Bishop Michael W. Fisher wanted to start this new school year in a proper way. So, he called down the Holy Spirit upon all of the works and all of the joys and all of the activities of the Catholic school students. Wearing red vestments as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Fisher celebrated […]
Father Harmon lived in the old Vandemark Hotel, Main and West Center (where Avanti’s now stands.) There was no rectory in Medina and only a small wood structure church. It was his task not only to minister to the faithful, but to build a permanent Catholic presence on this frontier in the communities under his […]
With the arrival of the Erie Canal on the Niagara Frontier came many of the first Catholics to the region. Sparsely settled only 20 years before, this new land was now poised for unbridled economic and spiritual growth. With Catholics scattered across Niagara and Orleans counties, there were precious few opportunities for communal worship or […]
The second episode of “Dinners With Our Founders,” a special podcast miniseries produced by the Diocese of Buffalo to celebrate its 175h anniversary, has been released, featuring Bishop John Timon, the first shepherd of the diocese. The episode is available for listening and downloading on WNY Catholic’s official SoundCloud channel, SoundCloud.com/BuffaloDiocese. You may also click […]
Perhaps you’ve been asked this question: if you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be? To celebrate its 175th anniversary, the Diocese of Buffalo is creating imagined one-on-one dinners with some of those who have left a continuing impact on the diocese in the audio play miniseries, “Dinners With Our Founders.” […]
When the dioceses of Buffalo and Albany were created from the New York Diocese in 1847, the city of Buffalo had been incorporated for only 15 years. The Catholic population of approximately 10,000 were served by three permanent churches and eight temporary structures. Father John Timon, CM, was named Buffalo’s first Bishop in 1847. When […]
The strength and the beauty of Catholicism lies, in part, in the diversity of its followers. The notion of the Catholic Church as an immigrant church is well known. Lesser known are the stories and the contributions of African Americans to the faith. Here in Buffalo, African American Catholicism enjoys a rich heritage beginning very […]
Bishop John Timon, CM, left a lasting impression on the Diocese of Buffalo, the full scope of which is probably not well known. Bishop Timon, who served in Buffalo from 1847 to 1867, was not only the founder of the diocese, but the foundation as well. He built the first hospital in the city, as […]
