Bishop Richard J. Malone asked Catholics to fully embrace and think about the story and message of the Passion during the annual Palm Sunday Mass, which began the celebration of Holy Week, at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo.

Catholicism has always remained a key aspect of St. Patrick's Day celebrations, especially in Buffalo. Our new exclusive photo gallery looks at the recent past celebrations of the day, and the many Catholic leaders who have participated in it.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the main celebrant at the Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday, March 20, preceding the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to confession with Pope Francis?

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

My confirmation homily this year begins with a question addressed to the confirmands: If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In more direct terms, what is different about my life because I am a Christian, a Catholic? Can those who know me tell the difference Jesus makes in my life? Can I?

One of the most popular activities of Lent is going out on Fridays for a fish fry. Businesses have boomed with packed restaurants, and even local parishes have used the dinner to raise funds for their community. Take a look at a few of Western New York's most popular fish fry places in our photo gallery.

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.

In this Year of Mercy, the Lenten season will be a time for Catholics to reflect on the meaning of mercy and the importance of forgiveness, both of which have a long tradition in the Church. According to Pope Francis, in this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy the sacrament of reconciliation becomes more important than ever, with indulgences granted.

"I desire mercy and not sacrifice." Bishop Richard Malone talks about real commitment vs. empty sacrifice during Lent in a new "Consider This."

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his Ash Wednesday homily, Pope Francis said that Lent is the perfect time to let go of selfish and indifferent attitudes, returning to God with the help of prayer, penance and acts of charity.

Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10, marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. Whether you're in a pew every Sunday or haven't been inside a church in a long time, here are the things you should know about the next 40 days.

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.

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 10, Ash Wednesday.

Bishop Richard Malone shares an experience he had with spilled ashes on Ash Wednesday 30 years ago. He encourages us to think of each confessional door as a door of mercy in a new "Consider This."

VATICAN CITY (CNA) - Speaking to a global gathering of priests, Pope Francis signaled an openness to changing the date of Easter in the West so that all Christians around the world could celebrate the feast on the same day.

New people are welcomed into the Church each year. Bishop Richard Malone refers to a homily by St. Augustine who compares new Christians to colony of bees in a new "Consider This."

Easter may be over for another year, but you can relive all the wonderful moments from Holy Week 2015 in our new photo gallery.

The gift of the resurrection has been seen throughout the ages, as Bishop Richard J. Malone explains in his video homily for Easter Sunday.

As Holy Week began to draw to a close, Bishop Richard J. Malone welcomed the celebration of the Resurrection during an Easter Vigil at St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo Saturday night.

Bishop Richard J. Malone reminds us that Christ, risen from the dead is the ultimate reason for hope, to all who believe.

The Resurrection of Jesus reminds us of the basic belief of our faith as St. Paul expressed perfectly in his first letter to the Corinthians 15:14 "... and if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty too your faith."

VATICAN CITY (CNA) — During a recent general audience Pope Francis emphasized the certainty of Christ's presence in the world today, noting how His resurrection is an invitation to reject sin and be open to joy and hope.

Faithful from across the Diocese of Buffalo filled St. Joseph Cathedral to capacity on Tuesday evening for the Chrism Mass, a highlight of Holy Week, as Bishop Richard J. Malone blessed three urns of oil: oil of the catechumens, oil of the chrism and oil of the sick.

WASHINGTON—Thousands of people across the United States will be welcomed into the Catholic Church at this year's Easter vigil, April 4, including a retired Marine captain who appeared on the cover of National Geographic, a woman from The Gambia now living in the Pacific Northwest and a woman from Pittsburgh whose faith journey has drawn her own mother back to the Church.

Bishop Richard J. Malone used his homily at the start of Holy Week at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo on Mar. 29, to remind worshipers, "God's holy word on Palm Sunday is a meditation on the meaning of suffering in God's plan of salvation."

Would you receive an ashen cross on your forehead if it meant being ridiculed, mocked and laughed at or even worse, if it meant persecution? It would probably be easier to say yes to the first part of the question, but the last part of the question? I wonder what I would do?

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

As we journey deeper into Lent, the choice is ours - a mission or the Matrix.

Feb. 18 marked the beginning of Lent, which can be described as the period spent preparing for Easter. Lasting 40 days, it commemorates Jesus' time in the desert, where He fasted, prayed and was tempted by the devil.

Bishop Donald W. Trautman, bishop emeritus of Erie, Pa., will return home to the Diocese of Buffalo in March to lead a Lenten retreat at Immaculate Conception Parish in East Aurora on March 15, 16 and 17, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisc., former chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offers "10 Things to Remember for Lent."

As the season of Lent progresses, so will a Lenten tradition at a Southern Tier parish. For years, Holy Name of Mary Parish in Ellicottville has maintained a yearly Lenten prayer cross, which remains common among the parishioners as well as visitors to the region's popular ski resorts.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) — The "globalization of indifference" was at the heart of Pope Francis' Lenten message in which he urged the faithful to fight individualism with merciful hearts that are more attentive to the needs of others.

St. Casimir Church in Buffalo will hold its annual Heritage Events program throughout March.

Our Lady of Charity Parish in Buffalo will offer the Novena of Grace from Wednesday, March 4, through Thursday, March 12, at the St. Ambrose worship site at 65 Ridgewood Road.

Father Czeslaw Krysa said that Scripture reading is the single most important thing Catholics should do during the Lenten season of prayer and fasting. The diocesan director of the Office of Worship said a good focus would be on reading the prophets and the Psalms. Since Catholics are called to fast during this time, Father Krysa also suggested some different ways they might experience this special sacrificing.

For many years a small group of parishioners at St. John Kanty Parish in Buffalo have been getting together to make pierogi. It all started in the mid 1980s when the former church secretary, Lorraine Wiernik, along with the pastor, Msgr. Robert Golombek, came up with the idea of selling fish frys during Lent.

WASHINGTON—A variety of resources to help Catholics observe Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, this year February 18, is being provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Season of Lent.