Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Podcasts

Each year many Catholics celebrating Holy Thursday Mass then embark on the traditional Seven Churches Visitation, symbolizing the seven stops Jesus Christ made between His Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Some visitors choose their churches based on ethnic connections or perhaps other local history. The excursion from St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst, meanwhile, included every church within its...

The Chrism Mass, during which priests renew their promises, and chrism and sacramental oils are consecrated, is held every Tuesday of Holy Week. WNY Catholic Audio was inside a packed St. Joseph Cathedral for this year's Chrism mass.

The Diocesan Choir Festival Concert will be held Sunday, April 21, 2024 beginning at 5 p.m. in St. Louis Church in Buffalo. WNY Catholic Audio met with two participants to learn more about the concert, and the movement to preserve and celebrate classic Christian choral song.

The Diocese of Buffalo's Catholic Committee on Scouting honored more than two dozen local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with various Catholic-oriented awards, celebrating their commitment to using Scouting to nurture their faith and share it with others.

During his Palm Sunday homily Sunday, March 24, 2024, Bishop Michael Fisher discussed the suffering of Jesus Christ and also the suffering of those victimized by past abuse by clergy, lay personnel, and volunteers affiliated with the Diocese of Buffalo. The intention of the Mass was for all victims and survivors of abuse.

Throughout Women’s History Month, we have recognized and celebrated Women Religious whose works and influence have touched countless lives in Western New York. But we now also thank and recognize the countless lay women of the Diocese of Buffalo who spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and serve as examples of discipleship.

Throughout Women’s History Month, we have recognized and celebrated many individual Women Religious whose works and influence have touched countless lives in Western New York. In this installment, we recognize the many more Sisters who have left a positive impact on people’s lives, yet whose names are not necessarily remembered.

Sister Mary Angela Betke combined her Christ-like compassion with her education in psychology and psychiatry to serve children living with emotional and learning disabilities, founding and operating the Cantalician Center for Learning.

An official ceremony was held Tuesday, March 19, 2024 to formally open the new Perry-St. Brigid Food Pantry, a larger space which replaces the longtime nearby Fulton-St. Brigid Food Pantry. It is one of the numerous services offered by Catholic Charities in Buffalo, which is currently in the midst of its 2024 Appeal.

Mother Mary Anne Burke possessed skills in education and financial management which served her well. Her contributions to the Diocese of Buffalo include half a century of service as principal of St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. She also led the Sisters of St. Joseph in the acquisition of land where several key institutions would be built.

They are a sisters act, in more ways than one. Sisters Joanne and Mary Francis Gangloff are siblings and both Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Both Sisters have dedicated their long lives in service to Jesus Christ in diverse ways, with their words, and by their deeds.

Before coming to Buffalo from Romania, Sister Mary Judith Fenyvesi experienced the Holocaust and communist oppression firsthand. She turned those experiences into ministry recognizing and acting against social injustice, while urging her students to do the same.

Sister Ellen McCarthy was educated at St. John the Baptist School in Alden, and would later go on to be its principal, overseeing several capital projects, introducing Pre-K and Spanish language programs, and has also served as a pastoral associate and council member for the parish.

Born in Elmira, New York in 1873, Mother M. Helena McLaughlin would come to Buffalo and become a major builder in the Diocese of Buffalo, leading projects such as a new motherhouse for the Sisters of Mercy, what would become Mercy Hospital, and St. Jerome Hospital in Batavia.

As the number of priests has decreased, their roles have become even more important in many parishes’ day-to-day operations. Sister Lori High is one such woman serving in a parish leadership role, and has held many roles in her more than 40 years of ministry and service to Christ, in Western New York and elsewhere.

While growing up in South Carolina, Sister Roberta Fulton witnessed the love of the Sisters of St. Mary and their active involvement in social justice, including the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Inspired by this, she decided to pursue a life following Christ, doing so as a social justice advocate.

For many Western New York Catholics, entering the Catholic faith begins with a knock on the door. And it might just be Sister Louise Alff who was doing the knocking.

To hear the Word of God with our ears is a gift that most of us may take for granted. Sister Conchetta LoPresti, meanwhile, uses her hands to help spread the Good News to those who are physically unable to hear it.

Approximately 75 people were honored March 9, 2024 at a special Mass in downtown Buffalo for their service to parishes and the Diocese of Buffalo. They are this year's recipients of the diocese's Lay Award of St. Joseph.

Sister Gail Glenn has lived her entire life in Buffalo, and has dedicated her life to nurturing children’s minds and souls through her work in Catholic education, fostering an environment where all students may feel safe and appreciated, and where teachers are encouraged and supported to bring out the best in each student.

Sister Grace Wechter of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart was a driving force in the growth of D’Youville College, now known as D’Youville University, an institution which today continues to provide education in health sciences, liberal arts and business. She was a pioneer in developing education in sociology and social work.

Sister Mary Joanne Suranni brings a never-ending joyful energy to the people she interacts with in Niagara Falls, New York, whether it’s while working in faith formation, or education, or providing personal support.

Sister M. Hubert Pollard kept four simple but potent words in her heart – “The Love of God.” It is by those words she served more than 60 years with the Sisters of St. Joseph, more than 40 them in roles at St. Mary’s School for the Deaf.

Sister Ursula Mattingly spent only seven of her 40-plus years of service to God in the Diocese of Buffalo, but in the mid-1800s she led her fellow Sisters in building what remains Buffalo’s oldest-existing large hospital, one that overcame public prejudice and outperformed the local public hospital during a major cholera outbreak.

Sister Mary McCarrick served the Diocese of Buffalo by holding important leadership positions, while also showing her true Christlike guidance when working directly with the poor. She did both through her longtime leadership role at Catholic Charities.