Current News

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.

What a wonderful sight to behold: from Capitol Hill, as far as I could see, there was a sea of people on the march for life. But the recent 45th March for Life was bittersweet. It was inspiring to see so many people, from so many states, marching on behalf of our unborn brothers' and sisters' right to be born. But it was sad to think that we have been marching for 45 years - with no end in sight.

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.

The Society of Our Lady of Divine Mercy will be making its sixth bus pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Mass. from Oct. 4-6 for St. Faustina Day. The purpose of this pilgrimage is to spread the Divine Mercy Devotion and to create fellowship among Catholics and non-Catholics. With the fall colors starting to change, pilgrims will be able to pray and worship in a retreat type setting on the beautiful grounds of the Berkshire Mountains. Here the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Fathers will invite pilgrims to learn about the Divine Mercy Devotion and have them participate in God's mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the reception of the Holy Eucharist at Mass. Mass will be held at the Mother of Mercy Outdoor Shrine. A guest speaker will preceed Mass. The speaker will cover Divine Mercy related topics. Afterward pilgrims will be able to have their "paper bag lunch" in a tented picnic area.

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.

WASHINGTON, DC - 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, reacted with deep disappointment to the news that a very modest but critical piece of legislation—the Conscience Protection Act—was not included in the 2018 appropriations bill just released by Congress.

Father Paul M. Marconi, former director of Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston, died Feb. 15, 2018, in Bethlehem, Pa. He was 85.

A chance to visit with the Easter Bunny and various Easter-inspired activities are planned for a children's party on Sunday, March 25 at 2-4 p.m. in Hilbert College's Hafner Recreation Center.

Grey Nuns and Friends will offer a day of spiritual deepening that will help your Season of Lent end on a high note. Called Young at Heart, the day will provide a variety of spiritual activities that will bring new life and energy to your walk with Jesus. There will be talks, quiet prayer and reflection, journaling, physical movement, and sharing with others.

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.

It has been almost three years since Pope Francis issued his outstanding encyclical, 'Laudato Si,' On Care for our Common Home. In that encyclical, the pope asked us to consider our own role in the damage that has been done to Mother Earth: "This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her."

These past few years, our diocese has been involved in preparing for the National V Encuentro that will be taking place in Grapevine, Texas this September. The diocesan encuentro team has been working with the parishes at ways to better serve the Hispanic/Latino Catholics in the United States, as the United States Bishops Conference asked us.

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.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY - Niagara University's commitment to holding itself to the highest national and international standards in teacher education has been reaffirmed.

Just two years ago, Villa Maria College became the first private institution in Western New York to offer an occupational therapy assistant program. Classes in the new program, which is fully accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association, began in fall 2015.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, gave their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which was recently introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in the U.S. Senate:

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.

TONAWANDA — Cardinal O'Hara High School will honor new inductees into the school's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame and Athletic Hall of Fame at a banquet and ceremony April 14 at Banchetti by Rizzo's in Amherst.

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.

In 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo tried to give New York women a present. He called it the "Women's Equality Act," a 10-point plan of policies for women that included protections against salary inequities, sexual harassment, discrimination and domestic violence.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States. Since then, the lives of 60 million innocent babies have been taken by abortion. This is a tremendously horrible crime against humanity. It is the killing of the most helpless and innocent of all human life.

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.

On Friday, May 18, Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School will hold its first Tiger Trot 5K, a certified 5K course along beautiful McKinley Parkway, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Tiger Trot is the first race is the new South Buffalo Run Series (Tiger Trot, Mount Mercy Run, Notre Dame Academy Fun Run, and Ryan Purcell 5K).

"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.