The Holy Name Society of the Diocese of Buffalo will honor three distinguished priests of the diocese at its annual awards banquet which will take place at Kiebzak's Restaurant and Beginning Banquet Facilities in Sloan, on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m. with open bar at 5 p.m. and family-style dinner at 6 p.m., during which the Man of the Year Award and achievement awards will be presented.

The disability advocates in the Diocese of Buffalo has a new name. It is now the Disability Inclusion Team. Led by Dennis Mahaney, director of the Office of Evangelization and Parish Life, the group's goal is to increase awareness and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in parishes throughout the Diocese of Buffalo. This is done through opening doors, minds and hearts to change.

The Congrega Society, a group honoring the Blessed Mother, celebrated this year's second biannual Mass at St. Lawrence Church in Buffalo on Sept. 6.

Two parishes in the diocese will present Life in the Spirit seminars this fall for those who would like to establish a deeper faith life and gain a better understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Eleanor Asklar, longtime organist at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, now a worship site for Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Parish in Niagara Falls, will be retiring after serving in music ministry for more than 60 years.

A trip to the Holy Land gave a group of Catholics a chance to learn a new culture and witness the beauty of the holy sites.

Next fall, seniors in Western New York will have the option to spend retirement in a new and luxurious facility. The Brothers of Mercy held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for an upcoming addition to their campus in Clarence. Montabaur Heights will be an independent senior living community offering a wide variety of amenities close to the order's nursing and rehabilitation center.

The Diocese of Buffalo closed out the third annual Fortnight for Freedom on July 1, on the heels of a victory for religious freedom. The Supreme Court ruled that craft store chain Hobby Lobby will not have to provide contraception and abortion-inducing drugs to its employees.

An early Mass at St. Rose of Lima Parish in North Buffalo celebrated two important tenets of the American Catholic faith, as Bishop Richard J. Malone observed the Fortnight for Freedom and Rosary Novena for Life Saturday morning.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Journalists from across the country gathered at the Sheraton Charlotte in North Carolina for the 2014 Catholic Media Conference on June 18-20. The three-day conference offered guest speakers and workshops to further enhance the skills of Catholic journalists.

The Diocese of Buffalo will join other Catholic dioceses across the United States from June 21 until July 4 for the third annual Fortnight for Freedom. The event calls attention to religious freedom and conscience protection.

For most people, staying true to the Catholic faith involves going to Church, prayer and giving back to their communities. For James Grubka of East Aurora, being Catholic is about devoting his time and service to helping seminarians.

The Western New York Catholic is an important part of the Catholic Communication Campaign which will take place in parishes on the weekend of June 7-8.

Since making its digital debut, the Catholic Directory has provided an updated list of the names, numbers and addresses of all things Catholic in the Diocese of Buffalo. The online version of the Directory can be viewed from computer, tablet or smartphones, making it convenient for people on the go. It can also be downloaded and saved, so it can be read when a Wi-Fi hotspot is nowhere to be found.

The last time the Diocese of Buffalo embarked on a complete revamp of its website - along with many of the departments that work in the Catholic Center - was 2009. That is a generation ago in Internet timelines.

Few would argue the power of the media today and the emergence and influence of social media can hardly be denied. Like most things in life, there are pros and cons to this. But everyone can agree that by using some form of media, one can get the word out.

Father Leon Biernat can remember years back, when he was director of Vocations for the Diocese of Buffalo, attending a workshop on communications. He learned to communicate one idea to one group of people in 10 different ways.

Charismatic Renewal of the diocese will offer a Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Pompeii Church at 158 Laverack Ave., Lancaster, on Saturday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m. Charismatic Renewal will team up with Hispanic Charismatic Renewal and the Buffalo Chapter of Magnificat for this event. St. Luke's "Voices of Mercy" will provide the music for the celebration. All are invited to attend this charismatic style Mass and celebration of Pentecost.

Dawn Curazzato faced every grandmother's nightmare in 1996. Her granddaughter Katelin was born with serious health problems. She was unable to eat or breathe on her own. After prayers and a visit to Audrey Santo, who some consider an intercessor for miracles, Katelin's condition improved. Curazzato then set out to fulfill her promise to make the Lord's true presence known.

Deacon Don Weigel led a faithful army to the state capitol on Public Policy Day to advocate for those in need. They spoke to state senators and assembly representatives, imploring them to pass legislation that would offer fair benefits to workers, restore dignity to inmates and decrease abortions.

The Bible study group at St. Amelia Parish in Tonawanda has grown to 52 people, pleasantly surprising even those who began the venture. Jane Brown takes care of the administrative work and leads hospitality for the group. Experienced facilitator Harriette Hoebel has been sharing about the Book of Daniel during the latest session.

A special group of women in the Ladies of Charity group at St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore sew, knit, crochet and assemble layettes, infant clothing sets, for needy newborns in Western New York and Canada.

As Bob Golden filled out his survey in preparation for the Synod on Family and Evangelization, he felt the need to add a few subjects he thinks the Catholic Church needs to address. The Albion resident feels a just wage, domestic violence, immigration and health care do not receive the attention they deserve.

Most can appreciate beautiful Italian marble sculpture in museums and churches such as Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna.

St. John the Baptist Parish in Lockport has challenged the media's interpretation of beauty. During a women's conference held in January, a fashion show rooted in virtue and modesty showed that although skin deep, beauty can be seen without showing skin.

The memory of one of the great African-American heroes was invoked at the Martin Luther King Jr. Mass. The annual tribute, held at SS. Columba & Brigid Parish in Buffalo, was celebrated Jan. 19. The Office of Cultural Diversity sponsored the Mass.

During Mass for World Family Day last October, Pope Francis spoke of the Christian family as one that prays, keeps faith and experiences joy. The Holy Father seems to have taken a special interest in the family, even calling the third ever extraordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops to discuss "The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization."

December is a busy time as visitors stream into the Gift Shop of Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna. Reopened adjacent to the Father Baker Museum in October 2009 after major remodeling, it features a well-lit sales floor and a wide variety of religious items.

Talk to Patrizia De Libero Brown and the concept of making a pilgrimage will never be the same. She believes a pilgrimage should connect to a person's faith and be a life-changing experience.

Daybreak TV Productions will present a 30-minute program spotlighting the Year of Faith which will air on WKBW-TV Channel 7 on Nov. 24 at 11 a.m. "Opening Doors of Faith" asks the average and some not so average Catholics about Church, prayer and service.

Honor Flight Buffalo provides a special service to veterans as it transports them to Washington, D.C., to see various landmarks and memorials. It made its final flight for the year in October.

President Barack Obama's announcement that he is now in favor of same-sex marraige has drawn crticial reaction from Catholic Church leaders in the United States. During a May 9, ABC-TV News interview, the president said, ""At a certain point, I've just concluded that, for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."

A tapestry in upstate NY may hold pieces of Saints. Plus, in the buildup to the Super Bowl, we'll visit a school that works as a team. And, a Dominican celebration has a home in Brooklyn.