Our Daily Bread: Christmas will air on Sunday, December 20 at 12:30pm on WKBW-TV Ch. 7. Fr. Paul Seil will be with Bishop Malone as they talk about this most holy time of the year.

Choir of St. Louis Church to present Lessons and Carols. The Choir of St. Louis Church, under the direction of organist/choirmaster Frank Scinta, will present a Festival Service of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 20 at 4pm in St. Louis Church, 35 Edward Street at Main, Buffalo. Featured will be carols and anthems of Praetorius, Ord, Posten, Willcocks, Iseler and others. For more information, contact St. Louis Church, 716-852-6040, http://www.stlouischurch.org.

Joy to the World Christmas Mass will air on Friday, December 25 at 6am on WKBW-TV Ch. 7. Bishop Richard Malone celebrates this Mass at the Mercy Center Chapel of the Sisters of Mercy in South Buffalo. The choirs are from Mt. Mercy Academy and St. Joseph Collegiate Institute. This Mass was recorded in 2014.

The First Christmas, a claymation tale of the timeless Nativity story written in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, will air on Friday, December 25 at 12noon on WKBW-TV Ch. 7. Bishop Richard Malone introduces "The First Christmas" and will close this program by offering a Christmas blessing. This presentation, narrated by Christopher Plummer, was produced by The Christophers in association with Billy Budd Films and funded by the Catholic Communication Campaign.

Pope Francis says: "Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God's love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is a caress of God." Laudato Si, Care for Our Common Home (84). Action: Make a Christmas gift list that includes fair trade items to support our brothers and sisters in developing countries and in the United States. For ideas, visit http://www.crsfairtrade.org. Need a gift for children? Two great new children's books, "Green Street Park" and "Drop by Drop," help children understand how we can put God's love in action.

Merry Christmas! from Catholic Charities - May the gift of the Christ child bless you and your family this season. You can also give in the spirit of Christmas to the Catholic Charities Immigrant and Refugee Assistance Program. The program helps hundreds of refugees start life anew in the form of housing, furniture, and even gift cards. Have a gift card to spare, or maybe an old table and chairs to repurpose? Consider donating to people in need in your own diocese. Please call 716-842-0270 for more information or to offer assistance in their programs. Visit http://www.ccwny.org for more information on the programs that Catholic Charities offers in Western New York.

March for Life Pilgrimage, Washington, DC - January 21-22. Most Reverend Richard Malone, Bishop of Buffalo, will be attending the Mass at the DC Armory in Washington on January 22 with youth groups from Buffalo. Breakfast and Mass at the Washington Plaza Hotel: Celebrant Rev. Steve Jekielek; Keynote Speaker: Kathryn Lopez. Buses will depart on the morning of Thursday, January 21 from various locations. Washington Plaza Hotel Reservation: 202-842-1300 or 800-424-1140; mention: Diocese of Buffalo 2016. REMINDERS: hotel deadline date is December 20; bus deadline date is December 21. Payment is non-refundable if received after December 31. For prices and bus locations, check our website under "Yearly Calendar" at http://www.buffalodiocese.org/Evangelization/ProLife.aspx.

Sweetheart Sweepstakes. Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament's Annual Sweetheart Sweepstakes event will be held on Saturday, February 6 at 7pm in the school gym, 20 French Road, Depew. Ticket includes a chance to win $10,000, entry for 2 adults (21+) for free beer, wine, soda, food, additional cash raffles, baskets, 50/50s, silent auctions and lots of fun! Winner does not need to be present to win the cash drawings. Please consider buying a ticket to help support the school and the furthering education of the Pre K-8 grad students. Contact Dana Cox for tickets at 716-812-1070 or visit the website for a ticket application: http://school.olbsdepew.org/NewsEvents/SweetheartSweepstakes2016.aspx.

Center of Renewal at Stella Niagara. 2016 Retreats for your calendar - plan ahead! 1) Retreat week with Fr. Michael Crosby, OFM from June 19-24. 2) Directed Retreat Week from August 22-28. 3) Weekly Lenten Series on "Laudato Si" Encyclical with Sister Karen Allen; six Wednesdays in Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, 7-8pm. 4) Advent Retreat with Fr. Tom Hartle, OFM from December 1-4. 5) Pysanky Egg Decorating Contemplative Weekends with Sister Gert Lacki, OSF from January 8-10 or February 12-14. For more information, contact the Center of Renewal Retreat & Conference Center at 716-754-7376 or email CenterOfRenewal@stellaosf.org.

Facing Divorce? You are not alone. Hundreds of people have turned to DivorceLINK for help during the pain and confusion of their marriage breakup. DivorceLINK is a volunteer organization offering support and healing help to men and women of all ages who are going through separation or divorce. You are invited to our open-forum "RAP group" which meets twice a month. Divorce recovery courses are also available. For more information or a DivorceLINK packet filled with information and resources, call the Office of Family Life Ministries at 716-847-2210.

For Your Marriage: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provides information and resources about a healthy marriage in general and Catholic marriage in particular. Offerings include a Daily Marriage Tip, regularly changing features like the monthly Marriage Quiz, Book of the Month review and Marriage in the News. They continue to add to the content on a regular basis. Go to this user friendly website: http://www.foryourmarriage.org. Click on "Caring for Your Marriage," then "Resources."

Marriage Moment. In the spirit of Advent waiting, practice waiting on your spouse today. While waiting for your spouse to arrive, calmly remember the good person you are awaiting (instead of stewing if he or she is late). Or "wait on" your spouse in the sense of doing a favor for him or her.

Parenting Perspective. Too busy? A traditional Hindu attitude toward service is for parents to pull back from doing much outside service while their children are young. When the children are raised, they jump fully back into the service area. To everything there is a season.

God Knows Parenting is a Wild Ride! If you ever wished for practical tools, resources, skill-building techniques, and lots more, one of these free parenting packets is designed just for you. Parenting Packet I: addresses the basic tough tasks of raising children in today's world. Parenting Packet II: is for those separated or divorced; focuses on positive ways to co-parent well in order to help children of all ages who are profoundly affected by their parents' divorce deal with the pain and upheaval in their lives. Parenting Packet III: death and grief are inescapable. If you feel ill-prepared to discuss death with a child, you are not alone. This packet offers useful tools from preschool through teens. For your free packet, please call the Office of Family Life Ministries at 716-847-2210 or e-mail familylife@buffalodiocese.org.

USCCB-Word of Life: "Regardless of our circumstances and whether people acknowledge it, nothing and no one can take away our God-given dignity." -USCCB 2015-16 Respect Life Program "Maggie's Story: Living like Dad"

USCCB-Palabra de Vida: "Independientemente de nuestras circunstancias y de si las personas lo reconocen, nada ni nadie puede sacarnos la dignidad que Dios nos otorg≤". -Programa Respetemos la Vida 2015-16, USCCB "La historia de Maggie: vivir igual que papa"

The St. Joseph Cathedral Choir will present a concert of Christmas Lessons & Carols on Monday, December 21 at 7:30 pm, under the direction Organist-Choir Director Tim Socha. Music will include compositions by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Matthew Culloton, Ola Gjeilo, Philip Stopford, Louis Vierne, Bob Chilcott and others. The Cathedral Choir will be joined by members of the Nichols Upper School Chorus and the Christ the King Seminary Schola. There will be a free-will offering. All are welcome. St. Joseph Cathedral is located at 50 Franklin Street, downtown Buffalo, between Church & Swan Streets. Call 854-5855 for more information.

The Fourteen Holy Helpers Church Choir presents a Festival of Lessons and Carols on Sunday, December 20 at 4:00 p.m. in Fourteen Holy Helpers Church, 1345 Indian Church Road corner Union Rd., West Seneca 14224. Directed by Patrick Barrett, the program features works of Paul Manz, Boris Ord, Thomas Ravenscroft, Egil Hovland, Carl Schalk and others, and will include two new carol arrangements of James Kirkby. The concert is free and all are welcome. For further information, call 674-2374.  

*** New Bulletin Announcements will be posted on December 14, 2015.***