Current News

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.

WASHINGTON, DC - The General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed a brief amicus curiae, January 8, in the Zubik v. Burwell case now before the U.S. Supreme Court on the question of the contraceptive mandate of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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.

Father Allen H. Weber, a former professor at St. Bonaventure University, died on Christmas Day 2015 at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey at age 75.

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.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Sunday Pope Francis baptized 26 babies in the Sistine Chapel, telling parents to nurture the faith in the lives of their children, because it is the greatest inheritance they can give.

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - After the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass a budget bill blocking federal funding of Planned Parenthood, the legislation will reach President Barack Obama's desk in a historic first for the pro-life movement.

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.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In a restless age when humanity fails to find the answer to their continuous searching, the Magi who go out looking for Christ only to find him in a humble stable in Bethlehem are a key example of where to turn, Pope Francis has said.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Religious sisters should not be forced to choose between caring for the poor and obeying their conscience, the Little Sisters of the Poor told the Supreme Court in a recent legal brief, adding that this is what the government is demanding of them through the HHS mandate.

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.

Deacon Paul J. Schnettler died on Christmas Day 2015, at Buffalo General Medical Center. He was 67.

Sister Laura Garges died Jan. 3, 2016, at Stella Niagara Health Center in Stella Niagara. She was 97.

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.

During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, the global and local Church will be providing many opportunities to experience, explore and extend mercy. As part of the Jubilee, the two of us will be working on a series of articles for the Western New York Catholic consisting of anonymous interviews with people whose situation in life is a reminder of the greatness of God's mercy and our need to be merciful.

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.

For a third consecutive time, Catholic Charities of Buffalo has been reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation, an international, independent, non-profit accrediting organization of community-based social and behavioral health care services. The human service provider was first given the four-year accreditation by COA in 2007, then again in 2011.

They say hindsight is 20-20 and we have now had almost 50 years to look at the evolution of our culture since the availability of the birth control pill and since Pope Paul VI wrote the encyclical "Humanae Vitae." The last half century of practice reveals some of the truths about both of these watershed events in human history.

Bishop Richard J. Malone offers a Christmas blessing of peace, justice and reconciliation in this week's "Consider This."

Four Christmas Masses will be celebrated as Catholic Cemeteries of Buffalo takes time to allow families to pray for and remember their loved ones at this special time of year.

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.

Michael O'Brien wrote "Love is Stronger Than Pain," so that a life lived would end up a legacy remembered.

NEW YORK - SiriusXM listeners will have access a special lineup of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day programming - featuring live broadcasts of masses and music - on The Catholic Channel (SiriusXM 129).

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."

In the span of just over two weeks last month, the ISIS terror network claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger jet, carrying out a suicide bombing in Baghdad, deadly explosions in Beirut, and multiple, coordinated attacks in Paris, killing hundreds and wounding hosts of others.

The iGeneration, Y-Generation, Millennials, Mosaics - whatever the label, they may be the game-changer generation for our parishes.

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.

Sister Therese Marie Sullivan died Dec. 7, 2015, in the St. Mary Center in Buffalo. She was 87.

Sister Justine Lyons died Dec. 15, 2015, at Stella Niagara Health Center in Stella Niagara, She was 93.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Religious leaders responded to global violence and terrorism with solidarity and prayer on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

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.

TONAWANDA — Students at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Tonawanda take to heart, "What It Means to Be a Franciscan," a phrase generated by the school's Franciscan philosophy.

The diocesan bulletin announcements for the week of Dec. 14, 2015.

On an unusually warm December day, Bishop Richard J. Malone opened the doors of St. Joseph Cathedral and welcomed the Year of Mercy in the Diocese of Buffalo. Opening the "Door of Mercy" symbolizes the welcoming of all to the Church.