St. Bernard’s Open House

Event Start Date:
December 1, 2021
Event End Date:
December 1, 2021
Event Venue:
Catholic Center, 795 Main St., Buffalo, NY

Do you feel you are called to the Lay Ecclesial Ministry or the Permanent Diaconate? Do you want to know more about getting your degree or a certificate in ministry? If you are interested in the diaconate or continuing your education, please join us on December 1st at the Catholic Center for an evening of fellowship and learning about St. Bernard’s upcoming course offerings and programs!

December 1st, 2021 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Catholic Center in downtown Buffalo. 

Learn more about:

  • Courses for the spring 2022 semester
  • The cost of our Masters and Certificate programs
  • The admissions process
  • All financial aid and scholarship opportunities

Registration is required. We hope to see you there!

Inclusive Christmas Mass

Event Start Date:
June 8, 2023
Event End Date:
June 8, 2023
Event Venue:

A shorter, sensory-friendly Mass with lower lighting, softer music, and no incense. Low-gluten hosts are available.

Saint Bernadette Church 
Monday, December 27, 2021 at 7:00 to 7:30 pm
5930 South Abbott Road, Orchard Park, NY 14127

The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available at 6:00 pm. Father Bob Owczarczak will the celebrant. Featuring a special song composed by Brielle, a recently confirmed young adult with autism who serves on Saint Bernadette’s Family Team and Open Doors Ministry. 

Masks are required walking into and out of Church and while processing to receive Holy Communion. A reception will follow in the accessible Parish Ministry Center with social distancing according to current COVID-19 guidelines. If guidelines change, the reception may be canceled. The Mass will be available live on Saint Bernadette’s Facebook Page. 

Questions? Contact Sharon at 716-648-1720 ext. 3 or sharonu@saintbopny.org

Adoption Mass

Event Start Date:
November 14, 2021
Event End Date:
November 14, 2021
Event Venue:
OLV Basilica

OLV’s Adoption Mass will take place Noon on November 14, 2021.  OLV invites all adoptees, birth parents, friends, relatives and adoptive families to attend this special Mass.

Reflecting on Pope St. John Paul II’s impact on Catholic Bioethics

Event Start Date:
November 3, 2021
Event End Date:
November 3, 2021
Event Venue:
Canisius College Science Hall Commons

The Permanent Chair of Polish Culture at Canisius College is hosting a lecture, Reflecting on Pope St. John Paul II’s impact on Catholic Bioethics, by Rev. Thaddeus Pacholczyk on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. at the Canisius College Science Hall Commons, 2001 Main Street.  Fr. Pacholczyk currently serves as the Director of Education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia and directs the Center’s National Catholic Certification Program in Health Care Ethics.  A priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, Fr. Pacholczyk writes and speaks widely on bioethics and medical ethics.  He has participated in several hundred presentations, lectures, debates and roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has taught bioethics classes at a number of Seminaries and at Catholic University of America.

Fr. Pacholczyk has degrees in philosophy, biochemistry, molecular cell biology and chemistry, as well as a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University.  He worked for several years as a molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and studied at the Gregorian University and the Lateran University in Rome where he did advanced work in dogmatic theology and in bioethics, examining the question of delayed ensoulment of the human embryo.   He writes a widely distribued monthly newspaper column on bioethics and has done commentaries for numerous media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, CNN International, ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, and the New York Times.

The lecture is free and open to the public.  Science Hall is located on Main Street and Jefferson Avenue with both street parking and off-street parking available. 

March for Life 2022

Event Start Date:
January 20, 2022
Event End Date:
January 21, 2022
Event Venue:
Washington D.C.

March for Life 2022

Together, we stand for the unborn | January 20-21, 2022

It is with regret that we are informing you that the Diocese of Buffalo has canceled the trip to the March for Life for the year 2022 in Washington, DC.

Local events:

Event Start Date:
January 15, 2022
Event End Date:
January 15, 2022
Event Venue:
St. Joseph Cathedral

 

Youth Pro-Life Mass
5:30 pm at St. Gregory the Great, 200 St. Gregory Court, Buffalo, NY. We have also scheduled a Mass with Bishop Mike Fisher encouraging all to attend, especially our youth on Saturday, January 22nd, 2022 at 5:30pm. This will be our local “March for Life” with lite refreshments to follow after Mass. We look forward to working with you on the various ways in which we, as a Diocese, can still actively, prayerfully and peacefully participate as much as possible.

 

End of Life Issues Seminar

Event Start Date:
November 6, 2021
Event End Date:
November 6, 2021
Event Venue:
St. Stephens Parish

Saturday, November 6th –End of Life Issues Seminar (9am – 10:30am)
St. Stephens Parish (2100 Baseline Road, Grand Island)

This seminar will be presented by Deacon Frank Kedzielawa who brings his unique knowledge and expertise both as deacon at St. Stephen’s and as a practicing attorney.
There is no charge for this seminar and refreshments will be served.  All are welcome!

Mass for the Loss of a Child

Event Start Date:
October 23, 2021
Event End Date:
October 23, 2021
Event Venue:
St. Mary of the Cataract

Mass for the Loss of a Child (12:00pm Noon)
St. Mary of the Cataract (259 Fourth Street, Niagara Falls)

For those interested, confessions will be offered at 11:30am and after Mass. Refreshments and fellowship will follow the Mass

Synod Mass

Event Start Date:
October 17, 2021
Event End Date:
October 17, 2021
Event Venue:
St. Joseph Cathedral

Bishop Michael W. Fisher will preside at a special Mass this Sunday, October 17th at St. Joseph Cathedral at 3:00 pm, formally launching in the Diocese of Buffalo the worldwide Synod convoked by Pope Francis last weekend. The two-year global reflective and consultation process involves all levels of the Church in considering the universal mission of evangelization and in a process of discerning how to best to engage as an active, constructive influence in addressing the issues that define modern culture and society. The Synod will culminate with the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission,” at the Vatican in October 2023.

In his remarks at the Vatican, Pope Francis explained: “…As we begin this synodal process, let us begin by asking ourselves — all of us, pope, bishops, priests, religious and laity — whether we, the Christian community, embody this ‘style’ of God, who travels the paths of history and shares in the life of humanity…” Describing the Synod as a “journey of spiritual discernment,” the Pope explained “That word [Synod] summons us to discernment and it brings light to that process. It guides the synod, preventing it from becoming a Church ‘convention,’ a study group or a political congress, because it is not a parliament, but rather a grace-filled event, a process of healing guided by the Holy Spirit…”

Marriage Anniversary Mass

Event Start Date:
October 24, 2021
Event End Date:
October 24, 2021
Event Venue:
St. Joseph Cathedral

St. Joseph Cathedral (50 Franklin Street, Buffalo)
Celebrant: Bishop Mike Fisher
For couples who will observe their 50th, 60th & 70th wedding anniversaries with a special Mass where couples will renew their marriage vows
Registration Deadline: Friday, October 1st
Please contact your parish priest or secretary to register
For more information call the office of Pastoral Ministries 847-2205

Respect Life Mass

Event Start Date:
October 3, 2021
Event End Date:
October 3, 2021
Event Venue:
St. Joseph Cathedral

Respect Life Mass and Commission Mass for Respect Life Coordinators
October 3rd, 2021

Mass begins at 10:30 am at St. Joseph Cathedral 
50 Franklin St., Buffalo, NY 

Following Mass: Blessing of families, babies and expectant mothers
Sponsored by: Diocesan Office of Pastoral Ministries

NOTE: This is also a reminder to please consider your second collection to support our Diocesan ministries that directly have served over 1,500 families at the five locations of the St. Gianna Pregnancy Outreach Centers and the Mother Theresa Home.