Featured News

As we continue to deal with the impact of the revelation of clerical sexual abuse allegations in our diocese, there is so much I need and want to say.

The SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence will welcome William J. Hochul Jr. as keynote speaker for its annual event on April 15, at 3 p.m. at SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. A reception will follow. Hochel will invite attendees to join him on "A Journey of Justice and Mercy."

Inside a darkened St. Joseph Cathedral, a paschal candle was lit from a blessed fire. The candle was carried by Deacon Paul Cygan proclaiming "The Light of Christ" in the procession, as one candle lit another, then two, then a hundred. As the cathedral became dimly lit by candlelight, Bishop Richard J. Malone began the annual celebration of the Easter Vigil that heralds the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Passion of Jesus Christ was solemnly celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone and a congregation at St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo, as people attended a special liturgy to mark Good Friday 2018 on March 30.

At the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, Bishop Richard Malone urged the faithful gathered at St. Joseph Cathedral to recommit themselves to look for every opportunity to be present to one another in love and in care and compassion, especially those who need it most.

At the annual Chrism Mass, at St. Joseph Cathedral Tuesday, Bishop Richard Malone told hundreds in attendance that the Catholic community is in the throes of crisis, but that it presents what he called a "graced opportunity to lift ourselves beyond tragedy and to heroic heights."

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 Triduum is the time of the Church year when we celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This three-day celebration begins with the Holy Thursday Mass and continues on Good Friday with the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion. At the end of this liturgy, we leave the church in silence, waiting to celebrate the glory of our Lord's resurrection. Then, on Saturday at sundown, the Church re-gathers to celebrate the final, and most grand moment of the Triduum: the Resurrection of our Lord.

KENMORE — "Learn, Bake, Share," were the three main goals conveyed by King Arthur Flour to the students of St. John the Baptist School. Youngsters in grades four through eight participated in King Arthur's "Bake for Good: Kids Learn Bake Share Program," where they learned how to make homemade bread.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has named longtime chancellor Msgr. Paul A. Litwin pastor of Christ the King Parish, Snyder, for a term of six years.

"Hosanna to the son of David" sang the choir as the celebration of Palm Sunday began. "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." Those words come from the Gospel of Mark and describe Jesus coming into Jerusalem for what would be His crucifixion.

In today's digital age, Facebook and other social media platforms have changed the way people interact with one another. However, this also presents the challenge of encouraging the use of said technology in a responsible manner. As the final of four components of the "Forming Disciples" curriculum it began implementing at the beginning of this school year, the diocese is focusing on how parishes use the internet, namely social media, in a constructive manner.

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.

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

Thousands of Western New Yorkers donned their best green and flashed their smiles during the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration in downtown Buffalo. Bishop Richard J. Malone started the day with a Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral, and then marched in the afternoon parade. Relive our favorite memories in our new photo gallery.

The Diocese of Buffalo will host the relics of St. Padre Pio as they make a North American tour. The first- and second-class relics will be at St. Gabriel Parish in Elma on April 21. Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate a Mass in honor of the stigmatist and mystic at 8 a.m.

BUFFALO — The Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo has earned the Beacon Award for Excellence presented by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The award recognizes the nation's highest performing hospital patient care units for excellence in professional practice, patient care and clinical outcomes.

A contemporary Catholic author and speaker gave the following advice: "Don't give up chocolate for Lent. Instead do something life-changing. Have the best Lent ever!" The wisdom of this simple statement is that there is something deeper and greater that the Lord invites us to during Lent. As we enter into the heart of Lent this month, our Lord calls us to conversion and he invites us to transformation in Christ.

LANCASTER - St. Mary's Elementary School began integrating the STREAM program into their curriculum during the 2015-16 school year.

Fran Angelo visits his namesake at least once a day to say "thank you." Their friendship was forged 65 years ago in a time of crisis when, Fran believes, his namesake saved his life. It's a story of faith, the power of prayer and a beloved Western New York tradition that created the bond between the Buffalo police officer and a legendary 16th century missionary named Francis Xavier. It's a story that continues to inspire many as Fran once again joined hundreds of others in observing the Novena of Grace to St. Francis Xavier at St. Michael Church during the first week of March.

LINCOLN, NEB. (CNA) - Five years ago, I stood in the refectory of St. John Vianney Seminary of Denver, with colleagues, friends, and a few hundred seminarians, watching on television as a much larger crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, appeared on a balcony above the square, we erupted into cheers, and then we fell silent as the pope asked the world to pray for him, and offered us his blessing.

Students and volunteers at Villa Maria College are going to feed starving children for .22 cents. That's the cost of one life saving meal from Feed My Starving Children.

On Feb. 11, 1858, four Sisters of Mercy joined Bishop John Timon, first bishop of Buffalo, on a journey from Rochester to St. Bridget Parish in the old First Ward of Buffalo. On Feb. 10, the Sisters of Mercy celebrated the 160th anniversary of their arrival, gathering at Mercy Center in Buffalo to share this special time with each other, associates, co-workers and friends of the community.

Each year, the annual Mass and March for Life in Washington, D.C., is becoming more and more a kind of youth and young adult event. Of course, we're grateful to all the old timers (like me) who continue to attend. I am extremely proud of our Catholic colleges and high schools that send delegations each year to witness to the sacredness of human life. If your school was represented this year, thank you. If not, why not? See you next year, maybe?

The 2018 Diocesan Youth Convention is in the books, but for many of the more than 800 teens who attended the three-day event March 1-3, the memories will last a long time. Relive some of our favorite moments from the Con in our new photo gallery.

"Our Daily Bread" host Father Paul D. Seil will talk about sin during the March episode.

Over 1.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. While doctors treat their patients, a team of teens from Cardinal O'Hara High School is cooking for a cure. For the past five years Allyson Nemeth has organized a Cooking for Cancer Club, which prepares and sells baked goods and pasta sauce for Courage for Carly, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research and family support programs at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

St. Leo the Great's traditional Lenten Friday night fish fry will be extra special in March when Bob Halligan and members of the Celtic band Ceili Rain come to the Amherst church for a night of music and talk. This special event will take place Friday, March 9, with fish being served from 5-7 p.m. Stations of the Cross take place at 7 p.m. Halligan will give a talk about his experiences being adopted and adopting a child himself.

Since the Fourth century, the last Sunday in Lent has been recognized as Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. The tradition of waving palms remains in the American Church. At St. Casmir Church in Kaisertown, Father Czeslaw M. Krysa takes his palms seriously, by keeping the tradition of decorative palm weaving alive.

St. Mary of the Angels celebrated the first year of Pope Francis' designation of the Olean church as a minor basilica with a special Mass and dedications on Feb. 11. The congregation witnessed the unveiling of a permanent display of Pope Francis' coat of arms and heard the proclamation of an additional date in the year to offer the plenary indulgence. The proclamation, in the form of a letter by Bishop Richard J. Malone, was read by pastor Father Gregory Dobson.

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.

BUFFALO, NY - After 50 years of ongoing service to Villa Maria College and its thousands of students, faculty and alumni, Sister Marcella Marie Garus has announced her upcoming retirement, effective June 2018. A Buffalo native, Sister Marcella served for 40 years as Villa Maria College president, making her one of the longest-tenured presidents of a higher education institution both in both Western New York and across North America.

WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chair of the USCCB's Committee for Religious Liberty urge the faithful to flood Congress with emails and calls asking for enactment of the Conscience Protection Act as part of the 2018 funding bill and to pray for this outcome. Congress is currently considering whether to include the Conscience Protection Act in must-pass government funding legislation, and a decision on the Conscience Protection Act's inclusion will be made prior to March 23, 2018.

Over this past weekend, 800 teenagers encountered and lived for Jesus Christ. On Sunday, March 4, they shared Him through a special Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone.

The second day of the 66th annual Diocesan Youth Convention saw the teenage participants still had the energy and enthusiasm they showed on opening night. The bulk of the learning took place on this day, with a variety of large and small speaker sessions on Saturday, March 3.

This is a true story. Over 800 Catholic teenagers gathered at the Adam's Mark looking for a way to better understand their faith. The foot of snow that fell the night before could not deter them from attending the 66th annual Diocesan Youth Convention, held over the weekend of March 2-4 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo.

In this era of 24-hour access to news and information, it is sometimes a challenge to find the true story amid fake news and alternative facts. Next weekend, more than 700 youth and adult chaperones will explore and discover who is the truth and the truth about Jesus' love at the 66th annual Diocesan Youth Convention. "True Story" is this year's theme. The weekend convention will be held March 2-4 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo.

The joy and sorrow of modern day pregnancy served as the topic of the evening at the seventh annual benefit to support the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center. EWTN Radio personality Gloria Purvis delivered an address that explained the troubles she had on her journey to have a child.

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.

With a population of more than 10 million, Haiti is similar in size to the state of Michigan, but when it comes to medical rehabilitation services, there is no comparison.