Current News

St. Bonaventure University professor of Theology Chris Stanley will present "On the Edge of Violence and Nonviolence: The Challenging Words of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" at SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo, at 3 p.m. April 2.

Tickets are available now for the second annual Mega Raffle to benefit St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Lancaster, and St. Mary's Elementary School. Mega raffle made its debut in 2016 with a Grand Prize offering of $20,000, in addition to other cash prizes.

Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about threats against our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith and asks that we share in solidarity and love.

The Harmonia Chamber Singers, a local a cappella group that is one of the most sought-after of its type in Western New York, will have two performances at area parishes this weekend. The group will present two performances of "Into Light: A Concert by Candlelight," its fifth-annual presentation, at 7:30 p.m. on March 11 at St. Peter Church in Lewiston, and 7 p.m., March 12, at Assumption Church in Buffalo.

Sister Margaret Anthony Domin, OSF, a longtime diocesan educator, died March 7, 2017, at age 82.

The Teaching and Restoring Youth program, or TRY program, has been serving young women in Buffalo since 1997. TRY offers a safe, structured environment to women between the ages of 16 and 21 who are homeless and who have suffered abuse, violence and victimization. The TRY program provides access to education, health care, counseling and job training.

WASHINGTON, DC - As Congress prepares to discuss possible changes to the Affordable Care Act, the chairmen of four United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committees called on lawmakers to consider important moral criteria, especially pertaining to the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn and those experiencing deep poverty. The Bishops of the United States have consistently advocated for a health care system in which—as the late Cardinal Francis George used to say—everyone should be cared for and no one should be deliberately killed.

In honor of the upcoming feast of St. Patrick on Friday, March 17, Bishop Richard J. Malone hereby grants a commutation of abstinence to all Catholics in the Buffalo Diocese.

Father William R. Bigelow, retired pastor of the Diocese of Buffalo, will celebrate his Golden Anniversary of ordination to the priesthood this March. Father Bigelow was ordained a priest by Bishop Paulus Rausch at St. Paul's Church in Innsbruck, Austria on March 11, 1967.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis said if we want to fight against the temptation of sin, we must be familiar with the Word of God - treating the Bible more like how we treat our cellphone.

St. Leo the Great Parish will welcome Timothy Logsdon for the educational presentation "Alcohol and Drug Use: What Everyone Needs to Know!" at 1 p.m. March 18.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - With people fleeing humanitarian crises around the world, President Donald Trump's new executive order halting refugee admissions is wrong, Catholic bishop and aid groups maintain.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo has provided assistance and care for incoming immigrants and refugees in the Western New York area for decades now. But now that program is in jeopardy after President Donald J. Trump signed a revised and controversial executive order that halts incoming refugees for 120 days, and severely restricts immigration from six countries.

To shine a spotlight on the profound impact of Catholic sisters in our communities and around the world, and in conjunction with National Women's History Month, the third annual National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW) will be held March 8-14. National Catholic Sisters Week is supported by a $3.3 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, is headquartered at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn.

Youth from around the Diocese of Buffalo came together at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo to be "Positively Dangerous" together from March 3-5.

How is your decision making? Watch "In a Word" with Father Dave Richards in the latest episode of the teenage reflection series.

Bishop Richard J. Malone welcomed 158 people into the Catholic faith by saying that their call to conversion "may have come as a whisper or as a roar," but in either case, they heard it and opted to say a public, "Yes, Lord, here I am."

Hundreds of Catholic teens attended the annual three-day Diocesan Youth Convention March 3-5 in order to deepen their faith. See some visual highlights in our new photo album.

4 Lancaster-Depew parishes are collaborating on The Story of Faith, a 2-night event featuring nationally-acclaimed actor and Biblical presenter, Frank Runyeon.

On Sunday, March 5, the first Sunday in Lent, Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, at 3:30 p.m. for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Bishop Richard Malone reflects on the meaning of Lent and suggests how to prepare for Easter in the latest "Consider This."

Lent is a season of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline. The six-week period that leads to Easter traditionally is spent sacrificing pleasure and becoming more spiritually inclined.

What is 65 years old, but still young and "positively dangerous?" It's this year's 65th annual Diocesan Youth Convention which takes place March 3-5 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Buffalo. More than 730 youth and chaperones are scheduled to attend as well as dozens of staff, volunteers, presenters and exhibitors.

Catholics across Western New York got ashed March 1 to mark the beginning of Lent. See how people celebrated Ash Wednesday this year in our new photo gallery.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In his message for Lent 2017, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that they should heed the Scriptures and treat each human person they encounter as a gift.

I set out not long ago in a search of the way of traveling what Jesus calls "real life" or "life to the fullest." This nomadic expedition toward a life of joy (which I describe in my book, "Holy Nomad") led me to my own backyard, where I stumbled onto the divine teaching of an apple tree. As Lent approaches, I wish for the world to blossom.

Bishop Richard J. Malone and many other diocesan clergy and laypeople distributed ashes at a packed St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo on March 1, Ash Wednesday.

March 1 is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Practicing Catholic are asked to follow these Lenten regulations.

In honor of the solemnity of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., came up with an idea for a uniquely 21st-century Lenten sacrifice it hopes has already caught on in many dioceses throughout the United States. In February, the archdiocese challenged Catholics with a new campaign, "I Phone Fast! Will u?", to encourage Americans to silence their phones on Ash Wednesday and April 14, Good Friday. Instead, they are asked to pray and focus on the significance of these two holy days.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - The U.S. bishops are responding with solidarity and concern for the Jewish community, following a surge in anti-Semitic actions in recent weeks.

Msgr. Edward J. Sobierajski, a retired diocesan priest, died Feb. 25, 2017, in Sisters Hospital in Buffalo.

Sister Gertrude Fawls, OSF, formerly known as Sister Geraldine, died Feb. 24, 2017. She was 93.

For the second time in two years, the Diocese of Buffalo bid farewell to an abandoned deceased baby. On Feb. 27, Bishop Richard J. Malone and Father Jeffrey L. Nowak presided over memorial and burial services for Baby Bernadette, a girl 27 weeks along in gestation.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced new assignments for Deacons David H. Harvey, Joseph A. Pasquella and Thaddeus V. Pijacki.

Sister Faith McGahan, GNSH, formerly Sister David Martin, died at St. Joseph's Manor in Philadelphia on Feb. 20, 2017, after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. She was 79.

Sister M. Concilia Flaherty, OSF, died Feb. 18, 2017, at age 96.

Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion: Sunday, March 5, 3:30 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral. At the Rite of Election, catechumens are "elected," or chosen by God through the ministry of the bishop, for the sacraments of initiation

The reasons people choose to be Catholic are many. Some join the faith for a spouse. Others join after years of seeking a fill for a void. Many find comfort in the sacraments.

WASHINGTON, DC - The annual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe will be held in most parishes on Ash Wednesday, March 1, with the theme: "Restore the Church, Build the Future." The collection supports pastoral, evangelization, and construction projects, as well as scholarships in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.