May Crowning 2013

MAY CROWNING

The annual St. Benedict Parish May Crowning will take place at the 10:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 5th.

 

The Rosary Altar Society will join our parish’s new third grade First Communicants, along with the eighth grade students in the ceremony to honor our Blessed Virgin Mother.

 

All families in the parish are welcome and encouraged to join the processions into church as we celebrate this beautiful event.

 

9th and 10th Graders - Christian Leadership

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR NINTH AND TENTH GRADE STUDENTS

For some years our Diocese has had a summer gathering for our young people. This experience equips them for ministry with their peers, offers practical skills, and develops leadership potential. It also offers an opportunity to meet other young people from all over our diocese.

Our parish will sponsor, and underwrite the cost, for ten (10) ninth and tenth grade students for the Christian Leadership Institute which will be held at the Saint Columban Renewal Center on the Lake Shore in Derby from Sunday, June 23—Saturday, June 29.

Father Mock and Mr. Matt Smith, our Director of Youth Ministry and Faith Formation, will be sending letters of invitation to each of these students. Since space is limited to ten, please let us know of your desire to attend as soon as possible. Registrations need to be completed by the middle of May.

IMPORTANT PARISH MEETING!

We are having a Parish Planning Session on Sunday April 21 at 2pm followed by a special Mass at 4pm and dinner at 5pm.  All Parishioners are invited.  Please do everything you can to be with us for this very important day.

The general list of topics the Pastoral Council has developed are these:

Liturgy-music, homilies, times of Masses and types of Liturgy

Youth-Spiritual (Faith Formation), service, social

Parish Life/Community-Parish ministries, outreach and social aspects of parish community and increasing membership

School/Parish-The relationship between the two, how to improve interaction, communication, involvement and support

Finance-Financial health of Parish, capital projects, increased offertory

Everyone is welcome to attend this, but we will need a count for the dinner, which will be Chicken Parmesan. Please call the Rectory during regular business hours (9am-4pm), or send us an email at rectory@saintbenedicts.com to let us know you will be attending with the number joining us for dinner.

For families who want to attend, but whose children may be too young to participate in the discussions, we will have a few of our high school students available for child care from about 1:45 pm to 3:45 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend Mass and share in the dinner. I sincerely hope you will be able to join us for this day. If you are unable, you may email the parish at rectory@saintbenedicts.com with your comments or concerns.

BishopS coming to St. Ben's

That's right!  in the next few weeks, St. Benedict Parish will be visited by TWO bishops for separate liturgies.  If you have not participated in a liturgy with a bishop in some time, now is your chance.  We welcome Bishop Malone and Bishop Grosz and are honored to have them with us.




Bishop Richard J. Malone will be at St. Benedict's on Sunday 28 April at the 10am Mass to officially install Fr. Robert Mock as our pastor.  There will be a reception for Bishop Malone afterwards in our cafeteria.  Please come and meet the new Ordinary of the Diocese of Buffalo. This is his first visit to our parish. In March of 2000, he was ordained Titular Bishop of Aptuca and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Boston, South Region. Bishop Malone was installed as the 11th bishop of Portland, Maine, March 31, 2004. On May 29, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop Malone 14th bishop of Buffalo. On Aug. 10, 2012, he was installed as 14th bishop of Buffalo at St. Joseph Cathedral. On the same day, he became apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Portland. For more information about Bishop Malone click his photo.



Bishop Edward M. Grosz will be at St. Benedict's on Tuesday 30 April at 7pm for the celebration of Confirmation.  Everyone is welcome to this liturgy. Confirmations with Bishop Grosz are always joyous events and full of the Spirit.  Please join us if you can.  Bishop Grosz, a Buffalo native, was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buffalo and titular bishop of Morosbisdo by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1989. He was ordained a bishop and installed to these positions on February 2, 1990.  For more information about Bishop Grosz click his photo.

WELCOME TO ST. BENEDICT'S, BISHOPS!

Holy Week and Easter Schedule 2013

St. Benedict's Church

1317 Eggert Road

Amherst, NY
Diocese of Buffalo, New York

Click here for directions.

 

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER SCHEDULE

 

Holy Thursday 28 March 2013

9am Morning Prayer

5pm Shared Supper  [bring a dish to share; all are welcome, but please call Alan/Mary Long at 837-8940 or Pat Webster at 837-2899 for reservations.]

7pm Mass

8:30-11pm Adoration

Good Friday  29 March 2013

9am Morning Prayer

9:30-Noon Adoration

Noon Service with Communion

6pm Stations of the Cross

Holy Saturday  30 March 2013

9am Morning Prayer

9:15am Church decorating

3:00 pm Blessing of Baskets [click here for information on items in a traditional Easter Basket and what they symbolize.]

8:00 pm Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday  31 March 2013

8, 10 and 11:30am Masses

 

Action alert: H.R 940 Health Care Conscience Rights

Ask Congress to Support H.R. 940, the Health Care Conscience Rights Act! Take Action! New bill would protect religious freedom and rights of conscience Dear Friend of Religious Liberty: Thanks in large part to your efforts, this week, Rep. Diane Black and fifty other House members introduced a new bill called the “Health Care Conscience Rights Act,” H.R. 940, which would protect Americans’ First Amendment rights by providing a full exemption for all those whose religious beliefs run counter to the HHS mandate. The bill would also protect institutions and individuals from forced participation in abortion. Here’s a video highlighting a few stories of people this bill would help. Also, check out Archbishop Lori and Cardinal O’Malley’s letters supporting the bill. Can you spare a few minutes to contact your Members of Congress? Urge them to support House bill H.R. 940 and help ensure its enactment as part of “must-pass” legislation. Members of the House should also be asked to co-sponsor the bill. Call using the "Take Action" link or click here to email your two Senators and Representative! Join with us in calling on Congress to protect the right of all people and groups to participate in life-affirming health care—without violating their consciences. Please contact your Congressional representatives today and urge them to support H.R. 940 to protect religious freedom and the moral convictions of all! For more information or to join the postcard campaign, go to NCHLA’s action alert. Thank you for all that you do in support of life and liberty! -Your Religious Freedom and Conscience Protection Team P.S. Please forward this to friends and family who share your concern to protect the rights of all to participate in health care! They can click here to sign up for our email list or text the word FREEDOM to 377377 for mobile updates.

HELP! We need items for the poor.

Outreach Alert:
 
Our humble, generous friends at the Ladies of Charity need help right away! They are running out of household items they need to help the poor. 

They will take one item or 100's! Of course the items need to be clean and not in need of repair.....you can be given a donation receipt if need be. Here is what is needed as soon as possible:

Any size sheets...they do not have to be in sets

Any size curtains/drapes

Blankets

dishes ..all sizes (especially cereal bowls)

silverware

pots and pans.

actually any household items, but the above are desperately needed.

They can be dropped off at 1122 Broadway - Ladies of Charity ..8:30-3:30 Phone: 895 4001

OR to Eileen Nowak at 741 Delaware Ave.

Thanks....with your help we should be able to manage through a few weeks.

Eileen Nowak
Director Parish Outreach and Advocacy/Ladies of Charity
Catholic Charities
218-1400 ext 204

SURVEY for 18-39 year olds!

Attention those ages 18-39! 

You have a voice in the Catholic Church and we want to hear it. 

The Diocesan Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministry is conducting an area-wide survey of all young adults to help understand your spiritual and social needs. This includes all high school grads, college students, young singles, young families, etc.

We are interested in the responses of those who regularly attend Mass, occasionally attend, and those who may have left the Catholic Church or are no longer practicings.

If you are a young adult, or if you have a young adult in your family, please visit www.dobyouth.org/youngadultsurvey.  It only takes 5-10 minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous.  

The results will be shared with pastors and church leaders to help address your needs. The more responses the better, so please share with your young adult family and friends. The survey will be live through May 31st. 

Thank you.