A few months ago in this space, I talked about how ABC’s “Lost” was brining its religious mythology to the forefront at the end of season five with the introduction of Jacob and a still-unnamed man commonly referred to as the Man in Black. As the series steamrolls to its long-awaited conclusion, the audience is quickly finding out just how influential these two otherworldly characters have been in the lives of our heroes (and villains).

Construction of the new Villa Maria Convent is complete, but the Felician Sisters should still hang signs reading “Caution: Young Christians at Work.” Groups of teenagers spent Holy Week visiting the Cheektowaga residence of the Felicians to wash wheelchairs and meet some of the residents, as part of Young Christians at Work, an intensive workcamp and training program sponsored by the Diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Participants work, pray and learn at worksites in the metro Buffalo area. At night they live in community at Harvest House in Buffalo.

The president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife, First Lady Maria Kaczynski, died April 10 when their plane crashed near Smolensk, Russia, during a trip to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Russian massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn. All 96 passengers, which included many of Poland’s military, economic and civic leaders, and crew were killed. Also on board was Ryszard Kaczorowski, the sixth and final president of Poland in exile.

God gives everyone a talent that can be used to benefit humankind and the world in some way.  At 87 years old, Eve Klipfel is using her God-given talent as a fashion designer to help the less fortunate in Western New York. 
 

When it comes to academic success, the 15 Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Buffalo are without peer: 98 percent of our students go on to college. That is an incredible number, but our high schools go well beyond numbers when it comes to developing the whole person.

Students from Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo participated in a jewelry-making workshop in March as a fundraising project to help the post-earthquake relief effort in Haiti.

As the nation prepares to remember the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the students of Our Lady of Pompeii School in Lancaster learned about the tragedy through a special Hope Trunk sponsored by the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

When I hear someone talk about the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, I must admit I get a bit uncomfortable. I immediately conjure up images: a priest feverishly trying to get to someone’s death bed, old Italian women in the kitchen cooking enough food to feed a small army, and cemetery plots. But these are my preconceived notions, and after talking to Father Paul D. Seil, host of “Our Daily Bread,” and doing some much needed research on the sacrament, my mental picture concerning Anointing of the Sick has changed.

 The students at St. Bernadette School in Hamburg are enjoying life, becoming healthier and celebrating movement with the Dance Club on Friday afternoons.  The Dance Club was founded by Suzanne Sullivan in the 2008- 2009 school year after she and her daughters, Julie and Jill, came up with the idea in order to help the school establish more after-school clubs.

The April 2010 edition of the Western New York Catholic is now available online.  Click here to read the newest edition!