Current News

Although it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, the annual Chrism Mass during Holy Week is one of the most important dates of the Catholic year, as priests joined Bishop Richard J. Malone at St. Joseph Cathedral Tuesday night to renew themselves.

Bishop Richard J. Malone announced that Catholic Charities of Buffalo has raised $8,886,816.65 as of April 15 for Appeal 2014. This marks 82.3 percent of the final goal of $10.8 million.

With Blessed John Paul II's canonization taking place April 27, Father Czeslaw M. Krysa has commemorated the late pope's last visit to Buffalo by designating a room in the rectory of St. Casimir Church as the Papal Prayer Room.

A new diocesan commission has been formed to implement one of Bishop Richard J. Malone's initiatives, New Evangelization. The Commission for Promotion of the New Evangelization is seeking to find ways to engage and reengage Catholics who may have fallen away from the Church.

What is the truth of Holy Week? In a new "Consider This," Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about how all the suffering and pain we feel in life gains a new perspective as Catholics observe the days before the celebration of the resurrection of Christ.

The pope can be defined as the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. The history of the papacy spans from the time of St. Peter to the present day.

The Felician Sisters will sponsor a "Felician Service Day" on Saturday, April 12, to support the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry at Villa Maria College.

I know there is a picture somewhere of me and some of my fellow Bishop Turner High School students digging a hole to plant a tree in celebration of the first Earth Day. That was 44 years ago in 1970. The Vietnam War raged on, student protestors were killed by police at Kent State, and Apollo 13 abandoned its mission.

The youth of the Diocese of Buffalo have been tasked with evangelization. While attending a faith rally known as Da Bounce, held March 21, they gained the tools to bring the Gospel to others. Father David Muñoz, OMI, told the 55 teens gathered to use their gifts and talents to spread the word of Jesus Christ.

Lent, often times, is depicted as a desert, a place to meet God and experience an inward pilgrimage. Deserts also contain oases, places to go to rest and find peace. Nestled below the Niagara Escarpment is such a place away from a distracting, busy world. That oasis, in the care of the Barnabite Fathers, is Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston.

Catholic Charities 2014 Appeal Week will take place throughout the Diocese of Buffalo from April 6 to 13. This is the 90th annual appeal week for Catholic Charities which celebrates the support of Western New Yorkers who have made contributions to the appeal, and encourages those who have not already donated to do so.

Whether it's during Lent or any other time of year, it's easy to let the stresses of every day life tie you up. In a new "Consider This," Bishop Richard J. Malone recommends looking to Mary, the Undoer of Knots, during these trying times. Find out why.

Following the Jan. 15, 2014, announcement that 10 Catholic elementary schools would close, the Department of Catholic Schools received a large number of telephone calls, letters and emails, with questions concerning the process. The following are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

April 1 marks about the half way mark along our Lenten journey. Many of us have been given opportunities to participate in parish and diocesan retreats. We are continuing weekly Stations of the Cross at the parish or Lenten Bibles Series. Some parishes are offering missions.

Three Sisters of Mercy from the diocese knew their visit to the Philippines would be anything but routine after Super Typhoon Haiyan battered the central islands of the area with 160 mile per hour winds and walls of seawater last November.

Have you given up sweets, television or beer for Lent? In a new "Consider This," Bishop Richard J. Malone explains that these sacrifices should have spiritual meaning behind them. He also touches upon Pope Francis' thoughts about Lent.

Deacon Don Weigel led a faithful army to the state capitol on Public Policy Day to advocate for those in need. They spoke to state senators and assembly representatives, imploring them to pass legislation that would offer fair benefits to workers, restore dignity to inmates and decrease abortions.

The other day, I came across a monologue called "Unafraid," about a young girl from Somalia whose father was a missionary. His passion for sharing Christ landed him in jail and he was beaten because he was Christian. Nevertheless he continued teaching about Jesus to the prisoners and to everyone around him.

Niagara Catholic High School retains that welcoming spirit that greeted students from St. Mary's, Bishop Duffy, and Madonna high schools when it opened its doors in 1975. In the fall of 2012, kids from St. Dominic Savio Middle School joined the nearby school, merging to form one junior/senior high school. Teachers and pupils now welcome four foreign-born students to their classes.

January's announcement that 10 Catholic elementary schools in Erie County would close has caused a great deal of consternation, and in some quarters, anger. I certainly understand the response, and I am sorry that it has disrupted the lives of some of our school families.

As we enter the third week of Lent, Bishop Richard J. Malone encourages Catholics to make plans for confession in a new installment of "Consider This."

Pope Francis is advocating for the Church to make a shift from maintenance to mission. Certainly, such a shift will upset the way we do business. Perhaps this will be felt nowhere more than in a parish's approach to adult faith formation. At Immaculate Conception Church in East Aurora they are making this shift, addressing the profound faith questions of their people, discovering new enthusiasm, and seeing a growing sense of purpose in the whole parish.

The Catholic Relief Services staffer was describing her young son's unique way of answering a classmate's question about where his mother worked. He told his friend, intending to communicate that she is on staff at CRS's San Salvador office, "She works in God's house."

Between polar vortexes in mid January, Bishop Malone picked up a five-year-old black Labrador retriever from a rescue shelter in Salamanca.

Pope Francis has been much in the news with quotes and anecdotal descriptions since his election last March. For a more complete picture, a biography has recently been published by a Western New York native.

14th century English mystic Julian of Norwich says we must fall and realize we have fallen. Bishop Richard Malone notes why and suggests more spiritual reading during this Lenten season.

The Bible study group at St. Amelia Parish in Tonawanda has grown to 52 people, pleasantly surprising even those who began the venture. Jane Brown takes care of the administrative work and leads hospitality for the group. Experienced facilitator Harriette Hoebel has been sharing about the Book of Daniel during the latest session.

Bishop Richard J. Malone visited Sacred Heart Parish in Bowmansville to dedicate a Marian statue in February. As Mass began, women and children in a variety of ethnic costumes, representing the church's history, sparkled the aisles with bright colors. Father Joseph Klos, pastor, Knights of Columbus members, and uniformed Scouts stood ready for the procession.

"The new forms of racism must be brought face to face with the figure of Christ" - U.S. Bishops, "Brothers and Sisters to Us."

Niagara University's new president has hit the ground running, all the way to Vietnam. Since taking office last August, Father James Maher, CM, has taken the first steps to opening the school to students and educators from Asia.

With the 100th anniversary of Buffalo's Holy Cross Parish occurring this year, the church recently underwent some repair work to keep the building's foundation stable for years to come.

This month's "Our Daily Bread" focuses on three diocesan organizations: the Knights of Columbus, the Ladies of Charity and the Knights of St. John. As host, Father Paul D. Seil delves deeper into the history of each of these organizations. He fondly remembers his own experiences with the Knights of Columbus.

Imagine a superlative city, then research and write a description of it. Design a model and then present and defend your city before a professional panel.

For quite some time I have had an interest in the plight of the homeless. I have read about it, prayed over it, and have done small things to help.

Bryan Kemper almost missed out on speaking at the St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach banquet Feb. 12 for several reasons. Most involve his near death experiences.

A special group of women in the Ladies of Charity group at St. John the Baptist Parish in Kenmore sew, knit, crochet and assemble layettes, infant clothing sets, for needy newborns in Western New York and Canada.

A vocation is something that we all have. God has entrusted to each person a particular job or task that has not been entrusted to anyone else. God calls us within our own hearts, but also in and through the believing community we call the Church.

As Bob Golden filled out his survey in preparation for the Synod on Family and Evangelization, he felt the need to add a few subjects he thinks the Catholic Church needs to address. The Albion resident feels a just wage, domestic violence, immigration and health care do not receive the attention they deserve.

Long a highlight of the Buffalo Lenten and Christmas seasons, the Harmonia Chamber Singers is embarking on an ambitious new project with a new concert series and Kickstarter campaign.

Ever since he was a boy, Father Thomas Ribits, OSFS, recalls his love of art, a passion that turned into his life's work.