Church on Fire Lecture: St. Francis of Assisi – Then & Today: ‘Rebuild My Church’

The parish pastoral council of Blessed Sacrament Church in Buffalo is pleased to announce that the second lecture in the Catherine M. and Paul W. Beltz lecture series of the Church on Fire: Stay With Us! Program will be held on Thursday, Jan. 20. Father Ross Chamberland, OFM, Ed.D. will deliver the lecture, “St. Francis of Assisi – Then & Today: ‘Rebuild My Church’” at 7 p.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church located at 1029 Delaware Ave.

“Rebuild my Church” was the command given to Francis of Assisi as he prayed in front of the crucifix at the Chapel of San Damiano. Francis took that message quite literally and began repairing physical structures of the Church. Soon though, he realized the deeper command to animate the rebuilding of the universal Church, the Body of Christ. Francis returned to the basics of preaching the gospel and devotion to the sacraments. It is only in a total commitment to that mission, living sacramentally, that we can also rebuild God’s Church today. In this lecture, Father Chamberland will explore our Catholic, sacramental, imagination as we discern how God calls us, too, to rebuild His Church.

Father Chamberland, a Franciscan Friar of the Holy Name Province, has filled many roles at St. Bonaventure University including serving as special assistant to the vice president for Enrollment, executive director of the Lateran Center for Catholic Identity, and University Chaplain (twice). Currently he is the Associate Vice President for Student Engagement.

The public is invited to attend and encouraged to make reservations for this free lecture. Reservations can be made by going online to http://www.BSCBuffalo.org/events or by calling Michael Pitek at 716-480-8313 or emailing him at Michael@thepitekgroup.com. A free-will offering is appreciated from those who attend.

Free off-street parking is available in the parking lot behind the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo, 1069 Delaware Ave. The lot can be accessed from two locations: Delaware Avenue and Lexington Avenue, and from Linwood Avenue.

This lecture is one of many programs that are being offered at Blessed Sacrament Church in 2021- 2022. The parish started the Church on Fire: Stay With Us! series in March of 2020. Two weeks after it began, Church on Fire had to be canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In September 2021, Blessed Sacrament re-launched the series. The 2021-2022 series features an expanded format of lectures, concerts, events and services that will provide 10 months of programming, appealing to a variety of ages, genders, ethnicities, and spiritualities. The parish is opening its doors to all: long-time parishioners, new parishioners, curious non-parishioners, and community friends and neighbors … all!