Home Again Refugee Resettlement Project update

The Salt and Light Group has collected many household items for the Home Again Project. We are all set with furniture donations. We could use clothing hangers, window fans, household decorating items,  a microwave and male and female hygiene items (comb, brush, shampoo, bar soap, etc).

For donation pick up please call Maura MacDonald at 832-5429 or email her at sixmacs85@gmail.com.

Also remember to volunteer on June 11th - move in day, we have 3 crews:

Cleaning crew - 9-11a
Move In crew - 11a-1p
Decorating crew- 1-4p

Please let her know where you can help. Many hands make light work.
Thank you.

HOME AGAIN meeting March 29th at 7pm

Jerusalem from our church windows

Our Salt and Light Group here at St Benedict's is taking on a bigger role this year. After the successful collection of the many household items over these past many months, we have decided to step up our efforts.

We are going to participate in a project called HOME AGAIN where we actually prepare an apartment from start to finish for a refugee family. We are collaborating again with our neighbors from St Peter's Episcopal Church.

Our first organizational meeting will be held Tuesday March 29th at 7pm in the school cafeteria. Please feel free to call Maura MacDonald with any questions at 832-5429 or email her at sixmacs85@gmail.com. Light refreshments will be served.

EVENING PRAYER SERVICE 24 January 6pm

UPDATE 2 Feb. 2016: A write-up about our Evening Prayer Service http://episcopalwny.org/eggertsville-churches-come-together-in-worship

To close out 2016’s Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity, the congregations of St. Benedict’s R.C. Church, and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will conduct a shared,  Evening Prayer Service . The date is Sunday, January 24, beginning at 6pm, and will be held at St. Peter’s- located at 205 Longmeadow Rd. in Eggertsville. Please Join us!

The clergies, musicians, laity, and choral groups from both churches will participate in this unique endeavor, in response to a joint letter calling for a collaborative effort to serve our community- generated by both Bishop William Franklin of the Episcopal Diocese of WNY, and Bishop Malone of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Lay people and deacons from both churches in 2015 had been meeting to generate a response to last year’s joint letter, which recently resulted in a Thanksgiving Dinner for foreign ESL students that meet at St. Peter’s.  

It is hoped that this collaborative service and continued meetings between the two churches will generate more joint ventures in the areas of outreach ministries to the surrounding Eggertsville area, and to the wider WNY community.  

St. Peter's Episcopal & St. Ben's serving together!

Last year, Bishop Franklin (of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York), and Bishop Malone released a Pastoral Letter encouraging members from both Dioceses to work together in addressing problems of poverty, discrimination, and other societal ills. Two parishes took that letter to heart.

Deacon Bill Hynes of St. Benedict’s and Deacon Tom Tripp of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church met during that awful 2014-15 Buffalo winter, and started a dialogue.



Maura MacDonald with
one of our Chinese Guests!

Both parishes mainly serve the Eggertsville-Snyder-Tonawanda areas directly northeast of the city. After several joint meetings between the deacons and lay people of the two parishes, it was decided to birth the collaboration with a Pre-Thanksgiving meal for ESL students that met regularly in the St. Peter’s building. Diana Leiker, an Episcopal Postulant [Diaconal Candidate], put the program together, after hosting two prior St. Peters’ dinners for the students during the summer months. This was part of her social ministry project for the Episcopal Diaconal Formation Program.


The joint dinner was held on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and was hosted by members of St. Peter’s vestry, plus those of the Outreach & Community Life team. St. Benedict’s had 18 people in attendance, led by their Salt & Light Group, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Deacon Hynes, and Father Robert Mock. St. Peter’s was represented by the parishioners mentioned above, several youth, and the presence of the Rev. Ann Markle, Deacon Tom, and Postulant Diana Leiker.  Several ESL students and their instructor rounded out the estimated 40 attendees.

The dinner began with thanksgiving blessings in several faith traditions that led into the traditional Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. The ESL students spoke to the gathering about their own versions of ‘Thanksgiving” in their cultures. Everyone was invited to participate in their own personal art project, and a musical sing-a-long of traditional American songs closed out the evening.
The evening was filled with much of cross- informational talk between the laity of the parishes, plenty of interaction with the ESL students, and of course- plenty to eat.


Postulant Diana Leiker

We hope that this event was the beginning of a meaningful collaboration between Christian congregations to further welcome strangers to our shores, while working with refugee agencies such as Vive La Casa, Journey’s End and Catholic Charities.

The clergy of the two churches also decided to plan and hold a joint Vespers Service in January to further solidify our future efforts.  It will take place at St. Peter's January 24th at 6pm.  All are welcome.

[taken, with minor additions, from http://episcopalwny.org/early-thanksgiving-party?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+episcopalwny%2Fnews+%28Episcopal+Western+New+York+News%29]



Seminarian Peter Bassey



A welcoming gift for ESL families

 

 

9/11 Interfaith Prayer Service - Eggertsville

You may also be interested in the 9/11  prayers and remembrances on the US Catholic Bishops' website - http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/september-11/