Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse ...

Billboards and signs with moving words and animated pictures boldly grab our attention, especially when we're driving. It is almost as if the words and pictures are leaping out at us. These messages can be so dazzling to us that we slow down to carefully read them and take them in.

On Aug. 9, the state of Tennessee executed 59-year-old Billy Ray Irick, who had been sentenced to death 32 years ago. Irick was responsible for the death of 7-year-old Paula Dyer, who had been left in his care, and the details of his crime are not appropriate for this publication. It was a heinous and vicious act.

One second; that's how long it takes for a injury to occur. In my case, that is exactly how long it took for me to be out of sports for six months. I am now in my fourth month of recovery from surgery to replace my torn ACL, lateral meniscus, and medial meniscus and I can say that while the experience definitely wasn't fun, it wasn't entirely bad either.

It's that time of year again, when many children, teens and adults fortunate enough to have access to formal education, head back to school to learn about such things as math, science, history and the arts.

As we continue our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to introduce you to Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodriguez. He was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where my mother was born and her mother's family still lives today. He was born on Nov.22, 1918, to parents who had very strong Catholic roots. One of his brothers became a priest and one sister became a Carmelite nun. This year, many parishes throughout Puerto Rico are celebrating his jubilee year with pilgrimages and masses in his honor.

"Every Life: Cherished, Chosen, Sent" has been a consistent theme of St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis and one that has particular urgency today. This year's theme for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Respect Life Program fills us with encouragement and hope and calls us to love, defend and celebrate all human life. It calls us to joyfully follow the example of Christ, to love without limits, and further, to act on that sense of true Christian charity.

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus, Christ, son of David, son of Abraham," thus Matthew begins his gospel (1:1). This tongue-twister list of biblical names is only read on a weekday in Advent and most recent writing on the list has focused on the unusual inclusion of five women, namely Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, the wife of Uriah (Bathsheba) and Mary. However, since verse 1 presents the overall image of Jesus the Messiah (Christ) in Matthew, thoughts here will focus on "son of David" and "son of Abraham" as images applied of Jesus.

The Back-to-School ads have been running since the 4th of July, and now September is here and back-to-school is real. Families all across Western New York are settling into a regular routine of waking early, packing lunches, catching the bus and doing homework. Families also start to get busy with many extra-curricular activities. Sports practices, scouts, or other clubs makes September feel even more hectic. Throw into the mix the suggestion that this can also be "back-to-church" time, and it could be enough to send a parent over the edge with the thought of too many commitments.

"The covering of the head with a veil symbolizes the reality of woman sheltered in the side of her Source and becoming one with Him. She becomes covered and hidden in her Divine Spouse." - St. John Chrysostom

Sept. 15-Oct. 15 of every year in the United States we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This celebration began as a weeklong celebration by President Lyndon Johnson and became a monthlong celebration during Ronald Reagan's presidency in 1988. Across the United States schools, colleges, community organizations and churches celebrate.

Another school year is upon us and our Catholic Schools will once again open its doors to children of all faiths. Though open to all faiths, our Catholic identity and Christian values are present, and clearly evident as the primary focus of each school along with an exemplary academic program. Families who choose Catholic education for their children understand that a spiritual learning environment helps to strengthen the Christian values they teach within their own homes. Having children who daily interact with other children practicing those Christian values and seeing them modeled by the adults around them helps strengthen our future families and communities.

It is important that I once again address the topic which has caused so much pain for so many. You do not need me to remind you that grave sins and crimes committed by a small percentage of clergy have had wide-ranging and long-lasting effects both here in our diocese and in the worldwide Church. I am convinced that the best way to respond to complaints of past abuse and to restore trust in the Church and her clergy is to be as open and as transparent as reasonably possible in addressing the complaints and taking action against offending priests.

In the early months of his papacy, Pope Francis felt the urgent need to courageously preach on the actual existence of the devil, and the grave dangers of not taking his existence seriously (see: 1 Peter 5:8-9).

The middle section of Mark's Gospel, 8:32-10:52, presents Jesus and His disciples journeying to Jerusalem. Three times in this section Jesus predicts his coming suffering and death. Each time the disciples misunderstand Jesus and the meaning of the cross. The second prediction 9:30-31, and the subsequent misunderstandings include two passages involving children.

There is a thirst for truth and authenticity in our culture, the likes of which has never been seen before in the history of our country. The extreme polarization of thought and opinion has given rise to some of the most intense debate of which people are capable.

I hope you read Bishop Richard J. Malone's column in the July issue that talked about "building bridges instead of walls." He ended his powerful reflection with this observation: "Do all you can to learn about these issues ... Study them through the lenses of sacred Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching. And then ... act!

"Go out and be missionary disciples, witnesses of God's love to the world," is what 300 delegates were called to do June 22-24. Thirteen delegates along with Bishop Richard J. Malone and Father Ryszard S. Biernat went to Albany for the Regional V Encuentro. Delegates came together from New York, Rochester, Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rockville Center and Syracuse. Those from our diocese are all very grateful to the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo who made it possible for them to attend.

As I write this column, I'm just home from some restful days back in Massachusetts, where I lived for 58 of my 72 years until I was called to Maine and then Western New York. It is always a grace to reconnect with cherished people and places, and to enjoy for a few days the beautiful and calming sight, sound and smells of the Atlantic Ocean.

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI wrote his encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" which was a reminder of God's unfathomable love for humanity. His goal was to remind the world of the love God has for each individual and how limitless it really is.

We need to imagine ourselves as refugees and then imagine what justice looks like. The good news is that our imagining of justice for immigrants and refugees can be guided by a strong and clear teaching of the Church on this issue.

"You're not listening to me!" We have all said those words. We feel hurt, disrespected, and perhaps even angry when others seem to ignore what we have to say. Now, in good Catholic fashion, let's do an examination of conscience. Are we listening well to others?

Rejuvenation and refreshment are what summer is all about. In Psalm 23, we read, "beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul." Have we ever reflected that the place of greatest refreshment for us as Catholics is the Mass where we not only drink in the teachings of our Lord from Sacred Scripture, but also feast on the Body and Blood of Christ? Nourished by the living presence of Christ, every corner of our lives is touched with grace. We go forth from the Mass #Catholic Strong, empowered to live Christ in the world and to joyfully witness to His love.

Why are people poor?

Father's Day this year as for many families like mine, was a gathering at a home, park or restaurant. Our family gathered at my brother's house where three generation of families celebrated their fathers and asked God's blessing upon these great men whom we have been blessed to have in our family. I believe they learned from their role model, my dad who worked and spent his life taking care of 11 children and his wife with much love and care. He spent a lot of his spare time taking us out to enjoy the day at parks. Papi was a man of faith, who would have us pray the rosary together. On Sundays, our family would fill the whole pew at church. He was well remembered at our Father's Day gathering this year.

The Sunday after the 9/11 attacks I was walking to my car after Mass in Alameda, Calif. I was being followed by a tall man and when I turned and asked if I could help him, he asked if the 9/11 attacks were the beginning of the defeat of evil as promised in the Book of Revelation. Why he chose me I don't know but we had a lengthy discussion.

They say that joy is the truest sign of God's presence. Our most recent popes have called upon all Catholics to spread the joy of knowing Jesus with a new and missionary fervor. A joy for the Gospel, of which Pope Francis so often speaks, can only succeed if it exudes at all levels of church life - personal, parish, school, campus, in health care, and social services. But we cannot give what we do not possess. How would your parish score in its capacity for joy, these days?

Love and responsibility often get ignited by a new calling. The call to marriage or to the priesthood, for example, brings about a new movement of grace and love in the heart. Such a movement also happens when one becomes a mother or father. I tell couples in Marriage Preparation that when they have their first child they will discover that some part of their heart, which up until this point has been dormant, will be activated. That is because the love parents have for their child is so incredibly unique.

"Bishop Malone's office, Siobhan speaking - how may I help you?" Over the last two months, a multitude of callers have been on the receiving end of my phone greeting. I've talked to distressed citizens who express anger over Church cover-ups and silence, to concerned Catholics whose faith has been shaken by the priest abuse scandal, and to the victims of this abuse themselves. These latter individuals often share their stories, which are heartbreakingly horrible to hear. Even being on the periphery of their pain has been deeply disturbing. Yet remarkably, it is their strength more than their suffering that has most resonated with me.

Recently there has been a challenge to a long-held interpretation of the story of the Widow's Gift found in Mark's gospel. No doubt many have heard this short narrative used to praise self-sacrificing on behalf of others or to indicate that a gift is measured by the spirit in which it is given. But is that what the story is meant to convey?

Imagine for a moment what it would take for you to stuff whatever you could into a garbage bag and take your entire family to a place you have never been, without any certain plans or destination.

Prayer is a basic necessity for us as Christians. Realizing this will help us have a better relationship with Jesus. We are blessed because we could not have a better teacher than Jesus. He prayed to the Father every chance He got. He even gave us the Lord's Prayer so that we can pray to our Father in heaven. We can learn and use this prayer daily. Therefore, those who don't know anything else, can at least pray the Lord's Prayer.

Recent attention in local media has been given to the joyful news of the ordination of four men as priests for service in our diocese, and, on the other hand, to the tragic story of past clergy abuse of minors. While we rejoice with our new priests, and share the sadness and anger of abuse victims - while continuing our commitment a to safe environment for our young people - we must not lose sight of other important matters that call out to our consciences.

When a disciple of Jesus takes his or her prophetic baptismal call seriously, that person's words and actions live on long after he or she leaves this world.

There has been mention recently in the local media about the advocacy efforts of the Catholic bishops of New York State at the State Capitol in Albany. The Diocese of Buffalo, with the seven other dioceses of New York state, is represented in Albany by the New York State Catholic Conference, the official voice of the Catholic Church in our state. The conference represents the bishops in working with government to shape laws and policies that pursue social justice, respect for life, and the common good. Through the NYSCC, the bishops speak with a unified voice on issues of education, poverty, family life, abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, social services, health care, criminal justice and the environment. This is the way in which the Church shines the light of Catholic social teaching on critical issues of the day and encourages citizen involvement in the legislative process through the Catholic Action Network.

More than $700,000 was collected in the Diocese of Buffalo during the 2017 Retirement Fund for Religious Appeal. This total includes donations from throughout the United States through the "Share in the Care" website which is sponsored by the Religious Retirement Fund in the Diocese of Buffalo. Donations to this site can be made online throughout the year.

A few weeks ago I joined about two dozen other volunteers who went inside a local prison to offer a four- day retreat to 40 of the men inside the facility. I have been part of this ministry for over 10 years, and in that time I have had the opportunity to meet a great number of inmates who, although they have made some serious mistakes in their lives, are dedicated to turning their lives around.

In the Preamble of the National Black Catholic Congress XII, Pastoral Plan of Action, "The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me," states that as black Catholics, "We commit ourselves to promote the causes of canonization of the five holy women and men being considered for sainthood in our Church." The delegation that went to the National Black Catholic Congress from Buffalo met this past March and one of their goals is to commit themselves to helping everyone in our diocese learn about them. They are requesting that we all pray for their canonization.

There are many experiences that tie Western New Yorkers together. One of them is visiting the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. I recall being especially attracted to a beautiful "Eucharistic Dove" circa A.D. 1200. It was auctioned off by the Albright-Knox in 2007 but can still be seen online.

"In her voyage across the ocean of this world, the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves of life's different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship, but to keep her on her course."