The tax collector

Lent begins

The Children First Scholarship is a newly created one-time only scholarship established to provide tuition assistance at participating local non-public elementary schools to students on the 2013-2014 Buffalo Public Schools transfer list* that closed on February 7, 2014. To be eligible, students on this list must be currently enrolled in K-7th grade at a low-performing Buffalo Public School (ie: NYSDOE designated focus or priority school) and be from a financially eligible family.

The scholarship has been created to offer Buffalo Public School families whose transfer requests could not be accommodated by the District an additional educational opportunity for their children. Students who qualify will have a one-time opportunity to apply. Applications are due May 16, 2014. Initial scholarships will begin in the fall of 2014. Once the scholarship is awarded, it would continue through each approved student’s eighth-grade school year as long as the student remains eligible and meets renewal guidelines. The largest award available is $1,500 per child per year. Each family must contribute a minimum of $500 per year towards tuition and families may be required to pay the difference between school tuition and the scholarship award. A list of participating local non-public schools may be found at www.childrenfirstscholarship.org.

It is anticipated that the Buffalo Public School District will announce this opportunity to eligible Buffalo Public School families via written letter that is scheduled to be mailed on February 27, 2014.

Students who are City of Buffalo residents who choose to transfer to a non-public elementary school may still be eligible for Say Yes Buffalo scholarships if they attend a public/charter high school in the City of Buffalo from 9th through 12th grade. Details may be found at: www.SayYesBuffalo.org/bpstransfer.

The Children First Scholarship is privately funded. The John R. Oishei Foundation awarded a challenge grant to support the effort, and the Diocese of Buffalo, the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, the Rich Family Foundation and the Bell Fund have made matching grants. The goal is to obtain commitments for $500,000 per year which would fund the renewable scholarships for approximately 300 students through their eighth-grade school year.

Bishop Richard J. Malone issued the following statement as a result of many questions and concerns raised by parishioners about the decision of New York State Senator Timothy Kennedy to change his stance on abortion.  The story was originally reported by The Buffalo News on Feb. 16, 2014.

When I first arrived in Buffalo, I was encouraged to learn of Senator Kennedy's pro-life position.  Today, I am extremely disappointed and deeply concerned about his turnaround on this most critical issue, the protection of pre-born human life.

For anyone to say that he or she is a faithful Catholic and to be pro-abortion/pro-choice rights is totally inconsistent with Catholic teaching, which is clearly articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:  “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.  This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.