Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardoof Galveston-Houston, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement in the aftermath of the Santa Fe High School shooting:

WASHINGTON—In response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, stated the following:

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the Catholic Diocesan Bishops of New York State announced today the formation of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which at $3.2 billion will be one of the largest in the United States, and the largest focused solely on New York State. The foundation will provide up to $150 million annually in grants to serve New Yorkers in need and will be steered by a board of health experts, business leaders and philanthropists chaired by Al Kelly, CEO of Visa.

After receiving a recent letter regarding a previous abuse complaint against Father Fabian Maryanski, Bishop Richard J. Malone has placed Father Maryanski on administrative leave for the purpose of reopening the previous investigation

Bishop Richard J. Malone will have the honor of ordaining four men to the priesthood on Saturday, June 2. The special Mass will begin at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. The new priests, who were ordained deacons in September, are Rev. Mr. Peter Nsa Bassey, Rev. Mr. Paul Stanislaw Cygan, Rev. Mr. Peter Santandreu and Rev. Mr. Gerard Skrzynski. Each of the men will graduate from Christ the King Seminary, East Aurora, on May 11 with a master of divinity degree.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the main celebrant at the sixth annual Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb and Mass on Sunday, May 6. The 10:30 a.m. Mass will be held at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo.

After receiving an abuse complaint against Fr. Arthur S. Smith, of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Depew, Bishop Richard J. Malone has placed Father Smith on administrative leave as an investigation continues. Bishop Malone has also placed Rev. Samuel J. Venne on administrative leave after receiving an abuse complaint. Fr. Venne is a retired priest serving at St. Stephen's Parish on Grand Island.

Bishop Richard J. Malone announced that the Bishop's Residence at 77 Oakland Place, Buffalo, will be placed on the market this summer and all proceeds from the sale of the property will be dedicated to the Diocese of Buffalo's Independent Reconciliation & Compensation Program to assist victims of past sexual abuse by priests.

Since 1980, the red brick house at the intersection of Seneca Street and Roanoke Parkway in South Buffalo has offered safe haven to more than 4,000 runaway and homeless young men from Western New York to China. For most of those years, Father Joseph Bayne, OFM Conv, served as The Center's Executive Director. In that role, he successfully oversaw a "tough love" program of independent living skills that earned recognition in publications as exalted as the New York Times. According to the respected friar, that dedication to excellence is what has compelled him to close the ministry's doors.

The Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, was joined by Catholic Charities officials and Appeal leadership Tuesday to provide an update on this year's 94th annual campaign following the conclusion of Appeal Week 2018 on Palm Sunday in all parishes throughout the Diocese of Buffalo.

The following list identifies diocesan priests who were removed from ministry, were retired, or left ministry after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. This list also includes deceased priests with more than one allegation made against them.

Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News)- The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis has recognized a second miracle allowing five people on the path to sainthood to be canonized, the most prominent being Bl. Pope Paul VI and Bl. Oscar Romero.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced the establishment of a voluntary Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) for those who have made claims that they were sexually abused as a child by a member of the clergy in the Diocese of Buffalo. Individuals who have previously made claims will be contacted and invited to participate in this voluntary program offering monetary settlements.

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.

The Department of Pro-Life Activities of the Diocese of Buffalo will hold the 7th annual St. Gianna Benefit Banquet on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Millennium Hotel, 2040 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga. The St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center, the pastoral outreach of the Department of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Buffalo, provides material, emotional, and spiritual support to mothers, fathers and young families in need from pregnancy through the first years of life. The center follows the example of St. Gianna Molla, the patron saint of physicians, pregnant mothers and unborn children, in respecting, protecting, and cherishing all human life as a precious gift from God. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to support the center. Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone will provide opening remarks and this year's keynote speaker will be Catholic activist Gloria Purvis.

Healthcare professionals will be recognized at the White Mass on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the principal celebrant and will offer a special blessing for those working in the healthcare field.

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement on today's shootings at Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky. The shooting has left up to two dead and more than a dozen others injured.

WASHINGTON—On Jan 9th, congressional members met at the White House with President Trump to discuss immigration reform. In response to this important bipartisan meeting, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, Chairman of the Committee on Migration (USCCB/COM), issued the following statement:

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.

WASHINGTON— As Congress prepares to reconcile the House of Representatives and Senate tax reform bills, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, insisted that "Congress should advance a final tax reform bill only if it meets the key moral concerns . . ."

WASHINGTON—With the goal of strengthening and supporting the pastoral work of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America awarded nearly $3.2 million in grants for 183 pastoral projects in the region for 2018. These most recent grants were made at the Subcommittee's meeting in November and bring the total awarded for pastoral grants 2018 to almost $7.2 million. Four other projects were awarded in response to natural disasters.

WASHINGTON—On World AIDS Day, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, Chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, along with Sean Callahan, President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, urge full funding of U.S. and global HIV and AIDS programs in the FY 2019 budget request. Their position was outlined in a letter sent to the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

WASHINGTON—To commemorate the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery on December 2, 2017, the Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking (CCOAHT) is asking seafood producers, distributors and seafood retailers to make public, through packaged product labeling, their efforts to fight human trafficking in their product supply chains. According to CCOAHT, consumers are not receiving enough information needed to make moral purchasing decisions.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced the following clergy assignments.

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.

WASHINGTON— Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, expressed "great disappointment" over the House of Representatives' passage of the deeply flawed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, calling on the Senate to work toward legislation that fixes the problems with H.R.1. The full statement reads as follows:

One of the Diocese of Buffalo's own military veterans received a special recognition just before Veterans Day. Msgr. Dino J. Lorenzetti was inducted in The Buffalo and Erie Country Naval and Military Park's Wall of Honor on Nov. 10.

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N DiNardo, of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement in response to today's mass shooting during a church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

The Diocese of Buffalo has closed on an agreement with two investors who have purchased the St. Columban Center for $1.4 million. The property had been for sale since May of 2016.

WASHINGTON-On Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memorandum for all executive departments and agencies on the subject of "Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty". Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has offered the following statement in response:

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.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, urged Members of Congress to support passage of the Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2017 (H.R. 2405 / S. 1823). An almost identical bill passed the House in 2013 with overwhelming bipartisan support.

After nearly 15 years at the helm of Catholic Health, Joe McDonald, the health system's longest tenured president & CEO, has announced plans to retire. While an exact timetable has not been set, McDonald plans to remain on to help transition his successor, which is expected during the first quarter of 2018. A committee, made up of representatives of Catholic Health's Corporate Members, Sponsors, Board of Directors and Medical Staff, is leading the search process for a new president & CEO.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the main celebrant at this special Mass for those involved in the legal and judicial systems. Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy will offer remarks at the close of Mass.

On Sunday, Sept. 24, Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, 1023 Swann Road, Lewiston, will be the site of the 37th Annual Rosary Crusade for World Peace. The event, which will take place from 2-3:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Niagara Council of Catholic Women of the Diocese of Buffalo. This year's theme is "We thank you, Blessed Mother, for 100 years of love and blessings."

WASHINGTON—The following is a statement released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Executive Committee in support of the new Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism. The committee focuses on addressing the sin of racism in our society and the urgent need to come together to find solutions. Bishop George V. Murry, SJ of Youngstown, Ohio has been named chairman of the committee by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the USCCB. The committee was formed upon the unanimous recommendation of the U.S. Bishops Conference Executive Committee and in consultation with members of the USCCB's Committee on Priorities and Plans.

Six men will receive the sacrament of holy orders on Saturday, Sept. 16, when Buffalo's Bishop Richard J. Malone ordains the men to the holy order of deacon. Two gentlemen will be permanent deacons and the other four will continue their studies for the priesthood. This special Mass will be held at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo.

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued the following statement and call for prayer for those involved in this morning's devastating earthquake off the southern coast of Mexico and Guatemala.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty has issued the following statement in response to the line of questioning directed at a federal judicial nominee earlier this week.