Downtown Catholic Parishes to hold Advent services and events

A wide array of Advent services and projects has been announced by the Downtown Family of Catholic Parishes to begin Sunday, Dec. 3, and continuing until Dec. 21. Each of the parishes within the family will participate in holding particular services, service projects, and events including Christmas concerts, Taizé prayer, and a Rorate Mass honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.

An Advent Prayer Service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Parish, 1029 Delaware Ave. Friends, family and neighbors are invited to attend this Ecumenical prayer service.

In our very busy world, and especially during the holiday season, it can be difficult to set aside time to be quiet and to be present to the Lord. All are invited to spend 60 minutes in an evening of meditative prayer. The prayer service is characterized by repetitive, mantra-like songs (such as “Jesus, Remember Me”), prayerful silence, and short scriptural readings. These elements guide the focus of the Prayer Service that is held in a candle-lit environment.

A special Wine and Cheese Fellowship Reception will be held immediately following the prayer service in St. Joseph’s Hall located off to the right of the sanctuary of the church. All are invited to the reception.

In order to plan accordingly for the reception, we ask those who plan on attending to make a reservation by calling or texting Michael Pitek at 716-480-8313 or by email: Michael@thepitekgroup.com. Free, off-street parking is available in the school parking lot of the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo.

The Downtown Family of Catholic Parishes is pleased to announce two service projects that will take place during Advent: The Angel Tree and Boxes of Joy.

The Angel Tree project, a program of Prison Fellowship, will be run by Blessed Sacrament Church. The Angel Tree project provides Christmas gifts for children of incarcerated parents.

To participate, come to the church starting the weekend of Dec. 2-3 and pick a gift tag from the Christmas tree in the back of the church. Each tag will include gift ideas (with age of child). Wrap each gift individually and return the wrapped gift to Christmas tree in the back of the church by the weekend of Dec. 15-16.

The Boxes of Joy project will be run by St. Michael Parish located at 651 Washington St. The Boxes of Joy project gives a box filled with a variety of items to an immigrant family on the West Side of Buffalo. The project runs from now until Sunday, Dec. 10.

To participate, here’s what to do:

Get a small moving box from Lowe’s or Home Depot (box size: 16” L x 12” W x 12”H). Please put each of these items in the box: $25 gift cards from Target, Aldi’s or cash in a Christmas card, Christmas candy or cookies, a bath towel, warm socks, UNO card game, and a 16 oz. jar of peanut butter.

Suggested optional items to include:

– Dish cloths & towels, potholders, throw blanket

– Shower gel, body/hand lotion, nail clipper kit/polish

– Band Aids/first aid kit, batteries, light bulbs (60 watt)

– Scissors/glue sticks, construction paper, crayons/markers, coloring activity books

– Small craft items for kids, small toys/plush,

– Hats, gloves and scarves, hot chocolate, dry soup mix, ramen noodles

– Religious items (picture, small statue), plastic cutting board, food storage containers

– small umbrella/rain poncho, small sewing kit

And anything else you think the family would appreciate

Please wrap the box and return it to a sacristan at St. Michael Parish by Sunday, Dec. 10.

The Downtown Family of Catholic Parishes (Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Joseph Cathedral, St. Louis and St. Michael) hopes to bring richness of the Advent Season to life through the participation of its members in several projects and events. Individuals and families of the community-at-large are also invited to participate.