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History has shown dictators don't have a lot of success in the long run. Christian leadership, however, has been going strong for 2000 years.

GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR (CNA/EWTN News) - During a Mass said on Monday, the first full day of his visit to Ecuador, Pope Francis called for prayers that the upcoming Synod on the Family might discern the needs of the family, an institution irreplaceable to society.

Members of a lay association in the diocese has taken on the special ministry of praying by the bedside of the sick and dying. Representatives from the group, "Disciples of Divine Mercy in the Holy Face of Jesus," recently appeared on the Eternal Word Television Network to talk about the ministry.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. (CNA/EWTN News) - Few love stories can say that they began at the age of eight. But for Jeanette and Alexander Toczko, they couldn't have imagined life any other way.

Chancery bulletin announcements from the Diocese of Buffalo for the week of July 6, 2015.

Bishop Richard J. Malone announced the following clergy assignments.

BUFFALO - Catholic Charities of Buffalo officials and volunteer leaders reported today the 2015 Appeal exceeded its $10.9 million goal, with cash and pledges received as of June 30, the final day of the Appeal and the organization's fiscal year, totaling $11,152,026.31.

QUITO, ECUADOR (CNA/EWTN News) - Within the walls of the convent in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador, the Carmelite nuns are busy making liturgical cloths and the vestments for Pope Francis' July 6-7 visit to the country.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - During his Mass for the feast of SS. Peter and Paul on Monday, Pope Francis called on the Church's new archbishops to be courageous witnesses who are not ashamed of Christ, and who are convinced by what they themselves teach.

WASHINGTON - Pope Francis' apostolic journey to the United States is "a source of joy and gratitude," said the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to the release of the full visit schedule by the Vatican, June 30. Pope Francis will visit Washington, New York and Philadelphia, September 22-27. His visit will include addresses to Congress and the United Nations, the canonization of Blessed Junípero Serra and will culminate in his participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

Chicken BBQs, lawn fetes and care for creation ... here's your chancery bulletin announcements for the week of June 29, 2015.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - Friday's Supreme Court ruling against the traditional understanding of marriage may pose huge obstacles to the free exercise of religion and conscience across the US, the nation's bishops have said in response to the decision.

I am bitterly disappointed that the majority of justices of the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to overturn the definition of marriage, which has remained unchanged for more than two millennia. Marriage is the lifelong exclusive union of one man and one woman, a font of unitive life and love as well as the foundation of a stable family and society.

In a wide-reaching decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that same-sex "marriage" is a constitutional right and that states must recognize same-sex unions contracted as marriages in other states.

Members of the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministry made a trip to Poland to prepare for World Youth Day 2016 in Kraków.

In its work with the Western New York community, Catholic Charities is known for ministering to the poor, elderly and people with disabilities. Another facet of its ministry is Delta Development of Western New York Inc., a not-for-profit development company founded in 1988 through the ministry of Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Buffalo, to provide comfortable housing at an affordable price.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Family wounds that aren't dealt with in a healthy and timely manner can have devastating effects on both spouses and children, Pope Francis has said, and encouraged wounded families to work toward healing without letting bitterness build up.

The sentencing of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev came to a close on June 24, when the Boston Marathon bomber was formally sentenced to death after a jury found him guilty of 30 different charges, including using weapons of mass destruction and the murder of a police officer. Three people died and more than 260 people were injured in the April 2013 bombing. 17 of those charges warrant the death penalty.

Many Western New Yorkers remeber November 2014 because of the several feet of snow that blocked doorways and stranded motorists. For Father Marcin Porada, parochial vicar at St. John Gualbert Parish in Cheektowaga, that November was a time of new beginnings as he came to the United States from Poland.

The Medina Sandstone Society has honored St. Louis Church, the oldest church in the Diocese of Buffalo, by inducting the church into its Sandstone Hall of Fame as an "outstanding example of Medina sandstone."

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century hermit who founded the Society of Jesus, also designed the "Retreat in Daily Life." St. Michael Parish in Buffalo regularly offers these directed, group retreats at its downtown church.

Bishop Edward Grosz will be the principle celebrant for a Mass honoring the 150-year legacy of SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Williamsville on June 28 at 11:30 a.m.

Announcements for the week of June 22, 2015, include updates about Camp Turner, upcoming Marriage Encounter sessions and a wine and beer tasting party.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA) - With the release of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment this week came a wave of controversy over the Pope's statements about climate change, species extinction and other scientific topics.

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.

One early morning in May, a contingent from Newfane began a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima Shine in Lewiston, 15 miles away. The journey was to prepare, both physically and spiritually, for the welcoming of the graces of World Youth Day.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his new encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis slams attacks against human life such as abortion, embryonic experimentation and population control - saying that respect for creation and human dignity go hand in hand.

Bishop Richard J. Malone spoke of the importance of Pope Francis' message during a press conference held at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport Thursday. Members of the Diocesan Care for Creation Committee, a group formed in 2006 under Bishop Edward U. Kmiec to spread local awareness of environmental issues, and Franciscan brothers and sisters joined him.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his newly released encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis did not hesitate to wade into controversial topics, making statements on global warming, pollution, species extinction and global inequality's impact on natural resources.

Bishop Richard J. Malone discussed the current status and future of several religious liberty issues on "EWTN Live" Wednesday night. Host Father Mitch Pacwa interviewed the bishop about gay marriage, human trafficking and the HHS mandate forcing religious institutions to provide health care coverage for contraception and abortion-inducing drugs, with Bishop Malone explaining that government intrusion is starting to prevent the Catholic Church from performing its ministries.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced new assignments for several clergy members including the newly ordained permanent deacons and priests.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Benedict XVI's summer is set to be the most active since he stepped down from the pontificate in 2013, with plans for participation in at least two public events and a two-week stay at the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

Without school to keep the kids occupied, there's a great temptation to vegetate in front of the television all day. Here are 10 tips to get your kids out of the house and away from the television and create tech-free experiences.

A first-grader at Notre Dame Academy in Buffalo recently spearheaded a collection to provide entertainment for and put smiles on faces of children undergoing treatment at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Grace Mallaber organized a collection of 20 boxes of art supplies to be donated to the hospital's pediatric wing.

For permanent deacons of the diocese, ministry can take on many diverse forms. The ministry of Deacon Miguel Santos has involved working with the diocesan Office of Cultural Diversity to help immigrants, particularly refugees on Buffalo's West Side, adapt to new life in the United States. He assists a wide variety of people as part of his diaconate service.

ST. LOUIS, MO. (CNA/EWTN News) - Alice Heinzen was with her dad and siblings on a ski trip when she froze on top of what looked like a treacherous mountain path. Her dad was waiting at the bottom, and so were her other siblings - who had all fallen down along the way.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In an address on Sunday, Pope Francis asked parents if they believed in the beauty of the love God gives to a man and a woman, and told them to make sure their children see this love in little signs of affection.

There is far more history in Buffalo than what people can find in books or on the Internet. Velma Holt knows a dark time that most annals would gloss over in favor of a more presentable past.

Part of their mission statement reads, "We are God's people, at work in the world, motivated by love and caring for the people of God who need our help." Who are "they," you ask? Little Portion Friary, located on Main Street in Buffalo.

Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about devotions and litanies in this new episode of "Consider This," while sharing a few invocations for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.