As a response to the death of George Floyd and the emotional uproar that followed, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger along with representatives from Catholic Relief Services, the diocesan Office of Pro-Life Activities and Catholic Charities held a Speak Out Against Racism rally on June 16 in front of the Catholic Center from downtown Buffalo. Floyd, […]
Race riots and civil unrest date back to Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion in 1931. Buffalo was the spot of one of 159 riots that swept cities during the “Long Hot Summer of 1967,” when a group of African-American teens, frustrated by mistreatment by white government and police forces, broke car and store windows through William […]
The Cardinal O’Hara High School community is so proud of its graduating seniors that the coronavirus could not stand in the way of honoring them with a proper send off. As enclosed spaces and tight quarters are not viable options during a pandemic, the 2020 graduation ceremony took place out in the open, in the […]
St. Mary’s High School held its 2020 graduation in a big way. By big, we’re talking 60-foot-wide movie screens. The Lancaster high school was able to gather for graduation by prerecording the commencement speeches as well as tributes to the senior students, then playing the movie at the drive-in. The 112 graduates and their families […]
In 1993, I attended World Youth Day in Denver as the youth minister from St. John the Baptist, Alden, traveling with the Diocese of Buffalo. We took six youths including my oldest son, Allen. We celebrated two Masses with Pope John Paul II, one at Mile High Stadium, the other overnight at the State Park. […]
When President Trump declared houses of worship to be “essential,” the first question everybody had was, “When will my parish open?” The simple answer is, when the pastor says so. Gov. Andrew Cuomo agreed to let churches open in New York state on June 6, tweeting, “The metrics and health data across the state are […]
On what would have been the day of the traditional commencement exercises at Canisius High School, May 21, 2020, Canisius will instead host a drive-through parade on campus to celebrate its graduating seniors. Seniors and their families are invited to decorate their vehicles and drive through the parking lot at 1180 Delaware Avenue on May […]
Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger has appointed Sister Mary McCarrick, OSF, as chief operating officer of the Diocese of Buffalo. Sister Mary was formerly the Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities of Buffalo from 2010 through 2018. “We’re delighted to welcome Sister Mary McCarrick, a person of long accomplishment, superior administrative capabilities and uncommon insight, as we […]
The coronavirus has created a new normal for people all over the globe. The term social distancing has entered our vocabulary as people everywhere are advised to stay six feet apart from each other. Even traffic signs are saying “Save a Life – Stay at Home.” Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are […]
With very little warning all Catholic schools in the Diocese of Buffalo were temporarily closed March 17 due to an outbreak of the coronavirus. This forced schools to rethink how they educate their students. One school, Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School, decided to simply end the school year early after seeing that the South Buffalo […]
