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TONAWANDA — Callum Antonio, a freshman at Cardinal O'Hara High School, and his family were on hand at a historic event during a weeklong visit to Italy, when Pope Francis closed St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Nov. 20 to conclude the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year of Mercy, which began Dec. 8, 2015.

It may come as a surprise to many that Bishop Richard J. Malone has never been to Ireland, although his roots run deep in the Emerald Isle. Next October, travelers from the Diocese of Buffalo can join the bishop as he sees the sights in the land of his ancestors for the very first time.

The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo will recognize Polly Lougen as the Sister Lucille Socciarelli/Father John Sturm Making a Difference Award recipient when it celebrates GALA 22:6 on Jan. 19. It will be held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center in downtown Buffalo, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

In this week's "Consider This," Bishop Richard Malone talks about three timely events: the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump, the week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and Prayer for Racial Healing.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis issued strong words against worshipping idols, cautioning against the false hope that beauty, wealth and power can give, but which lead a person to trust in empty promises rather than in the Lord.

The Diocese of Buffalo has implemented a new system that allows people to anonymously report if they suspect specific instances of fraud or theft in the handling of finances in churches, schools or any diocesan organization. The system is run through an independent company called EthicsPoint, which is used by thousands of organizations, including hundreds of educational institutions.

As a pilot with the United States Army Air Corps, Michael Mombrea Sr. began his adult life training fighter pilots to fly missions over Europe during World War II. In the twilight of his life, this 96-year-old continues to fight on a battleground of a different kind; the fight to save the unborn.

Last month, an East Aurora man and parishioner of nearby Immaculate Conception Parish recalled his family's experience walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, in honor of apostle St. James the Great, in Spain. Known by the English name of the Way of St. James, multiple routes all lead to the shrine of the apostle at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Galicia, where his remains are believed to be.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will announce the goal, theme and patron saint of the 93rd annual appeal to support Catholic Charities' services provided throughout Western New York on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Catholic Charities' downtown Buffalo site at 525 Washington St.

Mary Jo Ketchum can still recall the moment when she felt she belonged to the Catholic Church. She sat in a pew at St. Ann Parish on Broadway on Christmas Eve with her parents, listening to "Silent Night" in German. The church was full of light and full of candles. A Nativity set as big as the side altar, sat nearby. "That was my first vision of church," she said.

In December, principals, board members, pastors and administrators of Catholic schools in the diocese met at the Buffalo Club for a presentation by Frank Donaldson, an expert on advancement and marketing of Catholic schools. Donaldson, a New Orleans resident and president of the Institute for School and Parish Development, spoke on "Philosophy, Fundamentals and Processes of Catholic School Development and Advancement."

Jan. 1, 2017, marked the 50th World Day of Peace, which is an observance that was initiated by Pope Paul VI. In his message for this 50th World Day of Peace, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on "nonviolence as a style of politics for peace." The Holy Father recalls Blessed Paul VI's message for the first World Day of Peace in which he declared that "peace is the only true direction of human progress - and not the tensions caused by ambitious nationalisms, nor conquests by violence, nor repressions which serve as mainstay for a false civil order." Pope Paul cited St. John XXIII's encyclical Pacem in Terris to extol "the sense and love of peace founded upon truth, justice, freedom and love."

The diocesan observance of the 44th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 4:30 p.m. at St. Christopher Parish, 2660 Niagara Falls Blvd., Tonawanda. Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, will be the celebrant.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a letter sent to bishops around the world for the feast of the Holy Innocents, Pope Francis lamented the many children who suffer from war, slavery and various forms of abuse, including within the Church.

"In a WORD with Father Dave" is a YouTube video series produced as a teaching tool for youth ages 13-19. In these short two-minute videos, Father David Richards delivers a solid Catholic message with fast-moving, in-your-face camera work, accompanied by an edgy editing style.

After devoting most of her life to spreading God's word in schools and in her own books, Sister Ruth Penksa, a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart, has died from injuries sustained in a fire. Sister Ruth was rescued on Dec. 20 from a fire in her high rise apartment on Hertel Avenue. She was rushed to the Erie County Medical Center suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. She remained in the Burn Treatment Unit of ECMC for more than a week before passing on the morning of Dec. 28. She was the only one seriously injured in the fire.

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

The 17th-annual Catholic Education dinner - GALA 22:6 - will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to fund needs-based tuition assistance for students attending Catholic elementary schools throughout the eight counties of Western New York. The 2016 event raised more than $267,000.

"There's something very special about Midnight Mass on the Birthday of our Lord," said Bishop Richard J. Malone, as he celebrated Midnight Mass of the Lord's Nativity at St. Joseph Cathedral. Bishop Malone recalled staying up to attend Midnight Mas even as a child. "My Mom would always make sure I slept for a while so I was alert as an altar server at Midnight Mass."

Coloring books for adults have exploded onto the bookstore scene in the past two years. What was once considered a hobby for the kids is now all the rage for people who are full-grown.

Bishop Richard Malone talks about the joy of Christmas and mentions Christmas TV Masses available for those who are home bound.

We pray with our sons about waiting for Christ at Christmas and listening for His voice or feeling His presence. "What does He sound like? How will I know He's talking to me?" they ask. It's difficult to answer. I haven't felt God's presence in a long time.

During the Christmas season, a tradition has developed in which Bishop Richard J. Malone and Father Ryszard Biernat join Meals on Wheels to visit numerous clients during meal delivery. For the fourth year, the pair were eagerly received by clients who wanted to share a prayer and receive Holy Communion. Each client also received a hand-made card and ornament created by children through a local religious education program.

"The Tibetan Book of the Dead," believed to be the work of eighth-century Buddhist master Padma Sambhava, is designed to be read to a person who has died to prepare the soul for reincarnation. In a similar vein, Msgr. Dino Lorenzetti, a retired priest from the Diocese of Buffalo, has written "Addio: See You in Heaven," which serves as a guide to prepare the living for heaven.

Most of the leaves were still on the trees on Saturday, October 22, when nearly 200 people assembled in the historic chapel and shrine at Our Lady Help of Christians in Cheektowaga to celebrate a Christmas Mass that will be shown across the nation on Christmas week.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Saturday, Dec. 17, Pope Francis will celebrate his 80th birthday, which he will spend doing what he normally does: offering Mass and meeting with various heads of State and members of the Roman Curia.

St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, has scheduled a number of celebrations during the Advent and Christmas seasons. The St. Joseph Cathedral Choir will present a Festival of Lessons & Carols on Monday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m., under the direction Organist-Choir Director Tim Socha.

Christmas projects from Daybreak TV Productions, including Come Let Us Adore Him, Christmas Mass on ABC, and an Our Daily Bread Christmas special.

Advent is upon us. While the world seems to be a frenzy of Christmas shopping, traveling, decorating and entertaining, the Church presents us with a unique traditional alternative: a season of reflection, preparation and penance as we anticipate the birth of Christ.

"Come here, you free citizen of the world, whose life is safeguarded by human morality and whose existence is guaranteed through law. I want to tell you how modern criminals and despicable murderers have trampled the morality of life and nullified the postulates of human existence." - Zalman Gradowski, murdered at Auschwitz, 1945. What a challenging invitation and a sobering reminder of the recurring power of evil.

In their quest for Catholic social justice, fair pay, and fair treatment of farmers and workers who produce goods Americans use every day, two parishes in the diocese have been selling fair trade items like coffee, tea and chocolate for years. This is part of a collaboration between the parishes, Catholic Relief Services and other organizations which work to ensure the public is aware of the concept of fair trade.At St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore, volunteer Mary Grace and pastor Father Michael Parker organize Fair Trade products, which are sold after Mass to parishioners.

Father Roy Herberger, pastor of SS. Columba-Brigid Church in Buffalo, has collected Nativity sets from around the world for years. We photographed a small sample of the amazing collection in our photo gallery.

As many families decorate their Christmas trees and set up their Nativity scenes underneath, Father Roy Herberger will be unboxing nearly 600 different versions of Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus at his parish, SS. Columba & Brigid Church in Buffalo.

As I write these words to you, we are experiencing the end of two long-term events: the presidential election and the Jubilee Year of Mercy. While the close of the Year of Mercy is bittersweet, the end of the election could not come soon enough. Yet the close proximity of these two closures offers us much food for thought and reflection.

A young woman from Peru traveled nearly four thousand miles to profess her perpetual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. The Eucharistic liturgy took place in the St. Mary of the Angels convent chapel in Williamsville on Saturday, December 10.

The patients huddled in the waiting room of Mercy Hospital in Buffalo had no idea of the effort made by the religious sister tending to their needs. Sister Donna Lord, GNSH, fought the Snowvember storm of 2014 to reach the hospital to fulfill her duty as a chaplain.

Our Lady of Fatima Shrine's 26th annual Festival of Lights opened on Nov. 26, with an eye towards celebrating the upcoming 100th anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions to the three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal.

Advent is when we prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of the Lord on Christmas, and there are many things we can do. Even watching special programming can help put our minds and hearts in the right place. With that, I offer you this list of programming.

The Harmonia Chamber Singers will present their annual Christmas concert, featuring music from the Medieval period through the present, throughout the Diocese of Buffalo this Christmas season.

The D'Youville College Board of Trustees has named Lorrie A. Clemo, as the 15th president of the private college.