Some may have left home because of the feeling of being neglected, abandoned, abused, burned out and discriminated against by the actions taken by some in the Church. Maybe some just stopped coming because life just got too busy, so they fell into a routine. It may be possible that leaders who were in the Church said something to them that scared them away. That person may not be there any longer. It is up to those who are attending Church now to invite those people to come back home for Christmas, and to continue coming.

The announcement of the Catholics Come Home campaign, which will begin just before Christmas in this diocese, may be an early Christmas gift, if only for the great questions that it raises in us. How often have we heard someone bemoan a parish liturgy? What can we, regular Catholics, do about it? Not much? Maybe more than we think. Because worship is essential to a good parish, and good worship starts with good welcome, this is the first step to building a guest-friendly Church.

One morning as I was driving to work, I heard a little voice coming through the radio of a young lady giving her testimony of forgiveness. It was so incredible, so much so, that I said, I have to bring her to Buffalo for Da Bounce. The young people need to hear her testimony. It is just too incredible. She will be able to touch so many young people and help them have a relationship with Jesus. I began repeating her name until I got to my office and typed it into my computer. I was able to locate her, Rosario Rodriguez from Los Angeles.

According to Vatican-speak, a specially scheduled session of the Synod of Bishops is an "Extraordinary Synod," meaning not-an-ordinary Synod, held every three years or so. In the case of the recently-completed Extraordinary Synod of 2014, extraordinary things did happen, in the "Oh, wow!" sense of the word. And if this year's Extraordinary Synod was a preview of the Synod for which it was to set the agenda, the Ordinary Synod of 2015, that Synod, too, promises to be, well, extraordinary.

With the open enrollment period for Western New York seniors to choose their health care coverage for 2015 currently underway, Catholic Health is alerting area residents about important changes implemented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York to their Medicare Advantage offerings.

Do you realize that according to the Church you have a moral obligation to vote? The Church doesn't just encourage you to vote, or recommend voting; the Church states that participation in political life is a moral obligation. No matter how you might look at the current state of politics, our obligation is to participate in public life and to do so for the common good.

When I was bishop of the Diocese of Portland, we had the custom of hosting an annual social for our governor, state legislators and others in political life. It was an opportunity to thank men and women in elected office for their service to the people of Maine. It was also a moment for me to share reflections on various dimensions of Catholic teaching concerning issues of public policy current at the time.

From October through November we are given plenty of opportunities to celebrate our faith with the various cultures represented here in our diocese. In November, the Church in the United States celebrates Black Catholic History Month, the Puerto Ricans in our community will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Providence and the Native American Community celebrate National Native American Heritage Month.

During this month of October we take time to remind ourselves that as Catholics we respect life, life in all its forms, life as the greatest gift of God. And we declare October to be Respect Life month. What a great celebration it should be - expressing our gratitude for the immeasurable variety of life, and how the human person participates in the light and power of the Spirit of God. Our celebration of life is, of course, marred by those events and practices that we recognize to be a part of a culture of death, and not a culture of life. And in this month, we particularly pay attention to the tragedy and the scandal of the presence of legalized abortion in our country.

Pope Francis has captivated the world with his humility, warmth and compassion for each person. Vivid accounts of his tenderness for "the least of these" - the elderly, the imprisoned, those with disfiguring disabilities, the unborn and many more - seize our attention. Why?

As most of you know, I returned recently from a Bishops' Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace in the Holy Land. You can read more about that experience online. It was an intense experience that will take me some time to process, both in my mind and in my heart.

We can often get frustrated in our mission to help create a more just and peaceful world. Sometimes it seems that injustice is beyond our personal involvement, or that some issue is too overwhelming or seems just plain unsolvable.

The History of Hispanic Catholic Ministry in the Diocese of Buffalo began in the Steel City in 1949 when Bishop John O'Hara was called to address the spiritual needs of the Spanish speaking people in Lackawanna. The numbers of the Spanish-speaking Mexicans in that area was increasing.

The title of this column is borrowed from a fine book on monastic culture and spirituality by Father Jean Leclerq, OSB. While monasticism is a blessed vocation within our Church, it is not, however, my topic this month. The love of learning and the desire for God is.

One of the fondest memories I have of the first day of school, when I was a student (a thousand years ago), was that anticipation of a whole new year, a new teacher, new books, new friends and new things to learn. All things were possible.

The Permanent Diaconate has been restored in the Church for nearly 50 years, and there is still some confusion as to what a deacon can do.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision in the case of Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby. The Court said that the owners of Hobby Lobby, the Green family - devout Christians - are free to run their business according to their religious beliefs. The Greens had objected to paying for certain kinds of contraception in their employee health insurance plan, specifically, four different kinds of contraception that can cause early abortions.

They come across the border, fleeing the situation back home, sometimes brought into the U.S. by "coyotes" - the name for the paid "guides" who transport them. Since last October, there have been more than 60,000 of them who have been apprehended - and many more who have escaped detection. Recent government estimates are that more than 90,000 will come across the border in this fiscal year, and that number is likely to increase to more than 130,000 next year.

The situation of children and families crossing the border is nothing new. It has been taking place for many years, but it's being highlighted now, because the numbers are larger than usual.

He is often seen standing at the right hand of the priest, assisting him in the celebration of the Mass, and proclaiming the Gospel. He is wearing a stole over his left shoulder and across his chest, symbolically leaving the right hand and shoulder unencumbered so as to offer service. He is a Roman Catholic deacon, and his ministry dates back to the time of the apostles.

Catholic social teaching is unfortunately the Church's best kept secret. But because it directly addresses the world's most pressing social justice and peace issues, Catholic social teaching needs to come out of hiding and be discovered, read, preached, proclaimed and lived in our parishes, schools, universities, media, homes and society.

You have certainly seen them on the street unless you purposely turn away and pretend they aren't there, or if you diligently avoid eye contact. You may or may not take notice of what they're wearing, like layers of clothing even in the heat.

For several years, I have been following the research of Christian Smith, currently a professor and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at Notre Dame University. Smith and his colleagues began in 2001 the National Study of Youth and Religion, the most comprehensive national study ever conducted about American teens' religious and spiritual lives.

This year's summer mission will take place July 8, 9 and 10, with the theme, "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive."

As this school year comes to a close, all of our schools are showcasing the great work, inventive creativity and high energy that always characterize our Catholic schools.

Just about a month ago, Pope Francis created quite a stir when he sent out a tweet that said, "Inequality is the root of social evil." Two things happened. First, this was re-tweeted more than 17,000 times, and secondly, there was a great hue and cry from some corners about the over-simplification of economics by the pope, or at least that he was confusing.

During the months of May and June we set time aside time to honor our mothers and fathers in heaven and here on earth. We gather to celebrate and give thanks in family for all that our parents do for us. Yet there are many families in our midst who do not have the opportunity to enjoy this gift that some of us may take for granted.

Few would argue the power of the media today and the emergence and influence of social media can hardly be denied. Like most things in life, there are pros and cons to this. But everyone can agree that by using some form of media, one can get the word out.

It is important that our voices are heard not only on this public square, but we must, we must be heard all the way to the halls of the State capitol in Albany: the time for approval of the Education Investment Tax Credit is NOW - it's that simple.

One of the changes over the past year is that there is a new pope. Who would have guessed the cardinals had gone almost to the end of the earth to get him? This humble and well-planted leader has refreshing words for us daily, along with an unassuming style. Pope Francis asks us to love one another and not to judge others in their situation. He says, "Gossip can also kill" and not to spread it.

One of my philosophy professors often reminded the class that in reading philosophy - or anything, really - there is no text apart from the context. What is the larger context when it comes to the painful subject of fewer Catholic schools?

This past Lent my office together with the parishes offered a three-day retreat with lay evangelist Richard Lane on evangelization. He challenged us in the pews to be enthusiastic about our faith. Be happy. Be enthusiastic. Share your stories.

Saints John XXIII and John Paul II prophetically raised their voices on behalf of the suffering masses. They spoke truth to power, and challenged all of us to advance the kingdom of God - a kingdom of love, justice and peace.

An article in The New York Times a few weeks ago caught my attention. It was about an effort to legalize commercial surrogacy in New York state, the process whereby people who wish to be parents pay a woman to rent out her womb to grow a baby.

Isn't it a curious and concerning thing that so many of our Christian feasts have been overlaid - better, co-opted - by all sorts of customs that, though nice, have little to do with the essence of those feasts? Christmas comes first to mind, which for too many folks seems more a consumer-driven winter wonderland festival than the celebration of our Savior's birthday. And don't let me get me started on what popular American culture has done to the vigil of the Solemnity of all Saints ... better known, sadly, as Halloween.

I know there is a picture somewhere of me and some of my fellow Bishop Turner High School students digging a hole to plant a tree in celebration of the first Earth Day. That was 44 years ago in 1970. The Vietnam War raged on, student protestors were killed by police at Kent State, and Apollo 13 abandoned its mission.

Following the Jan. 15, 2014, announcement that 10 Catholic elementary schools would close, the Department of Catholic Schools received a large number of telephone calls, letters and emails, with questions concerning the process. The following are answers to the most frequently asked questions.

April 1 marks about the half way mark along our Lenten journey. Many of us have been given opportunities to participate in parish and diocesan retreats. We are continuing weekly Stations of the Cross at the parish or Lenten Bibles Series. Some parishes are offering missions.

The other day, I came across a monologue called "Unafraid," about a young girl from Somalia whose father was a missionary. His passion for sharing Christ landed him in jail and he was beaten because he was Christian. Nevertheless he continued teaching about Jesus to the prisoners and to everyone around him.

The Catholic Relief Services staffer was describing her young son's unique way of answering a classmate's question about where his mother worked. He told his friend, intending to communicate that she is on staff at CRS's San Salvador office, "She works in God's house."