Happy New Year of Faith!

Happy

New
Year of Faith!

Thresholds in time also create special moments in time. The New Year is just such a threshold for assessment and decision - our resolutions. But real, "do-able" resolutions mean personal change. We change because we see something, that makes us feel something, and propels us to change something. What really motivates us is emotion, not information.

Stop and take a look inside yourself.  Pull out your calendar and your favorite posts, tweets, pics or blogs on Facebook, Youtube or Pinterest.  Look over your timeline, activities and the events of 2012.

Ask yourself:

• What was most significant in my life over the 365 days that just past?
• What do I need to put aside for God to be at the center of my life? What change do I want to see in my relationships?
• What must change in me in order to have a hope capable of sustaining me no, matter what lies ahead?
• What will I continue to consume and what will I allow to consume me?
• Am I a Catholic on purpose or am I a Catholic by default?
• What support do I need from God in the coming New Year of Faith?

Now pray for it!

Congratulations!    You just kicked off your own New Year of Faith! 

p.s. you're invited to our next Year of Faith meeting, Thursday 24 January, 7pm in the Tobin Room - use Eggert Rd lot, door number 5, first floor.  Hope to see you there!

courtesy of Dennis Mahaney
Office of Parish Life
Diocese of Buffalo, New York

CHRISTMAS 2012 schedule

Christmas Mass Schedule

St. Benedict Parish

1317 Eggert Road

Amherst, NY

www.saintbenedicts.com

 

 

Christmas Eve

Family Mass 4:00 pm

(pageant at 3:45 pm)

 

Vigil Mass 8:00 pm

Midnight Mass (Music begins at 11:30 pm)

 

Christmas Day

Mass 10:00 am

Mass 11:30 am

 

 

New Year’s Eve - Mary, Mother of God (Holyday Vigil)

Vigil Mass 5:00pm

 

New Year’s Day- Mary. Mother of God (Holyday)

Mass 10:00 am
Mass 11:30am

All are welcomed to join us for this celebration of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Here are suggestions for keeping Christ's birthday special this year:

1) keep your Christmas decor up at least until the Feast of Epiphany - the 12 days of Christmas.

2) explain your Nativity Set to your childen and grandchildren  - details at http://bit.ly/tXuXmY
 

3) have a Bible visible to visitors and opened to Matthew or Luke's Gospel
 

4) make sure one of the gifts for your children and grandchildren is a sacred reminder (an icon, rosary, statue, etc.). Enclose a little note telling them how important your faith is to you.
 

5) invite others to sit with you at Christ's Mass (schedule above)

For more information about Christmas click HERE.

If you would like more information about the Catholic Faith or joining our parish, please contact Deacon Bill at bhynes@saintbenedicts.com. 

Drummer Boy Mass 2012

Saint Benedict School invites you to

The Drummer Boy Mass

Thursday, December 13, 2012 - 10 a.m.

Reception immediately following in church vestibule

If you are new to our Saint Benedict family, this is an event you won’t want to miss! The whole student body and faculty process into the church bringing wrapped Christmas gifts to be given to Gateway-Longview – a local foster care program that takes care of children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse.

The music from The Drummer Boy is played and a special second grader is chosen as the Drummer Boy to lead the procession. This beautiful annual tradition at Saint Benedict School will surely grip your heart and will remind you of the true meaning of Christmas.

All are invited to please come and join us to celebrate this wonderful event!

Our "Good Bye" to Fr. Joe

A "good-bye" farewell for
Fr. Joe Porpiglia

Come and say "good bye" to
Fr. Joe.

 

Next Sunday,
December 2nd
after the 11:30 AM Mass.

 

Everyone is invited.

 

Here is copy of the letter Fr. Joe wrote to us to announce his new assignment:

To the Parishioners of Saint Benedicts:

It has been my pleasure to be your Pastor for the past six years. With my term about to expire,
I applied for and was appointed by Bishop Malone to be the new Pastor of St. Joseph's Parish in Gowanda and St. Mary's Parish in Cattaraugus, effective December 3, 2012.

My time with the people of St. Benedicts has been a blessing to me. The dedicated service and commitment people have shown to the faith has been a real inspiration. Please be assured of my

prayers for all of you and please keep me in your prayers during this time of transition.

My last weekend at St. Benedict's will be December 1 & 2. I wish you Godspeed as you continue
to support the parish and Fr. Paul Sabo as you await your new Pastor to be assigned.

May God's Blessings be with all of you for many years.

Fr. Joe Porpiglia

Giving Tree 2012

The annual St. Benedict’s Parish Giving Tree Project has begun! 

Please take a tag from the tree in the front, or the one in the back of the church,and return the wrapped gifts to the front Christmas tree by Sunday, December 9th. The tags have suggestions for gifts, ages and sizes of the recipient, that have been provided by the families we are helping this year.

Help us make a difference in the lives of our Giving Tree recipients once again this year. Your past generosity has transformed the holidays for many people over the years and we need you more than ever this year. Please attach the tag to the wrapped gift when you return it to the tree.

Thank you and God Bless you during this holy Advent season!

Thanksgiving Breakfast for the needy

Can you help?  Denise Levy is once again coordinating a Thanksgiving breakfast for the homeless at Little Portion Friary.  Here is her letter...

Hello,

I've already heard from a few people interested in providing breakfast items and/or service at Little Portion Friary on Thanksgiving morning. Here's the basic list of breakfast items I'd like to provide. If you're interested in sending something not listed, please email me. I would like to stay away from too many sugary baked goods as I've seen tons of donated doughnuts and sweets in their freezers each time I've been there.

I've listed 4 egg items or egg bakes. If you're interested in providing one of them but don't have a recipe, I have an easy one I'd be glad to share.

General info: There are usually approximately 8 women and 17 men. They eat in separate dining rooms so we try to divide the items among the two dining rooms accordingly. Breakfast is between 8:00 and 8:30.

We meet in the Westfield parking lot at 7:30am. People providing the hot items should bring them hot. We leave for Little Portions by 7:45, get there, set up and serve. The guests are responsible for clean up so we usually leave by 9:00/9:30am.

Breakfast items:

• Eggs/Egg Bake:
• Eggs/Egg Bake:
• Eggs/Egg Bake:
• Eggs/Egg Bake:
• Bagels – dozen:
• Bagels – dozen:
• Bagels – dozen:
• Cream cheese – 3 bricks:
• Orange juice – 2 gallons:
• Orange juice – 2 gallons:
• Potatoes:
• Potatoes:
• Whole fruit:

Email me back and let me know what you’re interested in providing for the breakfast. If I’ve left anything out, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Denise  dmlevy@verizon.net

Politics - need to be informed, active participants

  Need to be informed,

active participants in politics

by MOST REVEREND RICHARD J.MALONE

Bishop of Buffalo

Soon we will go to the polls to cast our votes for the president and vice president of the United States, congressional representatives, and state and local officials. When exercising our voting rights, we are not only acting as good citizens. We are also putting our faith into concrete action. Catholics, by virtue of our baptism, are called to be salt to the earth and light to the world. We must not hide our light under a bushel basket, but rather courageously defend our moral principles and promote human dignity and the common good in the public square.

Regardless of claims to the contrary in some media, the Catholic Church is not partisan. We do not promote either the Democrat or Republican party. We do boldly promote fundamental principles that must guide Catholics and others of good will in assessing candidates, evaluating issues and ultimately choose one over another. 

"Let me again emphasize the importance of Catholics becoming informed, active participants in the affairs of politics. Voting conscientiously is not simply an American privilege. It is our responsibility, both as good citizens and as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ."

The U.S. Bishops, in our publication, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," have provided the faithful with a reliable guide for understanding our responsibilities relative to voting. In this resource we outline how respect for the life and dignity of every person, from conception to natural death and at every moment in between, must be the guiding principle underpinning every political agenda. We are called in a special way to protect the weak, vulnerable and voiceless, to defend religious freedom and conscience rights and to share our blessings with those in need.

The only way we can make sound, morally correct decisions about issues impacting our society and informed decisions about candidates for office is to rely on a well-informed conscience. A well-informed conscience does not allow us to justify doing whatever we want, nor is it a "feeling" about what is right and wrong. Rather, conscience is the voice of God speaking to our hearts, calling us to do what is good and to reject what is evil. We inform our consciences by becoming knowledgeable about God’s revealed truth as we find it in sacred scripture and Church teaching, and, very importantly, by praying for guidance.

We recognize that there can be proposals for addressing some pressing social concerns, such as the economy, immigration reform, or retirement security, on which people of good will can reach different conclusions. This is the exercise of prudential judgment, which demands that we never justify an immoral means to achieve a good end.

Prudential judgment does not come into play with every issue that confronts us. Not every course of action is morally acceptable. There are situations in which what is being proposed is an intrinsic evil. Intrinsic evils are actions that must always be opposed because they are always, by their nature, gravely opposed to the will of God. Examples of intrinsic evils are abortion, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research and human cloning, genocide, torture and racism. Intrinsic evils undercut the dignity of the human person. If we think about it for a moment, we can see how all of the life issues are connected. Erosion of respect for the life of any person or group in society necessarily diminishes respect for all life.

Without a doubt, the conscientious Catholic faces many complex and difficult decisions in preparing to vote. That is why an informed conscience, and confidence in the moral wisdom of our Church, is so important. A Catholic may never vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil if, in voting for her or him, one is doing so in support of that immoral position. Conversely, a Catholic cannot justify voting for a candidate who opposes an intrinsic evil if that candidate is known to be indifferent to other serious moral issues involving human life.

There may be times when we find it necessary to vote for a candidate who holds an unacceptable position on a grave moral issue for other grave moral reasons.

We may sometimes find ourselves in the dilemma of being unable to find any candidate who is fully acceptable if all candidates hold one or more morally unacceptable positions. In cases such as this, the voter may decide to choose the candidate who is least likely to do the most harm, or even to take the extraordinary measure of not voting for any candidate.

Let me again emphasize the importance of Catholics becoming informed, active participants in the affairs of politics. Voting conscientiously is not simply an American privilege. It is our responsibility, both as good citizens and as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.

© Western New York Catholic, November 2012

Vincentian News

Vincentian News

St. Vincent de Paul
transept window, St. Benedicts Church
Amherst, New York

Please make note of the following dates! We would love to see you at each of them.  If you are interested in joining our St. Vincent de Paul Conference or our Ladies of Charity simply attend a meeting or call the rectory anytime.  These are our major outreach groups at St. Benedict's.  They humbly do tremendous work for Christ's poor.

1. Annual Retreat--Saturday, November 3rd from 9:30-5 (followed by Mass) at St. Benedict's: Deacon Bill Hynes KeyNote. Please RSVP your attendance to msmith@saintbenedicts.com. Cost $10/person includes lunch and refreshments.

2. SVDP Northern District Meeting, Wednesday, November 7th at 7:30: Gathering Room #1, St. Gregory the Great Parish. One of the agenda items will be nominations for a new Northern District president. Please RSVP by 2 November to njm128@aol.com or by calling 551-1898 or 631-0238.Barb Flynn has offered to be the designated driver to the Northern District meeting if anyone wants to attend. Contact msmith@saintbenedicts.com to make arrangements. In light of the retreat, there will be no monthly meeting for our St. Ben's SVDP, HOWEVER, all members are invited and encouraged to attend this meeting as highlighted below.

3. We Are the Voice of the Poor: Saturday, November 17th from 11:30 4 (followed by Mass) @ 75 Caldwell Place, Lackawanna (a Catholic Charities facility): A collaborative gathering of Vincentians (SVDP, Ladies of Charity, Daughters of Charity, Congregation of the Mission). For more information, please contact Ladies of Charity at 895-4001 or SVDP @ 882-3360 x-4. Cost $15/person includes lunch.   Our own Kathy Sieracki asked Sheila Gilbert to address this gathering. Sheila is the national president of SVDP. Not only is she the first female president of the Society, she is the first to visit WNY. The best way to show our gratitude to Kathy is by our presence. It will be worth the effort!!!!
 

 

Please pass this information along to anyone you feel would be interested.