WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA) - A group representing Catholic students with intellectual disabilities is hoping a U.S. visit from Pope Francis could spark nothing less than a renaissance in Catholic education.

St. Bonaventure University and Hilbert College announced that they will each offer Bachelor of Science degree programs in Cybersecurity beginning in the fall of 2016. They are the only higher education institutions in the region to offer undergraduate majors in this high-demand field.

ST. BONAVENTURE - Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, will preside over St. Bonaventure University's Opening Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sunday, Aug. 30.

Father Joseph Gatto, president-rector of Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, said students can expect to see a blend of several new faces and a few familiar ones in expanded roles heading into the 2015-16 academic year this fall. It's all part of the story of resurgence taking place at the seminary.

Canisius High School in Buffalo named Andrea Tyrpak-Endres the first female principal in the school's 145 years of history. A longtime religion teacher at CHS, her experience includes 40 years in Catholic education.

In its second year of the STREAM Education Initiative (S - science T- technology - R - religion - E - engineering A - arts - S science) more than 150 Catholic elementary school teachers will be trained in dynamic 21st century education courses which emphasize inquiry, creativity, design and complex thinking.

ST. BONAVENTURE - St. Bonaventure University President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., is among nine distinguished women who will be honored by Girl Scouts of Western New York as 2015 Women of Distinction.

Bishop Richard Malone explains how East Aurora's Christ the King Seminary offer education and services for all of us in a new "Consider This."

With the STREAM initiative flowing along nicely at area Catholic schools, the diocesan Department of Catholic Education will add an engineering-focused element into the mix.

A first-grader at Notre Dame Academy in Buffalo recently spearheaded a collection to provide entertainment for and put smiles on faces of children undergoing treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Grace Mallaber organized a collection of 20 boxes of art supplies to be donated to the hospital's pediatric wing.

As the battle for the Parental Choice in Education Act wages on, Assemblywoman Margaret Markey of Queens has sponsored a bill that would reopen child sexual abuse cases to lawsuits years after the abuse. Currently, the state permits the accuser to file suit up to five years after his or her 18th birthday.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute has announced the appointment of Brother Christopher Belleman, FSC, as principal, effective immediately.

In the final days of this legislative session in Albany, Governor Andrew Cuomo and key legislators are leading the fight to enact the Education Tax Credit. The governor's plan, called the Parental Choice in Education Act, will help keep Catholic schools affordable.

At the invitation of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bishop Richard J. Malone and several other New York State Bishops and representatives from all eight dioceses will meet with members of the New York State Senate and Assembly today, June 1, at the Executive Mansion in Albany

A dozen educators, parents and students marched around the office of New York State Assemblymember Sean Ryan on May 20 chanting those slogans and carrying signs to let him know that as voters, they wanted him to pass the Parental Choice in Education Act.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute has scheduled this year's Collegiate Summer! for June 29 through July 24. The a four-week program is designed exclusively for students entering eighth grade. The program takes place at St. Joe's (845 Kenmore Avenue) and aims to help young men get ready for high school - and have some fun too.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and Bishop Richard J. Malone joined together today to introduce the Parental Choice in Education Act, a revised version of the Education Tax Credit bill. Educators and students alike gathered together at Eggertsville Youth and Community Center to hear of the common goal of religion and government.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has named former New York State Regent Chancellor Robert M. Bennett to the Diocese of Buffalo's Catholic School Advisory Council, the panel which advises the bishop on matters related to Catholic education.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute is proud to announce that senior Andrew Siaw-Asamoah was named a 2014-15 National Merit Achievement Scholarship winner. He will receive one of 7,600 National Merit Scholarships, worth approximately $33 million.

How does a high school dropout grow up to become president and chief executive officer of two international banks, run multi-million dollar enterprises, manage over a thousand employees and socialize with a queen? "Luck," says author Patrick Blewett.

More than 50 members of the St. Mary's High School community, including members of the student senate, faculty, staff and parents, spent a recent Saturday morning on the West Side of Buffalo cleaning and furnishing a home for a refugee family.

Villa Maria College has appointed Don Silveri as director of athletics for the college's recently announced sports program. Silveri will bring 38 years of experience as an administrator and coach to re-build the program, while also serving as head coach of the men's basketball team, where his own coaching career began nearly 40 years ago.

Renee Resler Joffe, a volunteer for the Holocaust Resource Center's Speakers Bureau, spoke to Mount St. Mary Academy students on March 30, detailing her experiences in Occupied France. Joffe lived with her mother, father and younger sister in Paris during the outbreak of the war and first years of occupation, before escaping to Southern France.

ATHOL SPRINGS — The Franciscan Friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, the board of trustees of St. Francis High School, has given final approval for the school to move forward with a multi-million dollar outdoor athletic complex redevelopment project. The province has also shown its support and dedication to the school by making a substantial donation.

My brother bishops and I are sorely disappointed in all of our political leaders in Albany, who again assured us of their strong personal support, but again could not deliver for the children of our state. Yet we have no alternative but to turn to them again and implore them to please pass this legislation once and for all before the close of the legislative session.

There's something to smile about at Mount St. Mary Academy. The Kenmore school has launched a project designed to boost the self-confidence of the students and lift the spirits of the community. The MSM Friends of Rachel Club started a Pocket Paper Project asking every student to think of an affirmation, then "Write It, Read It, Believe It."

The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity at Stella Niagara are providing an after-school tutoring program for young children in Niagara Falls.

St. Bonaventure University and Hilbert College announced the conclusion of their integration efforts and agreed to continue to collaborate on key strategic initiatives in keeping with their 20-year partnership.

To continue the forward motion of this exciting diocesan initiative, more than 160 teachers from the 10 pilot STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math) schools in the Diocese of Buffalo took part in a professional development program Friday afternoon.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute principal Jeffery Hazel has been named Director of Instructional Technology and Learning for the Niagara Wheatfield Public School District. The district's Board of Education approved the hiring at its regular meeting on Mar. 16.

A graduate school information session will be held from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at St. Bonaventure University's Buffalo Center, located at Hilbert College, 5200 South Park Ave.

As a celebration of National Nutrition Month, Trocaire College will once again host a Nutrition and Wellness Fair to be held on Wednesday, March 25 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm on the college's Main Campus, 360 Choate Avenue in South Buffalo.

Msgr. Kevin T. O'Neill, canonical administrator at Mary Queen of Angels Regional School in Cheektowaga, reflected upon his work supporting Catholic schools after he received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the annual Catholic education dinner for his ministry and service in January.

The St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Visual and Performing Arts Department is proud to announce that "Damn Yankees" will be presented the weekend of March 6-8.

EAST AURORA — In celebration of Black History Month in February, Immaculate Conception School welcomed dancers and a drummer from the African-American Cultural Center to teach students about African dance.

Trocaire College will host a Citizens Preparedness Training course for New York state residents to attend. The course will take place on Wed., March 11 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the Margaret Wendt Center at the main campus located at 360 Choate Avenue in South Buffalo.

ST. BONAVENTURE — Dr. Kimberly Young has been looking deeply into Internet addiction since the days of AOL chatrooms. She was the first to identify Internet addiction and its impact on our children, families and culture.

BUFFALO, NY - The Canisius College departments of chemistry and biochemistry will welcome internationally-renowned organic chemist Phil S. Baran, PhD, to campus on Friday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center, located at the corner of Main Street and Eastwood Place. Presented under the auspices of the Paul G. Gassman Memorial Seminar at Canisius College, Baran's lecture is entitled "Studies in Natural Product Synthesis." The event is free and open to the public.

Villa Maria College is getting back into the college sports game by relaunching their athletics program. Beginning in fall 2015, students will be able to compete in intercollegiate men's and women's soccer and basketball.

Our Lady of Charity Parish in Buffalo will host a program for young people 16-21 who would like to obtain their high school equivalency diploma. The program will be held at Maguire Hall at 51 Alamo Place and is free of charge.