Two women religious from the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George from Illinois will speak about vocations in the Diocese of Buffalo Thursday night. Sister Consolata and Sister Mary David offer their perspective on religious life at 7 p.m. at St. Gregory the Great Church in Williamsville.

A group of parishioners at St. John the Baptist in Kenmore is compiling a booklet of prayers submitted by parishioners which it plans to distribute as a gift to the community. The intention is to make the book specifically by and for St. John the Baptist parishioners.

If you walked into St. Joseph Cathedral on Monday afternoon, you would see very little evidence that there was a fire inside just days before. Masses went on as scheduled over the weekend and the smell of smoke has dissipated.

A seminar designed to help couples strengthen their marriage, whether newly married or married for 50 years or more, will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 in Selbert Hall at the Church of the Annunciation, 7580 Clinton St., Elma.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, St. Pius X Parish in Getzville will be tying a longstanding parish tradition in with the Holy Year of Mercy Pope Francis has declared. The parish will be offering confessions starting at 1:30 p.m., praying of the rosary at 2 p.m. and the Chaplet of Mercy at 2:45 p.m., and regular Mass at 3 p.m.

The 12th annual Mass for the unborn will be held on Wednesday, March 23, at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church, 157 Cleveland Drive, Cheektowaga. The rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m. and Mass will begin at 7 p.m. Father Martin X. Moleski, S.J., will the celebrant and homilist at the evening Liturgy.

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

Graduating from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora 15 years ago, as a young mother of four small boys, I started the MOMS Ministry at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville to provide a place for Catholic mothers to spiritually grow in their faith and motherhood.

The mixer is whirring and the sounds of the kitchen start the day for Team Pierogi, a group of up to 20 women and men who faithfully carry out their role of making pierogi dough for Lent. The making of pierogi began in mid-January as members of the team gathered two days a week to make batches of pierogi dough.

On Feb. 18, Bishop Richard J. Malone formally announced Upon This Rock, a five-year, $100 million capital campaign that will fund the Diocese of Buffalo's mission in three specific areas. These three pillars, which the campaign calls "those we serve," "those who serve" and "how we serve," involve investing money into the future of diocesan parishes, caring for retired priests, and supporting efforts of Catholic Charities and Catholic education, all with the goal of ensuring a solid future for the diocese.

In this Year of Mercy, the Diocese of Buffalo will again offer special times for the sacrament of reconciliation during Lent, as parishes did during Advent.

The town of Alden looked a lot like Poland when St. John the Baptist Parish held a special Polka Mass and dinner dance in January. World Youth Day pilgrims hosted the Polish Heritage Dancers and served up kielbasa and pierogi to raise funds for the summer pilgrimage to Krakow.

On Jan. 17, one day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Diocese of Buffalo honored the birthday of the late civil rights leader with a Mass at St. Martin de Porres Church in Buffalo. Bishop Martin D. Holley, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., was celebrant and homilist at this Mass, sponsored by the African-American Commission and the diocese's Office of Cultural Diversity.

The Diocese of Buffalo will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a special Mass on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Martin de Porres Church, 555 Northampton St., Buffalo. The Mass is sponsored by the African American Commission and the Office of Cultural Diversity for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate Mass on Sunday, Jan. 24, at Holy Angels Parish in Buffalo in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Oblates also staff the West Side of Buffalo parishes of Holy Cross and Our Lady of Hope. In addition to the Mass, there will be performances by the cluster choir, consisting of choirs of all three parishes, including an African choir, youth choir and Burmese choir. The Mass which will celebrate contributions of the Oblates, will be followed by a reception at nearby D'Youville College in Buffalo.

A senior at Canisius High School in Buffalo turned his craftsmanship skills into a project that reflects his Catholic faith on the grounds of his home parish. Joseph McEachon, 17, made an outdoor Stations of the Cross display at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville for his Eagle Scout project.

"Jesus is the reason for the season." How many times have we heard this saying and and wondered where Jesus is among all the twinkling lights, merry tunes, and bustling shoppers rushing home with their treasures? Community and civic light displays are everywhere, but where is Jesus?

A unique adaptation of the classic holiday tale, "A Christmas Carol," will be presented live on stage at St. Mary School in Swormvillle on Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

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

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at the noses, and Father Bill Quinlivan singing about the birth of our Lord. The season has arrived.

This year, a new but popular tradition at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in North Tonawanda will begin another year of briging the community together to enjoy a local selection of traditional Christmas sweets.

The altar at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Bowmansville received a dedication courtesy of Bishop Richard J. Malone, in which he spoke of the meaning of the altar in Catholic churches, the then-coming Christmas season and the ways in which both are important to Catholics. Bishop Malone gave the church's new wooden altar, adorned with a depiction of the Last Supper, a special blessing on Dec. 5.

The 26th Annual Night of Prayer will be observed Tuesday, Dec.8, at 9 p.m. to Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 1 a.m., Feast of the Immaculate Conception with the Feast of St. Juan Diego.

LANCASTER — St. Mary of the Assumption Parish will hold sessions for the intergenerational faith formation program Generations of Faith from Saturday, Dec. 5 through Monday, Dec. 7 at the parish center.

A 100-year-old crucifix in St. Josaphat Parish in Cheektowaga saw the completion of a much-needed facelift with the help of some artistic talent.

Opera Sacra, the longest continually producing opera company in Western New York, began in 1975, founded by Father Jacob Ledwon at the former St. Joseph New Cathedral in Buffalo. Choosing works that center on religious themes, it has been presenting major productions for 40 seasons in many Western New York churches and schools.

St. Casimir Parish in Buffalo highlighted its 125th anniversary with a special events to help prepare for family celebrations that come with the Thanksgiving holiday season. On Oct. 18, parishioners crowned the Black Madonna, celebrated Mass, prayed the rosary, blessed religious icons and held a luncheon featuring traditional Polish and Italian foods.

Recently, St. Martha Parish in Depew completed a series of renovations in its church in the aftermath of the merger that created it five years ago. It celebrated its formal five-year anniversary in July, the result of the merging of St. Barnabas and Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament churches in 2011. In order to keep moving into the future, the church will now have a new look for parishioners and visitors alike.

As the 2015 Revival began on Oct. 13, everyone entering SS. Columba/Brigid Church was given a small rock inscribed with a reminder that only those without sin should cast stones.

Teens are invited to A Night of Faith, Hope and Love, led by Carrie Ford and John Wilde, on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Mary Swormville Parish Center, 6919 Transit Road, East Amherst. Students in grades six through 12 are encouraged to attend.

Before going to Poland for World Youth Day, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish brought a little bit of Poland to Orchard Park. The parish welcomed a group of dancers who hail from "The Land of the Fields."

Following Pope Francis' lead to simplify the Catholic annulment process, Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced that he has waived the fee for annulments in the Diocese of Buffalo. Now Catholics can learn more about the confusing process with a workshop Thursday night.

St. Andrew Parish in Sloan has been celebrating a special anniversary this year, with a series of events to commemorate a century since the parish's establishment.

Bishop Richard J. Malone served as the main celebrant at a Mass that honored missionaries from the diocese who are ministering throughout the world.

In the wake of Pope Francis' visit to the United States and his call to Catholics around the globe to take better care of the earth, the diocesan Care for Creation Committee continues to organize events to promote Pope Francis' message released in his June encyclical, "Laudato Si," or "Praised Be." The committee, founded in 2006, arranges events in the diocese to raise awareness of the environment.

In honor of the Synod on the Family, which takes place in Rome in October, St. Christopher Parish in Tonawanda will hold its own Family Day to promote the Catholic Church providing pastoral care for all families and the need for this care regardless of how traditional or non-traditional they may be.

The Office of Cultural Diversity, along with the members of the African-American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo, will be holding their biannual Revival this year at SS. Columba-Brigid Parish, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. The Revival theme is, "Cast the First Stone."

Most people believe that change is good - for someone else. This might be especially true of people in institutions with a reputation for stability. Interesting that the Catholic Church has always changed in response to signs of the times. But significant changes may be felt as a breakdown, before appreciating the breakthrough.

About 100 people skipped Sunday's Buffalo Bills victory over the Miami Dolphins for another kind of community activity: a special telecast of Pope Francis' closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia screened at St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst.

Msgr. Robert E. Zapfel, pastor of St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst, is especially eager for the pope's visit. The parish will debut its new technology on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m., featuring Pope Francis celebrating Mass live from Philadelphia for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families.