VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After 20 years of restoration work and millions in funding from benefactors worldwide, the unveiling of the Pontifical Sanctuary of the Holy Stairs in Rome was supposed to be a grand, celebratory moment slated for this spring, in time for Holy Week and Easter. The public was going to be able […]
It’s like getting that bicycle that you wanted for Christmas. Father David Baker has been appointed the new diocesan vocation director, a role he has been eyeing since his early days in the priesthood. The 48-year-old had been serving as pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Akron for nearly five years when he […]
SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) — Demonstrators burned two Catholic churches in Chile, where gatherings to mark the one-year anniversary of mass protests against inequality descended into chaos. Church officials and media reports described the Oct. 18 gatherings through the country as peaceful, but unrest broke out late in the day, with some protesters entering and vandalizing […]
The Diocese of Buffalo has taken the first steps on the Road to Renewal. Clergy, religious, administrators, as well as the people in the pews are putting their ideas together to reinvigorate the Catholic faith, fully optimize parish and diocesan resources, and increase the impact of our varied ministries throughout Western New York. Msgr. David […]
Father Thomas Doyle is the temporary administrator of St. John Vianney Parish in Orchard Park. This was effective Aug. 17. Father F. Patrick Melfi serves as the administrator of Holy Name of Mary Parish in Ellicottville effective Sept. 28. Father Melfi continues to serve as the pastor of St. Philomena Parish in Franklinville, thus linking […]
Things are really cooking at Holy Cross Parish thanks to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Buffalo institution donated a new stove to the Lower West Side church and brought its kitchen up to code with a new exhaust fan. A cancer hospital and a largely Hispanic church may seem to be an unlikely alliance, […]
Catholic Charities food pantries received an extra helping from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Sept. 16, to mark their 200th anniversary, the LDS church donated food to 200 locations across New York state. Catholic Charities’ Russell J. Salvatore Food Pantry and Outreach in Lackawanna received 10 pallets of beans and pasta. “On […]
Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, apostolic administrator of the diocese, has made the following appointments: Robert Grinewich has been appointed temporary administrator of SS. Peter & Paul Parish in Williamsville, beginning July 1, and continuing until the arrival of a new pastor. Father Edward J. Sheedy will serve as the priest moderator to supervise pastoral care […]
As the print edition of the Western New York Catholic draws to a close, I wanted to express gratitude in print for the “virtual” support which in reality accompanied me leading up to my recent living liver donor transplantation surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and the recovery to follow. Much of this support […]
Challenging times call for creative methods. In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, Catholic Charities’ Department of Workforce and Education transitioned its high school equivalency preparatory classes to distance learning, as on-site classes were suspended. To gear up for the change, Catholic Charities’ educators assembled and delivered distance learning packets to each student, along with […]
