The Diocese of Buffalo has announced the new schedule for education and formation programs for the spring semester. The comprehensive offering of retreats, seminars, lectures and classes are designed to provide both clergy and laity with a diverse selection for their spiritual and pastoral growth. Many classes meet specific formation requirements for those engaged in ministry in the Diocese of Buffalo. Click here to view the full calendar.

Sister Roberta Fulton, SSMN, will provide the reflection at the Diocese of Buffalo’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Mass on Monday, Jan. 18 at 10:30 a.m. The Mass will be held at Blessed Trinity Church, 317 Leroy Ave., Buffalo. Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo, will be the main celebrant and Father Roy Herberger will be the homilist.

A graduate of Buffalo State College and District of Columbia Teachers College, Washington, D.C., Sister Roberta is currently living in South Carolina where she is the principal at St. Martin de Porres School in Columbia. She is president of the National Black Sisters’ Conference and is involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

WASHINGTON—In a nationwide call to Catholics to prevent health care reform from being derailed by the abortion lobby, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent bulletin inserts and pulpit announcements to almost 19,000 parishes across the country.

As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable,” the insert says. “Health care reform should not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country.” 

Remember back to your dating days—the excitement you felt? Now you can reclaim that same spark, connection, and creativity in your marriage through ten intentional, memory-making dates. 10 Great Dates is an award-winning marriage education program program that helps couples recharge the fun and conversation in their relationship.

The concept is simple: first, couples meet together as a group. Each session begins with a meeting at Catholic Charities' Marriage Counseling Center, where the theme for that particular date is introduced in a 15 minute marriage skills video.

Then, couples go out with their partner on a "great date" of their own, where they integrate the skills learned in the video to communicate better, process anger and resolve conflicts, appreciate differences, encourage each other, develop spiritual intimacy, balance busy lifestyles and much more.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, and Rabbi Harlan J. Wechsler, founding Rabbi of Congregation Or Zarua in New York City, co-hosted a live radio special on Sirius XM Radio focusing on the Catholic and Jewish Holy Days and the importance of nurturing tradition in an increasingly secularized world.

You can view two video exerpts from the program:  Archbishop Dolan and Rabbi Wechsler discussing the importance of community in Catholicism and Judaism, and the challenges that communal religions face in a society that emphasizes individualism and both respond to the question: Is there a war on Christmas?

The video can be seen by clicking on "read more ..."

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo, has appointed Sister Mary McCarrick, OSF, interim diocesan director of Catholic Charities of Buffalo. She is the first woman religious to serve in the role of diocesan director of Catholic Charities.

Sister McCarrick, a member of the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees since 2007, will serve in the role while Monsignor Joseph J. Sicari is away on medical leave. Msgr. Sicari has been on leave since September. Sister McCarrick, whose immediate responsibility will be the oversight and direction of the annual Appeal, will begin working full time with the organization in mid-January. She also will be involved in mission integration, board development and social policy advocacy.

St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, has scheduled a number of celebrations for the Christmas season. 

Thursday, December 24
4:30 p.m. – Vigil Mass of the Nativity
Midnight – Mass of the Nativity, Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, celebrant
Friday, December 25
8 a.m. – Mass of Christmas Day
10:30 a.m. – Mass of Christmas Day, Bishop Kmiec, celebrant

HIgh winds and blowing snow have prompted the closing of the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo on Thursday, Dec. 10.

By a vote of 38-24, the New York State Senate voted against the legalization of same sex marriage.  The vote was taken on Wednesday (Dec. 2)

New York State Catholic Conference Executive Director Richard E. Barnes made the following statement today regarding the defeat of a bill in the New York State Senate by a vote of 38-24 that would have allowed people of the same sex to “marry” each other:

“On behalf of the Bishops of New York State, we are extremely pleased and grateful that the New York State Senate in a bipartisan vote rejected the concept that marriage can be anything other than the union of one man and one woman."

"To whom much is given, much is expected." We have all heard this phrase and countless people in the diocese live it in a conscientioius manner.

We see this generosity played out every day, and more so during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. I am extremely grateful for this abundnance of generosity. I see it in our parishes, in our schools and in a most visible way, through the support of Catholic Charities. That generosity allows others to share in the joy that so many take for granted at this time of year.