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Catholicism has always remained a key aspect of St. Patrick's Day celebrations, especially in Buffalo. Our new exclusive photo gallery looks at the recent past celebrations of the day, and the many Catholic leaders who have participated in it.

ST. BONAVENTURE - St. Bonaventure's women's basketball team hasn't even arrived in Oregon for its first-round NCAA game Friday night, and it's already reached the Sweet 16.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Wednesday Pope Francis renewed his appeal on behalf of the tens of thousands struggling to enter other countries as they flee war and violence, asking global leaders to "open their hearts" and doors to migrants and refugees.

Deacon Don Weigel, a Global Fellow with Catholic Relief Services and associate public policy coordinator for Catholic Charities of Buffalo, made a trip in January to Greece and Serbia to help Syrian refugees.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - After months of anticipation, the date of Mother Teresa's canonization has finally been announced. It falls on Sept. 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the main celebrant at the Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday, March 20, preceding the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

Bishop Richard Malone talks about the great work of Catholic Charities in a special episode of "Consider This."

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to confession with Pope Francis?

Catholic Charities of Buffalo's 92nd annual Appeal has raised $6,554,783.57 following the opening weekend of Sunday of Appeal Week 2016, representing 59 percent of the $11 million goal.

The following liturgies are scheduled for Holy Week at St. Joseph Cathedral.

WWJDD? This is a hot question today: what would Jesus' disciples do?

Msgr. Joseph A. Boruszewski died March 9, 2016. He was 89 years old.

Catholic Health has more than 9,000 dedicated associates, who uphold the mission to reveal the healing love of Jesus to those in need. Recognizing that healing can take on many forms, dedicated hospital chaplains work every day to minister to the spiritual needs of patients and families.

EAST AURORA — Members of the faculty of Christ the King Seminary will be offering a series of lectures at parishes throughout the diocese this spring. While there are always opportunities for people to visit the seminary for classes, workshops, retreats and lectures, the new lecture series brings the extensive knowledge of the seminary faculty, many of whom hold doctorate degrees in sacred theology or related fields, out into the diocese.

Sister Karen Klimczak, SSJ, was a Sister of St. Joseph who devoted her life to prison ministry in Buffalo, where she offered troubled men a second chance to become productive members of society.

At St. Andrew's Country Day School in Kenmore, students in the middle school grades are in the process of learning more about energy use and how to live according to Pope Francis' call to care for their common home.

Father Francis J. Zmozynski died March 6, 2016, at Father Baker Manor in Orchard Park. He was 84.

My confirmation homily this year begins with a question addressed to the confirmands: If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? In more direct terms, what is different about my life because I am a Christian, a Catholic? Can those who know me tell the difference Jesus makes in my life? Can I?

Richard and Marilyn Neil are products of a Catholic life. Married 51 years and longtime parishioners of St. Louis Church in downtown Buffalo, the Neils involve themselves in giving back to the causes they care about.

At Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, the nursing staff participates in a pilot program designed to encourage a group sense of spirituality, caring and compassion among the hospital workers.

The Lasallian Association of Secondary School Chief Administrators (LASSCA) presented its Brother Michael Collins Award for Excellence to the St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Swing Choir, during its conference on Feb. 21, in San Antonio, Texas.

In this short "Consider This" reflection, Bishop Richard Malone introduces the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. This is the first of a series as Bishop Malone will reflect on each Work of Mercy during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

One of the most popular activities of Lent is going out on Fridays for a fish fry. Businesses have boomed with packed restaurants, and even local parishes have used the dinner to raise funds for their community. Take a look at a few of Western New York's most popular fish fry places in our photo gallery.

One of history's greatest examples of the triumph of spiritual power over violence and oppression is vividly recounted in "Liberating a Continent: John Paul II and the Fall of Communism," a new documentary film that poignantly captures the intricate role played by St. John Paul II in the fall of Communism and the liberation of Poland and Eastern Europe. The program will air on WNED-TV on Monday, March 7 at 8 p.m.

So often we hear, the future of the Church is our youth. I disagree. The future of our Catholic Church is most especially in the hands of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, godparents - really, all of us.

Based in Buffalo's West Side in the parishes of Holy Angels, Holy Cross and Our Lady of Hope, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate dedicate themselves to community service in countries around the world in the example of the order's founder, St. Eugène de Mazenod. In the Diocese of Buffalo, several young men have taken an interest in joining religious life with this order.

Every seminarian has a unique story about their call to priesthood. Every religious sister or member of an order has a particular tale about what inspired her or his vocation.

Graduating from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora 15 years ago, as a young mother of four small boys, I started the MOMS Ministry at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville to provide a place for Catholic mothers to spiritually grow in their faith and motherhood.

Ultrasound images have become a powerful tool in saving the lives of those still in the womb. Ultrasound exams use ultrasound waves to scan a women's abdomen, creating a picture or "sonogram" of the baby in uterus.

I recently taught a Continuing Education course in Catholic social teaching at Christ the King Seminary, and during one of our discussions a participant pointed out that it is hard to pay attention to so much of what is going on in the world when we are busy working, raising a family, caring for parents, and just trying to keep things together.

A couple living on the Tuscarora Reservation in Niagara County had the experience of meeting Pope Francis at the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia last September.

Sister Mary Clement Schubert died Feb. 25, 2016, at the Sisters of St. Francis Health Center in Stella Niagara, at age 84.

Sister Mary Kathleen Murphy died Feb. 18, 2016, at Olean General Hospital. She was 98 years old.

Over 800 high schoolers found themselves surrounded by mercy during the 64th annual diocesan Youth Convention. The teens, in turn, offered their own mercy through service projects and prayer.

The 2016 Diocesan Youth Convention, titled "Know Mercy," is all wrapped up and in the books, but you can relive the memories in our new exclusive photo gallery.

Pope Francis, in calling the Church to celebrate this Jubilee Year of Mercy, invites Catholics everywhere to "gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father's action in our lives."

While we fully understand the reasons behind the decision to close the Academy, we are saddened over the Sisters' decision to end their sponsorship of the Academy and the decision of the Board of Trustees to close the school.

The mixer is whirring and the sounds of the kitchen start the day for Team Pierogi, a group of up to 20 women and men who faithfully carry out their role of making pierogi dough for Lent. The making of pierogi began in mid-January as members of the team gathered two days a week to make batches of pierogi dough.

Among Bishop Richard J. Malone's recent appointments are a new pastor at St. Teresa of Avila Parish, Akron, and an administrator for Our Lady of Charity Parish in South Buffalo.

The classic gospel song, "He Touched Me," epitomizes Diane Dryja's faith life perfectly. It was 40 years ago when the faithful Buffalo woman felt a change come over her, compelling her to live out her life in the way Jesus asks her.