Current News

HAMBURG - An assortment of educational, engaging, and entertaining events that enlighten diverse cultures and traditions from around the world, including a presentation by Jerry McGill, author of Dear Marcus, are planned during Hilbert College's Cultural Awareness Week celebration being held from October 19-23.

Bishop Richard Malone asks that we pray and help the plight of Syrian refugees in a new "Consider This."

Every year we remember in a special way our baptismal call to mission as we celebrate World Mission Sunday, which is being held this year on Oct. 18. On this Sunday, we will gather at the Eucharist, as will Catholics throughout the world, in a spirit of love for evangelization so that, through our prayers and concrete acts of solidarity, the gift of faith may be shared with all.

World Mission Sunday, organized by the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.

Last month, a social group for Catholic young adults held a special celebration in honor of its namesake, a model of a pious Catholic young adult who dedicated his life to the poor.

In the wake of Pope Francis' visit to the United States and his call to Catholics around the globe to take better care of the earth, the diocesan Care for Creation Committee continues to organize events to promote Pope Francis' message released in his June encyclical, "Laudato Si," or "Praised Be." The committee, founded in 2006, arranges events in the diocese to raise awareness of the environment.

My brother and I seemed so different when I was younger. He was tall, I was short. He liked to watch the Three Stooges. I preferred cartoons. He read Hardy Boys books which seemed like too much work for me at age 6.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. (CNA) - Dan, Rilene and Paul knew that once their stories were out, life would not be the same.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Numerous bishops voiced alarm over the lack of a clear definition of marriage in the synod's controversial guiding text, prompting a call for one based on scripture and Church teaching to be added.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis opened this Wednesday's general audience by apologizing for unspecified scandals that have recently arisen in the Vatican.

Sister Mary Odilia Majcher died Oct. 12, 2015, in the Colette Hilbert Care Community in Hamburg. She was 93 years old.

Sister Margaret Taney died Oct. 4, 2015, in St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany, at age 87.

Sister Maureen Dorr died Oct. 1, 2015, in St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany. She was 80.

It's been 11 years since Bishop Edward U. Kmiec was installed as the 13th bishop of Buffalo in October 2004. Jump into our wayback machine to relive his welcome celebration in our new photo gallery.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Married couples who endure hardships together; gay men and women trying to live chastely; engaged couples who choose not to cohabitate. What do all these people have in common?

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Christauria Welland is a clinical psychologist who's worked with both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence - and with one in three women worldwide suffering from abuse at the hands of a partner, her goal is to make sure bishops know about the problem.

In honor of the Synod on the Family, which takes place in Rome in October, St. Christopher Parish in Tonawanda will hold its own Family Day to promote the Catholic Church providing pastoral care for all families and the need for this care regardless of how traditional or non-traditional they may be.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Despite the significant differences among the 13 small groups that are discussing the working document at the Synod on the Family, the majority are in agreement that gender ideology poses a serious challenge for families in the modern world.

St. Gregory the Great School in Williamsville is welcoming a pair of recent college graduates to its elementary school faculty. Madeline Otero and Tiffany LoGiudice begin their careers in Catholic education working with children in the diocese.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Mercy has emerged as a major theme in the synod of bishops, as discussion has moved forward with many participants emphasizing that while mercy is greatly needed, it must always be linked to truth.

The Office of Cultural Diversity, along with the members of the African-American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo, will be holding their biannual Revival this year at SS. Columba-Brigid Parish, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. The Revival theme is, "Cast the First Stone."

Trocaire College in Buffalo presented Bishop Richard J. Malone with the President's Distinguished Service Award during the college's 2015 Reflections awards dinner at Salvatore's Italian Gardens in Depew on Thursday, Oct. 8.

October is the month for the Blessed Mother and the Rosary. Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the mysteries of the Rosary in a new "Consider This."

The World Meeting of Families was held in September in Philadelphia. Pope Francis, the fourth pope to visit the United States attended this, the world's largest Catholic gathering of families. Held every three years and sponsored by the Holy See's Pontifical Council for the Family, this year's theme was "Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive."

When one considers the many ways countless human beings are treated like cheap disposable products - from children exploited by pornographers, to young sweatshop workers exploited by wealthy corporations - it's hard to imagine how much worse it can get for the poor and vulnerable.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute is pleased to announce that its annual St. Joe's Sports' Night will take place Friday, Oct. 16, at St. Joe's. Sponsored by the SJCI Parents' Guild, Sports Night is the school's only athletic-specific fundraiser. From maintaining the All-Weather Athletic Field Complex to helping with transportation costs for athletic events and supplying new equipment for student-athletes, the St. Joe's Sports' Night provides vital funds for the school's storied athletics program.

Bulletin announcements for the week of Oct. 5, 2015.

After Pope Francis' visit to the United States, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that the pope has generated goodwill toward the Roman Catholic Church among many people across the political spectrum. Ideological liberals and moderates, along with Democrats, are especially likely to say Francis has given them a more positive view of the church.

The African-American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo will present "Revival 2015 - Cast the First Stone" on October 13, 14, and 15 at SS. Columba & Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. The three-night program will include worship, music and guest speakers. The programs begin with 30 minutes of praise and worship at 6 p.m. each night.

SAN FRANCISCO (CNA) - A new group called the Marriage Reality Movement aims to help Catholics and others renew the vision of marriage in society.

The Diocese of Buffalo is currently home to a number of international priests who have come from around the globe to bring their unique gifts to the area. One of these priests is Father Johnson Machado, administrator of St. John Neumann Parish in Strykersville, who was born in India.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Glass cases with the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, will be displayed in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for the entirety of the Synod on the Family, Oct. 4-25.

Father Theodore C. Rog, a retired diocesan priest, died Oct. 1, 2015, in McAuley Residence in Kenmore Mercy Hospital, after a brief illness. He was 77 years old.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis' visit to homeless men and women in Washington, D.C., was "life-changing," said the head of Catholic Charities in the nation's capital.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - In an unexpected speech at the synod on Tuesday, Pope Francis has stated that this gathering is in continuity with 2014 synod, which he said never called into question the Church's teaching on marriage.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Ahead of next year's World Youth Day in Krakow, the long-time secretary for Pope John Paul II explained how the saint inspired a generation even though many never saw him in person.

Author KayeLynn Grayce blends the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with Bible scripture and her own life as an exercise in sobriety in her book, "A Spiritual Awakening - Finding Your Connection."

The Diocese of Buffalo offers spiritual hope and guidance from a religious perspective to Catholics who struggle with alcoholism.

Nationally renowned experts on parish leadership will present a workshop in October at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora on the implementation of the rites of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in parishes.

In what has become an annual tradition celebrating the Feast of St. Francis, Bishop Richard J. Malone spent a weekend morning blessing pets at his residence in Buffalo. Was your four-legged friend there? Check out our new photo gallery.