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Gerard Place is expanding its services in order to assist families with moving out of poverty and to expand its ministry within its East Side community.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo officials today reported a recent surge in donations has helped the 2018 Appeal reach $9.5 million in cash and pledges, representing 86 percent of this year's goal. This updated total includes an influx of more than $600,000 since April 30 when the Appeal was at $8.9 million. With fewer than seven weeks remaining, the 94th annual Appeal remains $1.5 million short of its $11 million goal.

Thomas Witakowski is missing five seconds of his life due to a stroke. The staff of Mercy Hospital has given him the past 17 months.

At a recent monthly meeting, the St. Benedict Creation Care Team held an informational session to inform those interested in living out Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment called "Laudato Si" or "On Care For Our Common Home."

"In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course."

This May on "Our Daily Bread," host Father Paul D. Seil will be taking the show on the road, as he heads to Camp Turner in Salamanca. Camp Turner is a summer and winter residential camp operated by the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Buffalo. The camp is located inside Allegany State Park about 90 minutes from downtown Buffalo.

With Mother's Day coming soon, the Catholic Church wishes to reiterate its focus on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. The faithful pray and protest to end abortion, while at the same time working in hospitals and with the government to care for those who are lost before birth.

TONAWANDA — Julia Dunn, a sophomore at Cardinal O'Hara High School, will perform Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" on a concert program May 12 and 13 with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of JoAnn Falletta.

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.

A couple local students are putting Buffalo on the map. Zachary Hawley and Brigid Benson, both eighth-graders made their way to the state finals of the National Geographic Geography Bee held April 8 in Albany. They joined 100 students from across the state.

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 Malone celebrated Mass in Spanish Tuesday afternoon with a group of about 600 detainees inside the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia. Many of the detainees are serving time for immigration violations. His visit was inspired by Matthew 25:37 "I was in prison and you visited me."

Catholic Charities of Buffalo officials today updated the community on the progress of the 2018 Appeal. With two months remaining, the 94th annual Appeal has reached nearly $8.9 million in cash and pledges, or just shy of 81 percent of this year's goal. Volunteers and campaign leadership must raise an additional $2.1 million between now and June 30 in order to reach this year's $11 million goal.

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.

TONAWANDA — St. Amelia School is one of only two schools in New York state and the only school in Western New York to offer the innovative, research-based Arrowsmith Program.

Have you ever experienced the prayerful journey of walking through a labyrinth? According to Lessons4Living.com, "a labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering, but purposeful, path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools ... It is a metaphor for life's journey

In the fast paced modern world you can experience plenty of noise and stress. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming. Many look for solitude and quiet. The Retreat House at Abbey of the Genesee offers just that for those who want it.

The Dominican Nuns will celebrate a Novena in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, May 1-9, at the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary, 335 Doat St., Buffalo.

Twenty-four students from Mount Mercy Academy's Health and Science Academy and Health Care Career Club had the experience of a lifetime recently. The students visited the Jacobs Institute and were able to practice and learn about cutting edge technology.

April 25 is Administrative Professionals' Day, a moment to recognize all those office workers who take the calls, fix the copier and do all the little things to make the office run smoother. We've asked for and received pictures of a few office managers and parish administrators from all over the diocese as a way to honor all of the hard work they do. View our latest photo gallery, and be sure to thank your administrative professionals today!

EAST AURORA — A $1.9 million construction project to completely update the education center on the campus of Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora is underway. A late spring or early summer completion date is expected.

I was born an extrovert. When I was 2, my mom put me in the front seat of the grocery cart at ShopRite, and as an older woman bent down to pick up eggs, I kissed her on the head. My mom, shocked, exclaimed, "Tinamarie! You can't just kiss strangers!" When I was 16, my friend's parents constantly questioned my sobriety due to expressive moves on the dance floor. So, when the Benedictine Sisters of Erie invited me on a five-day silent retreat during my summer internship with them, it went about as well as you might imagine.

Throughout the day on Saturday, thousands of people lined up at St. Gabriel's Church in Elma for the chance to venerate several relics of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. One by one, they took turns walking up to a table and were allowed to briefly touch some of the relics which included Saint Pio's crusts of the wounds, cotton-gauze with his blood stains, a lock of Saint Pio's hair, his mantle, and a handkerchief soaked with his sweat hours before he died. Touching or praying in the presence of such an object helps a faithful individual focus on the saint's life and virtues, so that through the saint's prayer or intercession before God, the individual will be drawn closer to God.

"Daisy" Estelle Anderson has volunteered for Catholic Charities for 30 years, but on April 19, the appreciation and esteem earned for all of her work was given back to her, courtesy of a visit from Al Roker of NBC's "The Today Show."

Three outstanding community members devoted to making a positive difference in Western New York will be honored May 2 at St. Bonaventure University's Gaudete Medal Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo.

When we suffer we look for things that give us comfort and strength. When Sister Johnice Rzadkiewicz, CSSF, visited her terminally ill brother, Jack, she gave him comfort and strength with a small wooden cross.

To say the students are thrilled with the implementation of the diocesan STREAM program at Our Lady of Victory School in Lackawanna is an understatement.

As part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) 15th annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Catholic Health is joining forces with local law enforcement to help get unused and unwanted drugs out of people's homes.

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.

SPRINGBROOK — By this summer, more local Catholics may be "takin' it to the streets" as part of two new initiatives at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, in Springbrook. A special training workshop will be held on April 21 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for those wishing to effectively minister to people in the community.

This month on "Our Daily Bread," host Father Paul D. Seil is out of his kitchen and traveling to 208 Stanislaus St., on Buffalo's East Side, to cook in and learn more about the Mother Teresa Home, which has been open for a little over a year now.

Someone once said, "marriages may be made in heaven, but they sure take a lot of work on earth." In our society, with the pressures of conflicting demands and too little time, personal relationships are often taken for granted. With all the distractions we easily forget that strong caring loving relationships take work.

When Bryce McLanahan walked up the aisle of St. Joseph Cathedral to receive his award as one of the Altar Servers of the Year, it was the final steps in a unique journey for the Amherst teen. Although baptized in the Catholic Church, he grew up not attending regular Mass with his family. Instead, he forged his own spiritual path.

At St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore, parishioners have engaged in a number of initiatives to reduce the community's carbon footprint. Since October, this has included collections of Styrofoam, long recognized as a non-biodegradable material that clogs up landfills, after Masses in the church.

"Nearly all the presenters approached me to point out something important is happening at Christ the King Seminary, and, more broadly, in the Diocese of Buffalo."

Daybreak TV Productions' series "In a Word" is back with interesting topics delivered by a familiar face. Father Dave Richards continues to produce videos with a solid Catholic message. His upbeat delivery draws you in as you listen to his powerful reflections. "The goal of this new series is to offer a message on social media that gives viewers something to think about, something to live by, and though it is produced with young people in mind we see Faith Formation instructors, parents and teachers interested and responding as well," says Daybreak TV Productions Executive Producer Claire Rung.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sit down with a bishop and chat, just chat, about whatever's on your mind? What would you ask him?

Men hungering for a healthy serving of spirituality get more than they bargain for at Blessed Sacrament Parish. The Tonawanda church hosts a Breakfast & the Bible event the first Saturday of every month immediately following the 8 a.m. Mass. The morning consists of fresh made breakfast of eggs (and recently zucchini soufflé), a guest speaker and some Bible study.

Happy Easter Week! Relive some of our favorite moments of Holy Week 2018 as Bishop Richard J. Malone blessed baskets, visited the Broadway Market and celebrated several Masses and liturgies. View our new photo gallery here.

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.