events to mark the 100th anniversary of the last apparition of Mary in Fatima, Portugal.

The third annual Blue Mass in the Diocese of Buffalo will take place on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. The Mass will honor local EMS, fire and law enforcement departments of all faiths who live and work in the diocese. Bishop Richard J. Malone welcomes everyone, from all counties, paid and volunteer staff, families and friends, to attend this special commemorative Mass to honor and thank these men and women for their service to the common good. He will bestow blessings upon all who contribute to public health and safety in the Diocese of Buffalo.