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On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II education document "Gravissimum Educationis," the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education convened a World Congress in Rome.

In February, the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center will be holding its fifth-annual benefit banquet to raise money to buy needed supplies for women it serves who are in need of baby supplies.

Mount St. Mary Academy teamed up with area schools in the spirit of jazz. Three Catholic high schools and three public high schools played on the same bill at a jazz festival at Banchetti by Rizzo's, Saturday, Jan. 30, beginning at 6 p.m.

Pope Francis created the 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy to reflect, in a new way, the gift of God's Mercy. Bishop Richard Malone explains in "Consider This."

The results of Catholic education were on display. From the handmade robots to the generous donations to the touching video of a grad who tragically passed away, Gala 22:6 showed the power of what a Catholic education can do.

The theme for the National Catholic Schools Week 2016 is "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service." The annual observance, which is a project of the National Catholic Educational Association, starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2016 is Jan. 31-Feb. 6.

Teens from across the diocese will get to "Know Mercy" at this year's diocesan youth convention. Pope Francis' call for a Jubilee Year of Mercy throughout 2016 inspired the theme of the 64th annual gathering of Catholic teens.

The diocesan Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministry is reaching out to young adults through a new website.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - "Women's liberation." "Women's rights movement." "War on women."

Once again, Buffalonians had their plans crushed by their archenemy - snow. An incoming blizzard forced a contingent of 360 people from the Diocese of Buffalo to flee Washington, D.C. just an hour before the March for Life began.

As time speeds by, World Youth Day gets closer and closer. The international gathering of Catholic teens and young adults will take place in less than eight months.

The diocesan Pontifical Mission Societies has welcomed its new director. Father Justus Ndyamukama, native of Tanzania, East Africa, will help support the Catholic faith in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Canisius High School juniors Joe Arno and Warren Arno, and Canisius High School senior Joe McEachon will each be awarded the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America on Sunday, January 24, in an Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony.

The town of Alden looked a lot like Poland when St. John the Baptist Parish held a special Polka Mass and dinner dance in January. World Youth Day pilgrims hosted the Polish Heritage Dancers and served up kielbasa and pierogi to raise funds for the summer pilgrimage to Krakow.

The 2016 March for Life will take place in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Jan. 22. Catholics and others in solidarity will join in a pilgrimage of public witness, penance and prayer for all those victimized by the1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

A trio of women hope to start a fire in Buffalo, through holding a women's conference in the diocese. With the theme of "Igniting the Fire Within," these women wish to help all Catholic women to live their faith fully each day.

On Jan. 17, one day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Diocese of Buffalo honored the birthday of the late civil rights leader with a Mass at St. Martin de Porres Church in Buffalo. Bishop Martin D. Holley, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., was celebrant and homilist at this Mass, sponsored by the African-American Commission and the diocese's Office of Cultural Diversity.

The 16th annual Catholic Education dinner - GALA 22:6 - will be held on Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. More than 1,200 guests are expected to attend the event, which is The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo's largest annual fundraiser for Catholic education.

ST. BONAVENTURE - After almost 20 years of service to the university, the last 12 as its president, St. Bonaventure University President Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, announced her decision to step down from the position on July 31.

Bishop Richard Malone's latest "Consider This" reflects on the Year of Mercy, how it relates to young people and the value of attending the 2016 Diocesan Youth Convention

Bishop Richard J. Malone has appointed two priests to new assignments and has reappointed two others to additional term at their current parishes.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA) - A prominent proposal by GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump would ban Muslim immigrants from entering the U.S. and would monitor mosques in the country.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis launched a new series of catechesis on mercy for his general audiences, telling pilgrims that the love and forgiveness of God can't be overcome by anything, including our sin.

The Diocese of Buffalo will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with a special Mass on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Martin de Porres Church, 555 Northampton St., Buffalo. The Mass is sponsored by the African American Commission and the Office of Cultural Diversity for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Members of the Buffalo Muslim community want the public to know that recent attacks at Paris and San Bernardino, attributed to ISIS, run counter to the true foundation of the Muslim faith.

A Mass for the observance of the 43rd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion will take place on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. at Divine Mercy Parish, 2437 Niagara St., Niagara Falls. The Mass serves as a symbol of reparation for the millions of unborn children, victims of abortion; reconciliation for all women and men who have been involved in an abortion; and recommitment to end abortion-on-demand in our nation.

In the coming weeks, an environmental advocacy group inspired by Pope Francis' encyclical on care for creation and the common home, "Laudato Si," or "Praised Be," plans to hold meetings to discuss further plans for promoting its goals including a renewed focus on advocating elected officials to pass greener policies. The diocesan Care for Creation Committee and its affiliated Creation Care team at SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Hamburg will have meetings at the parish on Jan. 5, 12 and 19.

Buffalo Mass Mob, the popular social media-driven campaign that draws crowds to Buffalo's oldest churches every few months, is set to descend upon St. Luke's Mission of Mercy Sunday afternoon.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - The Pope's first-ever video message on his monthly prayer intentions was released Tuesday, highlighting the importance of interreligious dialogue and the beliefs different faith traditions hold in common, such as the figure of God and love.

On Jan. 6, Catholic Charities of Buffalo announced the goal, patron and motto of Appeal 2016. The most comprehensive human service provider in Western New York is seeking $11 million to meet their ambitious plans for the upcoming year. This is an increase of $100,000 from last year's goal.

Bishop Malone opens the New Year with a number of thoughts and reflections.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate Mass on Sunday, Jan. 24, at Holy Angels Parish in Buffalo in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Oblates also staff the West Side of Buffalo parishes of Holy Cross and Our Lady of Hope. In addition to the Mass, there will be performances by the cluster choir, consisting of choirs of all three parishes, including an African choir, youth choir and Burmese choir. The Mass which will celebrate contributions of the Oblates, will be followed by a reception at nearby D'Youville College in Buffalo.

For tech-savvy Catholics on the go, there is a new option to have the Bible in a more convenient format with the ability to search for any requested passage on demand.

A senior at Canisius High School in Buffalo turned his craftsmanship skills into a project that reflects his Catholic faith on the grounds of his home parish. Joseph McEachon, 17, made an outdoor Stations of the Cross display at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville for his Eagle Scout project.

The 4th Sunday of Advent is a time to rejoice and to remember the reasons for joy in our lives, as Bishop Richard J. Malone explains in a new "Consider This."

This Christmas season, the Ladies of Charity, a volunteer branch of Catholic Charities, is trying to ensure all children, regardless of their family's financial situation, will be able to have a merrier and warmer Christmas. The Ladies of Charity are participating in the Western New York Holiday Partnership, providing Christmas gifts and cold weather accessories for low-income children and teens.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After months of anticipation, the miracle allowing for the canonization of Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta has officially been approved by the Vatican, though as of now no specific date for the event has been given.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, along with other representatives from the Buffalo Diocese and hundreds of thousands of Catholics from across the nation, will join in solidarity in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21- 22, 2016.

I write this month from Baltimore, where the bishops of the United States are gathered for our annual Fall Plenary Meeting. As we concelebrated the Eucharist early this Sunday morning. I offered Mass for all of you who constitute the community of faith that is the Diocese of Buffalo. (Did you know that diocesan bishops offer one Mass each Sunday and holy day of obligation pro populo, that is, "for the people," just as pastors are required to do weekly for their parishioners?)

Computers have become so commonplace they have lost their mystique. The kids who eagerly programmed their Texas Instruments back in the '80s have grown up and been replaced with kids who can download any app to fit their fancy. Believe it or not, the world needs more programmers.