After greeting students as they stepped off of school buses on Main Street in Buffalo Wednesday, Bishop Richard J. Malone went inside and joined some of them in a drum session on the first day of classes at St. Joseph University School.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - The damage done by Hurricane Harvey is a cause for prayer and preparation to help the storm's victims, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has said.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - People are probably familiar with white supremacist groups like neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan - both of which made an appearance at the violent rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia that shocked the nation and the world.

They are hoping to start a new religious congregation and, on Tuesday, three women from the Diocese of Buffalo took a big individual step in their formation as Marian Franciscan Sisters. They received their religious habits and new religious names as Bishop Richard Malone received them into the novitiate in a special Mass at Our Lady Chapel in St. Joseph Cathedral.

Bishop John Timon left a lasting impression on the Diocese of Buffalo, the full scope of which is probably not well known. Two seminary professors plan to change that with a series of lectures on the diocese's founding shepherd.

Located on the campus of Sisters Hospital on Main Street in Buffalo, the St. Catherine Laboure Health Care Center offers a full range of services to assist residents and patients in need of long-term care and rehabilitation. To assist those who wish to live at home and maintain their independence, while still receiving needed services to remain healthy, the center's Adult Day Health Care Program offers a place for adults of all ages to socialize and receive care for several hours per day in a controlled environment.

A weekend filled with live music, classic cars, numerous raffles and delicious food offerings will highlight the 80th annual summer picnic at the Church of the Annunciation, 7580 Clinton St., Elma. The event kicks off on Friday, Aug. 18, and concludes with a grand drawing the evening of Sunday, Aug. 20.

In apostolic times, when the Church in Jerusalem was in great distress, St. Paul did not hesitate to ask the Catholics of Corinth to give generously to the relief of their brothers in religion. This bond of human solidarity and Christian brotherhood has been in the Church through the ages. Whenever distress came to our brothers in the faith in one part of the world, those in other parts were always willing to extend to them their helping hand.

CLARENCE — Sisters of St. Joseph, associates and friends gathered under a tent June 23 at their Clarence residence to ritualize the recent sale of some of their Clarence land and buildings and to honor their deceased sisters with a tree-planting ceremony.

For 35 years, the Erie County Fair has hosted an annual tradition, one that is relatively unknown even to many Western New Yorkers, but consistently draws a crowd of around 200 people each year. Held on the fairgrounds' Evans Bank Family Entertainment Complex, this year's Mass on the Midway, a Catholic service to accompany its annual day honoring veterans, will take place at 10 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 13.

The Diocesan Marian Commission, under the spiritual direction of Father Michael Burzynski, pastor of St. John Gualbert Church in Cheektowaga, is in the process of planning a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., similar to the one that took place in 2012.

EAST AURORA — Since January, a group of about a dozen boys has been meeting every Wednesday evening at Christ the King Seminary. The newly organized group is part of a national discipleship program known as Fraternus.

As the Upon This Rock campaign officially surpasses the $100 million mark this month, it is by no means too late to contribute. While the pledge phase is winding down, the distribution is just beginning. Parishes began to receive checks last summer representing their 35 percent share of the fund drive. This summer, a total of $94,000 will be distributed to 18 Catholic schools to enhance or, in the case of seven of those schools, launch a STREAM program for the first time.

Earlier this year, an inquiry from a Southern Tier resident led to the rediscovery of, and renewed interest in, a piece of diocesan history: a quilt that parishioners from all existing diocesan parishes, as of 1997, contributed to that year for the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of Buffalo. For a few years after this, the completed quilt, consisting of four large, separate panels, traveled from parish to parish. Since then, it has remained safety stored in the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo.

Bishop John Timon, ordained as a Vincentian priest, was immersed in the order's charisms reflecting social justice and the Gospel values of care for the poor, sick, widowed and orphaned, and he lived by the motto of the order: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me - "He has sent me to preach the Gospel to the poor." Soon after his arrival, the bishop discovered the immediate need for an orphanage and hospital. Writing in his diary years later he believed that the purpose of the Catholic Church in Buffalo was to: "satisfy their worldly and spiritual needs."

DENVER, COLO. (CNA/EWTN News) - In the last 24 hours more than twenty Catholic pages, some with millions of followers, have been blocked by Facebook for unknown reasons.

Teams of Our Lady invites married couples to an indoor-outdoor picnic, preceded by the 4:30 p.m. Mass, on Saturday, July 22, at SS. Peter & Paul Church, Williamsville. The north and south sectors for the region invite children to this event, to be held in the school cafeteria, with access to the gym. Look in the parish activity book for more information on Teams of Our Lady.

On Independence Day weekend, Bishop Richard Malone, along with 18 other representatives from the Diocese of Buffalo, participated in the Convocation of Catholic Leaders in Orlando, Florida. The four-day event brought together a diverse group of over 3,000 Catholics who joined more than 150 bishops from across the United States to respond to Pope Francis's call, in Evangelii Guadium, "to embark upon a new chapter of evangelization marked by the Joy of the Gospel, to become ever more, and to form others as missionary disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Reverend Monsignor David S. Slubecky, vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Diocese of Buffalo, announced this morning the 2017 Appeal in support of Catholic Charities of Buffalo met and exceeded its $11 million goal. After a very challenging Appeal, officials expressed gratitude for the incredible parish, community and corporate support, especially last-minute gifts, which brought the campaign total to $11,069,168.36.

The Catholic League for Religious Assistance to the Church in Poland continues the good work envisioned 74 years ago and continues to reflect, develoop and expand its present needs. Much has changed in the last seven decades, but love and fidelity to our faith, the mission of the Church and heritage remain steadfast. "For on the shoulders of the giants of the past (clergy and laity), we stand to build the present and influence the future," is a phrase I have heard, and it describes that spirit well.

The need for blood doesn't end with a particular season. By contributing to the community blood supply donors can show their commitment to a better quality of life. While one unit may not seem important at this moment, it could mean the difference between life and death to the patient who needs a particular blood type.

Sister Patricia Burkard, OSF updates us on happenings with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities in Williamsville and Cindy Munschauer gives the details of this year's Burgers, Brews & Blues event.

In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the Diocese of Buffalo has been collaborating with the Upstate New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America throughout the calendar year. Although the Reformation began after Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517, the goal in 2017 is to foster unity. On May 19, they joined for an ecumenical study day at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, with Sister Susan K. Wood, SCL, Ph.D. as keynote speaker.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - The doctors at the Children's Hospital in San Miguel, Argentina, find no explanation for the quick recovery of Martin Chain - a three-year-old boy who fell from the ninth floor when he was playing on the balcony of his apartment.

Members of an already beautiful and vibrant Catholic church in Olean took things to a whole new level on Thursday evening. With help from a string quartet, brass ensemble and an angelic choir, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels welcomed a couple new symbols that could only be displayed in a basilica. The church's new tintinnabulum bell rang for the first time as part of the opening procession and the ombrellino was placed behind the presider's chair.

Dennis Mahaney, Diocesean Director of Evangelization and Catechesis, discusses the upcoming Convocation of Catholic Leaders sponsored by the USCCB.

When we think of the phrase "faith at work," some conventional images might come to mind: caring for the poor, a teacher explaining the faith, but we don't need to have an openly religious job for our faith to be relevant. Any honest and upright work is holy and an opportunity to grow closer to God. As St. John Paul II once reminded us, Jesus himself worked as a carpenter, and "Through their work, people share in the Creator's work."

LEWISTON, NY - Under a clear blue, nearly-summer sky on Monday morning, students at St. Peter R.C. School broke ground for what will be the school's new playground. One student per grade was selected via a lottery to participate in the actual digging, each donning a matching shovel and hard hat. Construction of the playground will begin over the summer and means students should have a dedicated space for outdoor learning, active play, team sports and physical activity by the first week of the next school year.

On the first floor of the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo, the Catholic Union Store offers a wide selection of books, gifts, statues, rosaries, cards, priests' vestments, Bibles and various other Catholic and Christian goods. In February, the store held a grand re-opening celebration with Bishop Richard J. Malone in recognition of newly finished renovations that will allow it to better serve the community.

Father John Timon, a Vincentian priest, arrived in Buffalo in June 1847 to establish a new Catholic diocese in Western New York. He would serve as the first bishop of the diocese, ushering in religious orders, developing health care, and creating a Catholic identity for the city that would remain 170 years later.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Online pornography is one of the fastest growing addictions in the United States, on par with cocaine and gambling.

TONAWANDA — On June 4, the Inner Harbor Yacht Club hosted its annual "Blessing of the Boats" ceremony with a new name. From now on, the ceremony will officially be designated the "Anne Meyer Memorial Blessing of the Boats," in honor of Anne Meyer, the originator of the event which debuted in 1981.

CNA/EWTN News — It was August in Rome, the dog days of summer, and most people had left the Eternal City for the beach or another summer holiday destination.

Maybe it was one too many holiday dinner parties or those extra calorie-rich culinary treats that leave us feeling a bit more vulnerable to the weight-loss advertisements that bombard us this time of year. 'Tis the season, right? Or maybe, like me, you tend to struggle with body image in a world that's hyper-focused on our physical appearance. It makes no difference if you feel this on occasion or have felt this your entire life. I've gathered some meaningful Bible verses that speak to me about loving my body. Hopefully, they will help you too.

An interview from October 1996 with National Circus Chaplain, Father Jerry Hogan.

For more than 30 years, Regina O'Connor, 99, has served as a friendly face greeting patients and their families at the front desk of Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo. Since shortly after she retired from her job with U.S. Customs in 1983, O'Connor has volunteered weekly at the same time on Tuesdays, a comforting and familiar presence for the people who have known her for three decades at the hospital.

Bishop Edward Grosz discusses the apparitions at Fatima.

This summer, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be convening an unprecedented gathering of diverse leaders from dioceses and Catholic organizations from across the country to assess the challenges and opportunities of our time, particularly in the context of the Church in the United States. An ongoing initiative of the Bishops' Working Group on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person, the Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America, will assemble Catholic leaders in Orlando, Florida for a strategic conversation, under the leadership of the bishops, on forming missionary disciples to animate the Church and to engage the culture.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Lewiston welcomed well over 2,000 people on May 13, who came to honor the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal. Bishop Richard J. Malone celebrated Mass and blessed a new statue of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, and their cousin Lucia Santos, three shepherd children who witnessed a series of visions near Fatima, Portugal.

For over 90 years, Camp Turner has provided young people with an opportunity to explore and appreciate the outdoors. Now, thanks to the hard work and determination of many people, campers have a chapel to appreciate the Lord.