WASHINGTON, DC - An extensive new survey by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 U.S. adults finds that the percentages who say they believe in God, pray daily and regularly go to church or other religious services all have declined modestly in recent years.

Although dealing with a bout of laryngitis, Bishop Richard J. Malone welcomed participants to the 10th annual Catechetical Conference, which took place at the Depew Grapevine on Oct. 5. He gave a welcoming prayer and blessed pins for every catechist and schoolteacher in diocese. He also thanked the staff of the Office of Lifelong Faith Formation for sponsoring the program.

As the 2015 Revival began on Oct. 13, everyone entering SS. Columba/Brigid Church was given a small rock inscribed with a reminder that only those without sin should cast stones.

Hundreds of people donned their navy blue, sky blue, royal blue and other uniform colors as part of the first diocesan Blue Mass, dedicated in honor of local EMS, fire and law enforcement departments of all faiths. Bishop Richard J. Malone thanked all those who served the community during his homily Sunday morning at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo.

Brothers of Mercy will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on the third floor of the Brothers of Mercy Nursing Home, 10570 Bergtold Road, Clarence, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m. The ceremony will recognize the philanthropy of Russ Salvatore in donating 45 televisions to the nursing home's rehabilitation center.

Bishop Richard J. Malone served as the main celebrant at a Mass that honored missionaries from the diocese who are ministering throughout the world.

Last month, a social group for Catholic young adults held a special celebration in honor of its namesake, a model of a pious Catholic young adult who dedicated his life to the poor.

In the wake of Pope Francis' visit to the United States and his call to Catholics around the globe to take better care of the earth, the diocesan Care for Creation Committee continues to organize events to promote Pope Francis' message released in his June encyclical, "Laudato Si," or "Praised Be." The committee, founded in 2006, arranges events in the diocese to raise awareness of the environment.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Numerous bishops voiced alarm over the lack of a clear definition of marriage in the synod's controversial guiding text, prompting a call for one based on scripture and Church teaching to be added.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. (CNA) - Dan, Rilene and Paul knew that once their stories were out, life would not be the same.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - Glass cases with the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux and her parents, Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, will be displayed in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome for the entirety of the Synod on the Family, Oct. 4-25.

Nationally renowned experts on parish leadership will present a workshop in October at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora on the implementation of the rites of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in parishes.

EAST AURORA — ­Christ the King Seminary will host its annual Curé of Ars Awards dinner on Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Adam's Mark Hotel and Event Center. This year's event will honor Msgr. Thomas F. Maloney and the permanent diaconate community of the Diocese of Buffalo.

The Education for Ministry classes in the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York invite you to attend a very special program to be held at 7PM on Tuesday, October 13, at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 374 Main St., East Aurora. The program is entitled "Encountering Sainthood: A Personal Reflection" and the presenter will be the Rev. Canon William L. Wipfler, Ph.D., D.D. The program will detail Fr. Wipfler's witness to the martyrdom and beatification of Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero.

On Sept. 25, Pope Francis gave his first ever Mass in the Big Apple before an audience of 20,000 people in Madison Square Garden. Immediately following the much-anticipated event, three Western New Yorkers who traveled to New York City for the Mass gave their thoughts on the experience, as well as what it meant to them to be able to hear and see the pope during his inaugural trip to the United States.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Sophie Cruz travelled from Los Angeles, across the United States, with her father and two uncles to try to hand a letter Pope Francis this week. Her dream came true on Wednesday when the popemobile stopped for the child, and she was given the most tender embrace of the day.

ROME, ITALY (CNA) - She has met the Beatles. She speaks fluent French. She has survived 12 U.S. Presidents and she even has a Facebook page. She served in WWII, driving a truck for the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service where she was known to change a flat tire or two.

DENVER, COLO. (CNA/EWTN News) - "I have a friend who has been divorced for 30 years. Her husband just left her one day, and she hasn't received communion in all this time," author David Dziena recalled.

When Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families later this month, he will find a Catholic public that is remarkably accepting of a variety of non-traditional families, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that provides an in-depth look at American Catholics' views on family life, sexuality and Catholic identity.

NEW ORLEANS (CNA/EWTN News) - For Sister Greta Jupiter, SSF, it was an odd sensation driving through New Orleans East in the months after Hurricane Katrina. Her neighborhood was quiet. The power, out. Gone was the familiar white noise of birds chirping. There was no traffic, save for military and first responders.

OMAHA, NEB. (CNA/EWTN News) - Police have arrested one suspect in the assault and robbery of a 76-year-old woman at Omaha's Catholic cathedral - and the woman is asking prayers for her attackers.

DETROIT (CNA/EWTN News) - When presenters addressed last year's Synod of Bishops to discuss challenges facing the family, there was one group who voice was absent - those with same-sex attraction living chastely.

This year, a Catholic tradition and spiritual experience that originated across the Atlantic is celebrating its 50th anniversary within the Diocese of Buffalo. The Cursillo movement, characterized by a three-day weekend retreat of prayer, discussion, reconciliation and reconnecting with Christ, is offered in many parishes of the diocese and is having a celebratory Mass on Aug. 15 for its golden anniversary.

In his second encyclical "Laudato Si," Pope Francis asks all citizens to recognize the planet earth as a common home for all people and creatures, and to work to protect that home.

Countless articles have been written about Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps and the countless social justice connections the Holocaust has to our society in the 21st century.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA).- Fifty-one percent of the reported fire incidents at U.S. houses of worship between 1996 and 2015 were determined to be caused by arson, according to a recent analysis by the Pew Research Center.

ROME, ITALY (CNA/EWTN News) - The Shroud of Turin has different meanings for many people: some see it as an object of veneration, others a forgery, still others a medieval curiosity. For one Jewish scientist, however, the evidence has led him to see it as a meeting point between science and faith.

NEW YORK CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - For Cardinal Dolan, the "virulent strain" of American nativism is not a thing of the past - it's alive, well and seeded in presidential candidate Donald Trump's recent remarks on the topic of immigration.

Cheektowaga celebrated the annual Pulaski Day Parade Sunday, July 20. Check out the sights from the Harlem Road party in our new photo gallery.

The annual Pulaski Day Parade is one of local Polonia's most celebrated days on the calendar. Organizors are happy with this year's parade, set for Sunday, as it features special guest of honor Loretta Swit, star of TV's "M*A*S*H*" and an American stage and television actress of Polish descent. Bishop Edward M. Grosz of the Diocese of Buffalo will bless the parade at 1:15 p.m. in the Thruway Plaza parking lot in Cheektowaga, and also serve as an honorary grand marshal.

Msgr. David M. Gallivan, retired priest of the Diocese of Buffalo, traveled to El Salvador at the end of May to witness the beatification of the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero.

Members of a lay association in the diocese has taken on the special ministry of praying by the bedside of the sick and dying. Representatives from the group, "Disciples of Divine Mercy in the Holy Face of Jesus," recently appeared on the Eternal Word Television Network to talk about the ministry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - Friday's Supreme Court ruling against the traditional understanding of marriage may pose huge obstacles to the free exercise of religion and conscience across the US, the nation's bishops have said in response to the decision.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court decision, June 26, interpreting the U.S. Constitution to require all states to license and recognize same-sex "marriage" "is a tragic error that harms the common good and most vulnerable among us," said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

In a wide-reaching decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that same-sex "marriage" is a constitutional right and that states must recognize same-sex unions contracted as marriages in other states.

In its work with the Western New York community, Catholic Charities is known for ministering to the poor, elderly and people with disabilities. Another facet of its ministry is Delta Development of Western New York Inc., a not-for-profit development company founded in 1988 through the ministry of Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Buffalo, to provide comfortable housing at an affordable price.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th-century hermit who founded the Society of Jesus, also designed the "Retreat in Daily Life." St. Michael Parish in Buffalo regularly offers these directed, group retreats at its downtown church.

The United States Bishops have expressed a need to educate new employees on Catholic hierarchy and the basic functions of the Church. To meet that need, the Catholic Press Association will launch "Fundamentals of the Catholic Church," a training program to teach the ins and outs of the Catholic Church.

Without school to keep the kids occupied, there's a great temptation to vegetate in front of the television all day. Here are 10 tips to get your kids out of the house and away from the television and create tech-free experiences.

ST. LOUIS, MO. (CNA/EWTN News) - Alice Heinzen was with her dad and siblings on a ski trip when she froze on top of what looked like a treacherous mountain path. Her dad was waiting at the bottom, and so were her other siblings - who had all fallen down along the way.