Current News

Bishop Richard J. Malone has asked pastors in parishes throughout the Diocese of Buffalo to conduct special collections at Masses the weekend of May 9-10, with all proceeds going to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which has mobilized immediate response teams in support of earthquake relief in Nepal.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has named former New York State Regent Chancellor Robert M. Bennett to the Diocese of Buffalo's Catholic School Advisory Council, the panel which advises the bishop on matters related to Catholic education.

St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute is proud to announce that senior Andrew Siaw-Asamoah was named a 2014-15 National Merit Achievement Scholarship winner. He will receive one of 7,600 National Merit Scholarships, worth approximately $33 million.

WASHINGTON— The National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners and People of the Sea will be celebrated May 22. The day is observed in conjunction with National Maritime Day in the United States, which has been celebrated since 1933, to recognize merchant mariners and others in the maritime industry.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate a special Mothers' Day Mass at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 10, at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. The Mass will include the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb.

New diocesan announcements and bulletin information for the week of May 4, 2015.

Father Ronald P. Sajdak will be embarking on what he calls an "exciting venture."

Welcome to our new feature, Monday Morning Roundup, where we note a couple of interesting Catholic stories from the weekend to get you tuned up for the week.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo reached a major fundraising benchmark this week, but they still need your help. Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the social service agency's importance in a new ‪"Consider This‬." Give it a watch below:

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Next month the Vatican will invite Rome's poor and homeless to a concert intended to raise money for Pope Francis' charities, which last year boasted over one and a half million in charitable giving.

A year ago, Father Jacek Mazur, pastor of St. Mary of the Cataract and Divine Mercy Parishes in Niagara Falls, was looking for a program to reach the youth of his city parishes. He wanted it to be fun and faithful to the teachings of the Church. Father Mazur knew that many children were not getting much exposure to the faith, and this new youth ministry might be a "candle in the darkness."

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - With the number of children raised in brokenness on the rise, young people view marriage as a path to failure - so Pope Francis says it's time for Christians to restore faith in the family.

Chancery bulletin announcements for the week of April 27, 2015.

LACKAWANNA - Our Lady of Victory Homes of Charity will hold its annual auction, Baker Victory Nite, on Friday, May 1, at 6:30 pm, at Michael's Banquet Facility in Hamburg. The Wizard of Oz-themed event features cocktails and food stations, with chances to win over $40,000 in valuable prizes through raffles, theme baskets, split clubs and a silent auction.

Catechetical experts from across the U.S. will visit the Diocese of Buffalo from May 18 to 21 as part of the 79th annual National Conference for Catechetical Leadership which will take place at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

BALTIMORE (CNA/EWTN News) - After both peaceful protests and violent riots following the death of an African American man in the custody of the Baltimore police, the local archbishop appealed to prayer and truth as means of healing and restoring human dignity.

How does a high school dropout grow up to become president and chief executive officer of two international banks, run multi-million dollar enterprises, manage over a thousand employees and socialize with a queen? "Luck," says author Patrick Blewett.

While a difficult topic, the prospect of end-of-life care is one nearly everyone must face at some point. In order to make choices easier for local families, the Respect Life Committee of Our Lady of Pompeii Parish in Lancaster has organized a conference designed to inform families about caring for aging or ill family members with dignity and in accordance with Catholic teaching.

BUFFALO - Less than one month after Appeal Week 2015 ended and less than two weeks after announcing this year's campaign surpassed $9.5 million, Catholic Charities of Buffalo today announced another milestone, reporting the organization has raised $10,096,782.40 in cash and pledges, representing 93 percent of the goal. As a result, volunteers for the annual Appeal must raise $900,000 more to reach this year's $10.9 million goal.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - There is no legal right to "gay marriage" in the Constitution, legal experts asserted, and the Supreme Court should not bypass the democratic process and redefine marriage for all 50 states.

BALTIMORE, MD - Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is launching a major relief effort in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday, April 24. A CRS team is on the ground in Kathmandu, the capital city and one of the most affected areas, and our local partner Caritas Nepal has started distributing food and shelter.

The Society of Our Lady of Divine Mercy is sponsoring a pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Mass., for St. Faustina Day on Oct. 4-6. The price of the trip will be covered with donations and fundraisers.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - A once avid outdoors-man whose final years were marked by disability and suffering, St. John Paul II witnessed to what it truly means to die with dignity, says a close friend who was with him until the end.

Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston, directed by the Barnabite Fathers, has the opportunity this year of celebrating the golden anniversary of the laying of the dome chapel's cornerstone in 1965, and the ruby (40th) anniversary of the dome chapel's designation as a basilica in 1975.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis led the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the weekly Regina Caeli address in praying for the victims of Saturday's earthquake in Nepal which has claimed thousands of lives.

More than a hundred people went to Mass first thing Saturday morning in North Buffalo; not just for the Eucharist, but also to show support for the Catholic teaching on life and marriage. Bishop Richard J. Malone noted the consistent attacks on pro-life beliefs and traditional marriage resembled the work of Satan as he presided over a Rosary Novena for Life and March for Marriage celebration at St. Rose of Lima Parish.

More than 50 members of the St. Mary's High School community, including members of the student senate, faculty, staff and parents, spent a recent Saturday morning on the West Side of Buffalo cleaning and furnishing a home for a refugee family.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA) - After six weeks of gridlock, members of both parties in the Senate bridged a disagreement over abortion funding in a new human trafficking bill by dividing up funding streams for the new project.

"In the days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills," writes the prophet Isaiah.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis said Wednesday that marriage is a vocation all believers are called to defend, specifically in terms of the complementarity of the union between a man and a woman.

People involved in parish ministry will be honored during a special St. Joseph the Worker Award and Mass 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph Cathedral (Buffalo, New York). In a new episode of ‪"‎Consider This‬," Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about how important these people are in carrying out the ministry of the Church.

WASHINGTON—A few days before the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the rights of states to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, more than 30 religious leaders representing diverse faith communities throughout the United States have reaffirmed their shared commitment to marriage and religious freedom. An open letter entitled "The Defense of Marriage and the Right of Religious Freedom: Reaffirming a Shared Witness" was issued to all in positions of public service on April 23.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi S.J. confirmed to journalists today that Pope Francis will make a pastoral stop in Cuba ahead of his September apostolic voyage to the United States.

Within a short time last month we witnessed events that should have made us consider, once again, the state of race relations in our country. On a Sunday in March more than 70,000 people joined together to march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge to recreate the 1965 event led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to protest the lack of voting rights for African-American citizens.

In honor of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the Serra Club of Buffalo is sponsoring two events at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora to show support for the future religious leaders and priests of the diocese. A family Mass and brunch for seminarians will take place on Sunday, April 26, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Eucharistic Holy Hour in the main chapel at 2 p.m.

The next biannual Mass and breakfast of the Congrega Society of Buffalo will take place at St. Lawrence Parish in Buffalo on Sunday, April 25, at 9 a.m.

Washington D.C. (CNA) - What does it mean to be truly pro-life? Amid debates over abortion and the death penalty, Catholic ecologists say that one issue is often overlooked in discussions involving human life and dignity - the environment.

Our diocese has been blessed with a large number of refugees from over 30 countries.

Catholic Health has taken an important step in removing language barriers in its hospitals with the addition of video remote interpreting services.

LACKAWANNA, NY (April 21, 2015) - Bishop Richard J. Malone joined Baker Victory Services (BVS) President Msgr. Paul J.E. Burkard and Chief Executive Officer Terese M. Scofidio to break ground and officially begin construction on a new $16 million residential treatment facility on the BVS Martin Road Campus in Lackawanna. The latest development in the continuing evolution of programs begun by Father Nelson Baker, the new state-of-the-art facility is designed to replace cottages that were built in the 1950's and 60's, currently home to residents in the BVS RTF programs.