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Father Edward R. Czarnecki, who served several parishes across Erie County, died March 17, 2019. He was 78 years old.

While rummaging through the basement of Corpus Christi Church, Father Michal Czyzewski, OSPPE, pastor, found a rolled up canvas under some trophies. Unrolling it, he discovered a painting of St. Joseph and a mystery from the past.

Sister Marie McTarnaghan, who taught in Catholic schools for almost 40 years, died March 9, 2019. She was 86.

Christ the King Seminary will host a dinner lecture and a retreat this April on the seminary's East Aurora campus.

As the Hispanic/Latino Commission began planning for the Lenten Retreat that the Office of Cultural Diversity sponsors every year in Spanish, the first Gospel of the Lenten season, Mark 1:12-15 became the theme for the retreat this year.

Some might call him a man of faith. The Jewish community calls him a hero. His family calls him papa. He will be remembered as a man who allowed God's light to shine through him.

A nationally-recognized advocate for racial justice, Sister Anita Price Baird, DHM, will share her insights with friends of the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence at the Center's 12th annual event on April 7. SS. Columba-Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo, will host the gathering at 3 p.m. A reception will follow in the parish hall.

On March 17, 2019, Bishop Richard J. Malone will be the main celebrant, on the second Sunday of Lent, for the annual St. Patrick's Day Mass.

Sister Mary Frances Welch, OSF, formerly known as Sister M. Peter, died Feb. 18, 2019, at the Health Center in Stella Niagara. The longtime teacher was 91 years old.

For five days at the beginning of February, almost 600 Catholics joined together in Washington to pray, learn and advocate for the least among us. This was the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering of 2019, and it was attended by many of us from Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the USCCB, St. Vincent de Paul Society and a host of others.

Join SS. Peter & Paul Parish as they bring national brand "ChristLife" to Hamburg for a parish-wide Lenten opportunity to personally encounter Jesus in your life through ChristLife.

A group of eight high school students held and examined a human brain as part of a Catholic Health MASH Camp. These daylong field trips to local hospitals introduce students to careers in the health care field.

With a Southern Hey y'all, author, speaker and podcast host Sonja Corbitt took to the stage to speak to other Catholic women about their role as a human monstrance. Corbitt, along with Father David Richards, served as special guests for the annual Catholic Women's Conference hosted by Catholic Women of Buffalo Inc.

A large congregation came to St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo on the first Sunday of Lent, March 10, as Bishop Richard J. Malone celebrated Mass for the Rite of Election for Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates.

You are invited to explore Lent with three dynamic ladies on three Wednesday nights at Immaculate Conception. Eileen Warner, Ann Marie Eckert and Kathleen Heffern will explore the topics of Almsgiving, Fasting and Prayer respectively.

Team Pierogi, a diversified group of committed pierogi artisans, that gather for fellowship, fun and pierogi.

Catholic Health is sponsoring a free women's health fair on Wednesday, March 20, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at St. John Maron Church, 2040 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville. The event will include live presentations, health screenings, demonstrations and informational displays.

Christ the King Seminary has announced the appointment of Brian Bajzek as a full-time faculty member. Bajzek is now assistant professor of Systematic Theology and director of Pre-Theology at the seminary.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page." That proverb, attributed to St. Augustine, the great fifth-century philosopher and theologian, holds much truth. Travel is often an eye-opening, mind-expanding experience that cannot be duplicated. For those who have been blessed with the opportunities to visit foreign lands and cultures, their journeys end up changing them for the better and increasing their understanding of the beauty and diversity of the world and the Church.

In the more than 30 annual Washington, D.C. Marches for Life I have participated in, I always think the current march is the largest ever. But since accurate figures are hard to come by, it usually comes down to taking a good guess.

If you asked the average Christian if he or she is a disciple of Jesus, I think the answer would be "of course I am." But how many of us really know what that means? Or what it entails?

Students at St. Benedict School in Eggertsville celebrated Catholic Schools Week in late January in a unique way. Nancy Grant's religion classes created beautiful quilts, weaving a collaboration of art, religion and math. Sixth, seventh and eighth graders each incorporated a different theme for their creations.

Frequent acid reflux and heartburn can not only be painful, but can be a sign you have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Acid suppressing drugs sometimes help, but advancements in medicine have led to the development other treatment options too.

Next to Advent and Christmas, Lent is one of the most celebrated and revered seasons in the year of the Catholic Church. Almost everybody knows the basics about Lent: that it begins on Ash Wednesday, lasts several weeks in which people routinely "give up" something, and concludes on Easter Sunday with a celebration of the Risen Christ.

SWORMVILLE - The St. Mary's faith community announces its first meat raffle, organized by the St. Mary School Home School Association. With an event that is popular throughout the area, the meat raffle will feature a variety of meats from Latina Boulevard Foods, raffled off by Mike "The Meat Man" Demmin's team.

The mood was festive, hearts were joyful and the spirit of giving remained strong at the annual Gala 22:6 - A Celebration of Catholic Education, held Thursday, February 21st, at the Buffalo Convention Center.

On Ash Wednesday, March 6, Bishop Richard J. Malone will distribute ashes at St. Joseph Cathedral during the 12:05 p.m. Mass. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the most holy time of the year for Catholics.

The Society of Our Lady of Divine Mercy is sponsoring their seventh bus pilgrimage to the Divine Mercy Shrine for Oct. 4, 5 and 6 for St. Faustina Day.

Many people on hearing the name Sisters of St. Mary of Namur immediately ask "Where is Namur?" In these days when knowing our roots is so important, this international congregation looks back 200 years to its founder,

Each liturgical season has its own sacred landscape traversed by prayer, ritual and tradition. The Church stands at the threshold of a new season with challenging terrain, the desert of Lent.

Our Lady of Charity Parish in South Buffalo is hosting a special time for people to "Come and See ..." how the parish is alive and growing.

When crisis hits, how do you hold on? What role does faith play when suffering?

Getting excited about God is a good way to spend the Lenten season. As the years go by, our faith can grow dull. We may need a new infusion of grace.

Msgr. James N. Connelly, who served the Diocese of Buffalo for nearly 70 years, died Feb. 24, 2019. He was 97 years old.

Two local parishes made a generous gift to Trocaire's food pantry this past December, donating $2,000 to help assist in its mission to alleviate food insecurity among students.

Buffalo-born Jesuit priest Father Donald James French, SJ, died Dec. 2, 2018, at Murray-Weigel Hall, Bronx.

Our Lady of Victory Homes of Charity appoints Charles G. Jones Jr. to its Board of Directors. OLV Homes of Charity is the fundraising and support services segment of Our Lady of Victory Institutions. A member of the philanthropic community, Jones has generously given his time and efforts to numerous charitable organizations across Western New York. Jones - president of Wittburn Enterprises Inc., a commercial electrical construction firm - will serve a term of three years.

Bishop Malone will continue the true celebration of the feast day of Saint Patrick with Mass at Saint Joseph's Cathedral on Sunday March 17th at 10:30 AM. This will precede the lining up of the Saint Patrick's Day Parade on Delaware Avenue.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has named new pastors for two area parishes. Father Michael P. Zuffoletto was named pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Buffalo, and Father Sean DiMaria was named pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, Lake View. Both assignments are for a term of six years. Father DiMaria, who previously served as the pastor of five area parishes concurrently, SS. Brendan & Jude, Almond-Alfred; Blessed Sacrament, Andover; Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Belmont; St. Mary, Bolivar; and Immaculate Conception, Wellsville, assumed his duties at his new parish on Jan. 31. Ordained in 2005, Father DiMaria's first priestly assignment was as parochial vicar at SS. Peter and Paul Parish, Hamburg. In 2008, he was named pastor of Blessed Sacrament and SS. Brendan & Jude. Pastorates in Wellsville, Belmont and Bolivar were later added. At St. John Paul II Parish, Father DiMaria takes over for Father Peter Karalus who was named diocesan moderator of the curia and vicar general in the fall of 2018. Father Zuffoletto had retired from active priestly duties in 2013 when he was serving as pastor at St. Peter Parish in Lewiston. A graduate of St. John Vianney Seminary, East Aurora, and Canisius College, Buffalo, Father Zuffoletto was ordained in 1972 and served in various parishes throughout the diocese. He was an assistant at Ascension Parish, North Tonawanda; Our Mother of Good Counsel, Blasdell; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Niagara Falls; Assumption Parish, Buffalo; and was a weekend assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Buffalo. Father Zuffoletto also taught at St. Mary's High School, Lancaster, and served in the Diocese of San Diego. He served his country as a U.S. Navy chaplain for many years before returning to the Diocese of Buffalo to become pastor at St. Peter, Lewiston. Bishop Malone has given Father Robert W. Wardenski a third term as pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish, East Aurora. Originally assigned to the parish in 2005, Father Wardenski had served as parochial vicar at several parishes in the diocese including St. Adalbert, St. James and St. Rose of Lima, all in Buffalo, as well as St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda and St. Paul in Kenmore. He received his first pastorate in 1989 when he was named pastor of both St. Peter, LeRoy, and St. Anthony, Lime Rock. In October 1999, Father Wardenski was appointed pastor at St. William Parish, West Seneca, where he served until moving to Immaculate Conception. Father Victor Ibhawa was named administrator of Blessed Trinity Parish, Buffalo, for a term of three years; he had been serving as the parish's temporary administrator since the retirement of the pastor, Father George L. Reger, in October 2016. Father Ibhawa, a native of Nigeria, was ordained in 2010 and came to the United States in 2013 to further his education. Bishop Malone also announced the appointment of Father Paul D. Seil as chaplain to the Buffalo Fire Department. Ordained in 1989, Father Seil has been pastor of St. Bernadette Parish for the past 10 years. In addition to various parish assignments, Father Seil was the host of the "Our Daily Bread" cooking show produced by Daybreak TV Productions and director of the diocesan Office of Worship. Father Joseph Bayne, OFM Conv., was the previous chaplain for the Buffalo Fire Department. Father Bayne, a Franciscan priest, was assigned by his order to a position in Massachusetts last summer.

Today at the Vatican, Pope Francis and the presidents of every Episcopal Conference from around the world are gathering to begin an unprecedented summit meeting to discuss the sexual abuse crisis within the Church.