Diocese of Buffalo-Family Life-For the Family

Family Life

FOR THE FAMILY …

ENTHRONEMENT OF THE SACRED HEART: An active spiritual program carried out in the home increasing personal and family devotion to the Sacred Heart. The core, the heart, the essence of the Enthronement is LOVE. For information contact Tom and Paula Radel at 633-3939 or e-mail tjradel@yahoo.com or snyderfire59@yahoo.com

ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF FAMILY LIFE MASS WITH BISHOP KMIEC held at St. Joseph ’s Cathedral on the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, 2008 at 10:30 am . Blessings of families and reception to follow. Mass will be signed for the hearing impaired. All are welcome … traditional families, blended families, single parent families, families without children, widowed persons, grandparents, international families, extended families. It is a great way to begin the Advent Season and Celebrate Family! This event is sponsored by your Office of Family Life Ministries and other Diocesan Offices. Question? Please contact us at 847-2210 or e-mail us at familylife@buffalodiocese.org.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING provides couples a safe effective means to achieve or avoid pregnancy and gain understanding of their gift of fertility. The NFP Family Network of Buffalo offers support and fellowship to couples in the teachings of the Catholic faith, specifically in the areas of marriage, family and openness to life. The group sponsors couples nights out, theology-enrichment meetings, marriage enrichment evenings and family events. For more information, please contact the Network at nfpfamilynet@yahoo.com. For information regarding meetings contact Catholic Fertility Care Centers of WNY at Sister’s Hospital – 862-1944, Mercy Hospital – 828-2438 or Mt. St. Mary ’s Hospital in Lewiston – 298-2385.

Catholic Fertility Care Centers of WNY Introductory Session Schedule – 2008:

Sisters of Charity Hospital 2157 Main St. Buffalo , NY 14214 716-862-1944		Buffalo Mercy Hospital 565 Abbott Rd Buffalo , NY 14220 716-828-2438	Mt. St. Mary ’s Hospital 5300 Military Rd. Lewiston , NY 14220 716-298-2385
Saturday mornings @ 10:30 am		Saturday mornings @ 10:30 am	Thursday evenings @ 7:30 pm
January 12	June 14	January 19	January 17	July 10
February 16	August 16	March 29	February 21	August 14
March 15	September 27	May 10	March 27	September 18
April 19	October 18	July 19	April 17	October 16
May 17	November 15	September 20	May 22	November 20
		November 8	June 19

		Wednesday evenings @ 6:30 pm
		February 27
		April 9
		June 4
		August 13
		October 15
		December 3

For more information and the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers regarding Natural Family Planning and its impact on Marriage and Family Life and the The ology of the Body according to the mind of Pope John Paul II, we recommend your contacting Father Matthew Habiger, OSB personally at mhabiger@kansasmonks.org. See www.nfpoutreach.org for weekly columns called NFP Q & As which addresses many issues surrounding NFP including fertility, the pill, spousal love and much more. The se are free to copy, use and share with others.

BISHOP COMMITTEE HOME VISITORS
This program as sis ts parents in the religious and moral training of their pre-school children. As part of the pre-baptismal class or at the baptism itself, free educational materials are given to the parents by a Visitor. Visitors meet twice yearly for updating, mutual support, liturgy, sharing and a Day of Reflection. The Bishop offers his encouragement and thanksgiving for this valuable ministry in the Diocese of Buffalo. Click here for Bishop Committee Visitor's Programs Brochure.

BISHOP’S COMMITTEE DISCUSSION PROGRAM
BCDP is open to persons of all faith traditions. It is a discussion group that meets once a month from October – May. Meetings are facilitated by trained leaders and each meeting centers on a topic of a spiritual nature. This encourages personal growth; offers support; strengthens one’s faith and fosters the sharing of ideas and feelings all from a Catholic/Christian perspective. Sharing takes place in an accepting/confidential environment. Brochure and/or facilitator training are available. For more information, contact your Office of Family Life Ministries at 847-2210 or e-mail us at familylife@buffalodiocese.org. Click here for Bishop Committee Discussion Program Brochure.

MAGNIFICAT: A Ministry to Catholic Women. Gentle Woman, Mother of Mercy Chapter, Buffalo , New York . An international ministry to Catholic women. It’s purpose is to help Catholic women open more to the Holy Spirit through a commitment of their lives to Jesus Christ and to impart the Holy Spirit to one another by love, service and good news of salvation. It is an opportunity to grow in holiness.

Catholic women gather for a breakfast meal, sharing together the same praise and gratitude that Mary proclaimed to Elizabeth in her Magnificat of the wonderful action of God in her life. This charismatic experience continues after the meal when there is an opportunity to hear one woman’s experience of the transforming love of Christ in her own life. This is followed by a time of prayer for all present.

Schedule for 2008

Date: Saturday March 8, 2008
Place: Holiday Inn – Amherst
             1181 Niagara Falls Blvd.
            Amherst , NY
Time:    9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Speaker: Denise Bob ak
Cost: $15.00

Date:   Saturday May 31, 2008
Place: Creekside Banquet Facility
            West Seneca , NY
Time:   9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Speaker: Dawn Curazzato
Cost: $15.00

Date:   Saturday September 20, 2008
Place:   Holiday Inn – Amherst
Time:    9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Speaker: To be announced.
Cost: $15.00

Date: Saturday December 6, 2008
Place: Creekside, West Seneca , NY
Time: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Speaker: To be announced.
Cost: $15.00

For more information on Magnificat contact Evelyn Morcelle, Coordinator at 652-2286. For information and/or reservations contact Gloria Doeing at 652-4301.

M.O.M.S. (Ministry of Mothers Sharing): A ministry designed for moms by moms to support and affirm women in the many roles of life as mothers, wives, daughters, sis ters and friends e.g. women bonded by their vocation and their Catholic faith gathering to share joys and struggles. Open meetings are twice monthly from September to May. Free child care is available. Also available are MOMS Playgroup, Evening MOMS and MOMS Book Club. All moms are welcome to participate in all gatherings each month. For information contact Dawn at 636-8987 or e-mail Dawn at dawn5554@aol.com

DISABILITIES:

Persons With Disabilities: Over 14 million Catholics have a disability. The se disabilities cover a wide spectrum of both physical and neuro-psychological disorders. Resources and information are readily available to you. The Diocese of Buffalo offers a Directory of Spiritual Resources For Persons With Disabilities which provides information for persons with disabilities of all ages to fully participate in the life of the Church. For information, go to their website at http://www.buffalodiocese.org/disabilities.

For another great resource that includes Disability News, Events/Recreation, Reflections, Deacon Mike’s Favorite Websites and availability for a speaker on disability awareness and so much more, go to http://www.wnyreligion.net/quinn and click on Broken Body Angles.

Catholic Men’s Fellowship: A ministry for men’s spirituality focusing on family, church and community.

The 6th Annual Men’s Conference ‘Take Some Time for God’ will be held Saturday March 1, 2008 , 11163 Main Street , Clarence , NY 14031 . For more information on time, presenters and topics call 635-8333 or e-mail www.SpiritIsCalling.org.

RESOURCES:

Family and parenting packets: Practical, easy to use and accessible activities, resource ideas and enrichment opportunities are offered seasonally and coincide with the liturgical cycle of the church. The y are designed to encourage the spiritual dimension of “ordinary” family life. Present packets include Family Lenten/Easter Packet, Advent Activities, Grandparent Activities, Summer Spirituality Tool Box of Ideas, Coping With the Holidays and Parenting Packet.

Parenting Perspective: Short, concise, practical and helpful ideas are provided weekly. The se suggestions as sis t you in parenting skills and building family unity. Click here for current insight.

Sunday Gospel Reflections and Intercessory prayers: The se are provided to families and parishes and are based on the month’s scripture readings. The y offer a family perspective and help families to prepare in advance for the coming Sunday liturgy. Reference the first of the month Chancery mailing. Click here for current month.

RESOURCES: Responding To Issues of Concern

	Become more knowledgeable. Movies: Web sites such as Kidsinmind.com provide excellent non-judgmental information. Kidsinmind actually takes films scene by scene and provides information about specific content such as violence, sex and profanity and offers a rating of the degree of each area within the scene. It even rates G movies which surprisingly might have a scene with bathroom humor or a scary moment or two.
	Invite your children whenever they are age appropriate to read the review with you. It opens dialogue with you and helps them make better informed decisions and choices.
	Share with other persons who hold the same core values you have and whose faith and knowledge you trust.
	Remember you have the power of the pen and pocketbook.
	Prayer. Where two or more are gathered in God’s name (in mind, heart and spirit for the greater good) God is present. Jesus is with us through both good and bad and offers us wisdom, insight, endurance, fortitude and enough grace to help us. Utilize solid web sites.
	United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has an incredible wealth of information and resources. Go to the main web site www.USCCB.org.
	CatholicAnswers.com
	CatholicLeague.com
	NSTeens. The newly released NSTeens content features animated comic-book-style characters who model safer online practices. The materials include animations, peer response videos, and an interactive webcomic to address issues such as social networking and cyberbullying. To supplement these dynamic content, educators, parents and guardians are provided with safety tips, classroom activities and discussion starters to open the lines of communication with their tweens. The ir logline is “Can these friends help each other make the right decisions online and in the real world? To find out more about the crew and available resources visit http://www.NSTeens.org.
	www.NetSmartz.org. The NetSmartz Workshop is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the internet. Included are excellent Blog Beware Tips.

Resources for Parents

-West, Christopher: Good News About Sex And Marriage –“Answers to Your Honest Questions about Catholic Teaching".

-Evert, Jason: "Pure Love" (A pamphlet for teens) available at www.pureloveclub.net.

-Evert, Jason: If You Really Loved Me - a book available at Catholic.com or Amazon.com etc.

- Meeker, Meg MD: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters http://www.megmeekermd.com/ Excellent book about the influence of Dad’s in their daughter’s lives, including self respect and emotional/social development.

-Pipher, Mary Ph.D.: Reviving Ophelia -saving the selves of adolescent girls. An extensive study of the psychological factors that lead to eating disorders and behavioral concerns with teenage girls.

-Laaser, Mark Ph.D.-Talking to Your Kids About Sex - For early adolescents, offers a Christian approach to this topic·

-"Catechism of the Catholic Church" - The most comprehensive work on the teachings of our Catholic faith. Available at most book stores or online.

Online Resources:
- www.lyrics.com - help to decipher song lyrics
- www.catholic.com -catholic resources
- www.cpyu.org center for parent/youth understanding – current statistics/trends.

“ The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality”- Vatican web site for this document from the Pontifical Council for the family. Very solid resource regarding Catholic teachings! http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/family/documents
/rc_pc_family_doc_08121995_human-sexuality_en.html

Thomas Lickona’s Center for the 4th & 5th R’s Newsletter vol. 13, Issue 2. This is not written from a Catholic perspective, but it is a very good character based article on “ The Dangers of Premature Sexual Involvement.” http://cortland.edu/character/newsletters/2007-Fall-red.pdf