Current News

Bishop Richard J. Malone will ordain six men as deacons on Saturday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo.

After the success of last year's online focused fundraising campaign, Catholic Charities is bringing back Hope Day on May 17 to attract new donors to contribute to the social service agency's $11 million annual appeal.

Kids need grandparents. Retirees need something to do with their days. And to be honest, teachers could use a little help in the classroom. Catholic Charities addresses all these needs with their Foster Grandparent program.

As part of a national initiative to place 1,000 ultrasound machines in pro-life pregnancy centers, hospitals and clinics throughout the country, the Knights of Columbus along with the Diocese of Buffalo, are donating funds to purchase additional hand-held sonogram machines to benefit Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Catholic Health.

Sister Mary Thaddeus, 89, a Felician Sister for 66 years, died in the Blessed Mary Angela Care Center, Buffalo, on May 7, 2019.

On Monday, May 13, parishioners of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Blasdell hosted a private meeting to discuss recent events which involved their pastor, Rev. Robert J. Orlowski, and raised concerns about actions which might be construed as sexual harassment.

Christ's resurrection ushers in a new world - one of peace, love and fraternity, Pope Francis said on Easter Sunday, as he prayed for the many people who are suffering throughout the world.

The early Christians in England had a celebration for mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent to honor the mother of Christ. It later included the "Mother Church" and on this day people were expected to return to the mother church from which they would get their strength from the spiritual power which gave them life and protected them from harm.

Sister Victoria Masterpaul, who served the Diocese of Buffalo in various ministries, died April 15, 2019 at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, Allegany. She was 83.

First-graders at St. John the Baptist School recently participated in a service project to help them understand the Lenten goal of giving alms. Organized by their teachers Jill Parrino and Melissa Richey, the students were asked to do chores and other odd jobs around their homes to earn some extra money.

The Office of Pro-Life Activities welcomed a new addition to its family of services to mothers and families in need with the opening of St. Gianna Molla Pregnancy Outreach Center's newest location on April 2.

My parents and I have recently watched the Catholic Charities' "Help Your Neighbor Find Hope 2019 Appeal Video" and we had many thoughts about it.

More than $650,000 was collected in the Diocese of Buffalo during the 2018 Retirement Fund for Religious Appeal. This total includes donations received from throughout the United States through the "Share in the Care" website which is sponsored by the Religious Retirement Fund in the Diocese of Buffalo. Donations to this site can be made online throughout the year.

How do you celebrate 200 years of God's fidelity, of faith, of following the Gospel, of outreach to the poor, of seeking change through gentleness, of mission, and of devotion to discovering the mystery of the Incarnation?

Sister Edmunette Paczesny, FSSJ, Ph.D. will be the commencement speaker at Hilbert College's 58th annual commencement ceremony planned for 1 p.m. on May 11 at the Watermark Wesleyan Church at 4999 McKinley Parkway.

Sister Pat Perry, who founded Sr. Pat's Home in Olean, died April 11, 2019, at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, Allegany. She was 82.

Mount Mercy Academy's guidance department and Alumnae Association recently sponsored a career day for the students.

During the Easter season, I always find myself going back to the things that I fasted from during Lent. Why do we fast from something and then just quit once Easter comes?

Former Canisius professor Father Joseph M. Gariolo, died April 7, 2019, at the age of 95. He had served as a Barnabite for 69 years.

As part of the diocesan-wide Year of Prayer and Healing initiative, the parishes of the Southeast Vicariate of Buffalo will host a number of Holy Hours beginning the month of May, highlighted with a Vicariate Mass of Reparation and Healing at St. Stanislaus Church on May 30, the Ascension of the Lord.

Faculty professional development days are routine for most elementary and high schools, and provide the opportunity to refocus on aspects of a school's mission, gather in departmental cohorts, and develop or sharpen skills necessary for managing students.

On behalf of the Diocese of Buffalo, we condemn, in the strongest terms, the evil and cowardly act that took place at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue on Saturday. No one should be in fear in a house of worship, including our Jewish brothers and sisters. We were not given from God a spirit of fear, but one of love and courage.

Eggs weren't the only things St. Teresa's parishioners had to color this Easter. The Buffalo parish has produced coloring books, with drawings of the 122-year-old church and its artwork, as a gift to its parishioners.

Father Ronald A. Bagienski, who served as pastor of Holy Apostles, SS. Peter & Paul Parish in Buffalo for 20 years, suffered a fatal heart attack April 9, 2019, while on a cruise in Lima, Peru.

Sister Barbara Connolly, GNSH, educator and social worker, died April 1, 2019, in White Plains. She was 79 years old and in the 62nd year of her religious life.

In March and April of this year, Catholic Relief Services, in partnership with Catholic Charities, visited the offices in New York state of virtually every member of Congress and both senators.

Sister M. Julie O'Stroske died Feb. 28, 2019, at the Stella Niagara Health Center. She was 89.

On the evening of April 11, 2019, a social gathering of seminarians and priests took place at Saints Peter & Paul Parish Rectory in Hamburg.

From the moment that God pronounced the words, "Let there be light," a perpetual spring of generosity has inundated the world. God set the energy of his self-donating love and divine revelation in motion.

On June 16, 2017, the Vatican raised the liturgical memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to the rank of a liturgical feast and published a new preface for her, characterizing her as "the apostle of the apostles."

As concern for the environment continues to be a talking point in the world, the celebration of Earth Day in April is one reminder that one of the most prominent Catholic social teachings is care fore creation. Pope Francis made it the topic of his encyclical "Laudato Si," writing, "We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters."

The Diocese of Buffalo is celebrating the Holy Week Triduum of the Roman Catholic Church during this sacred time leading up to Easter Sunday.

At the annual Chrism Mass, clergy renewed their priestly promises, oils were blessed, chrism was consecrated and Bishop Richard J. Malone reaffirmed his commitment to safe environments within the Diocese of Buffalo. The Mass drew diocesan clergy and congregants to St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo Tuesday, April 16.

We are living through very difficult times. Many are living paycheck to paycheck. As we became more aware of, with the government shutdown and so many families not even being able to eat. Many in our society are homeless, including families

A full house of 400 people packed the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga on Feb. 26 to hear from those who work and live behind the front lines of abortion.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and the Movement to Restore Trust (MRT), an independent organization of Catholic laity formed to lead a movement to restore trust and confidence in the Church in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal, jointly announce their ongoing partnership through the creation of a Joint Implementation Team (JIT).

For an hour, the gym floor at Christ the King School was awash with a sea of yellow and red jerseys as Christ the King battled St. Gregory the Great for the sixth-grade girls basketball championship

We've compiled a list of 10 things you should know about Holy Week, what happens during Holy Week, what are the names of the days of Holy Week, and a few more nuggets of knowledge even the most faithful Catholics may have missed.

Fair and objective reporting is essential to accurate coverage of controversial issues such as the crisis involving past child abuse in our diocese. Impartiality aids accuracy. Recent media attacks by a television reporter alleging that the diocese has not "come clean about the true scope" of the sexual abuse that occurred in this diocese are simply not accurate.

The subject of child sexual abuse is one that rightfully has been the focus of intense media attention in recent years. It is a problem that, unfortunately, extends far beyond the Diocese of Buffalo and far beyond the Church. Yet despite the intense media coverage, many of the important facts regarding the scourge of child sexual abuse and the response of the Church and our diocese are either unmentioned or misstated in the news. I write today to correct some of those errors.