St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute principal Jeffery Hazel has been named Director of Instructional Technology and Learning for the Niagara Wheatfield Public School District. The district's Board of Education approved the hiring at its regular meeting on Mar. 16.

Father Walter J. Szczesny and Father Jozef Dudzik have received new assignments from Bishop Richard J. Malone.

As a celebration of National Nutrition Month, Trocaire College will once again host a Nutrition and Wellness Fair to be held on Wednesday, March 25 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm on the college's Main Campus, 360 Choate Avenue in South Buffalo.

The Chancery bulletin announcements for the week of March 16, 2015.

The professional staff of Catholic Cemeteries understands the benefits of pre-planning. Staff members know how important it is for people to make their plans, then to live life creating memories to last a lifetime.

The Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, Th.D., bishop of Buffalo, will be the main celebrant at the special St. Patrick's Day Mass preceding the 75th annual St. Patrick's Day parade. As in the past, members of the United Irish-American Association will be in attendance, including parade grand marshal Denice Morrison of Darien Center.

A Catholic prayer service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 328 Washington Ave., Dunkirk, for baby "Jesse," the male fetus discovered last August along the shoreline of Lake Erie State Park in Portland, N.Y.

In preparation for the October 2015 XIV Ordinary General Assembly at the Vatican, Bishop Richard J. Malone is asking Catholic priests and their parishioners to discuss and reflect upon the role and place of the family in the world today.

Nearly two years after becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis continues to grow more popular among Americans, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

The St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Visual and Performing Arts Department is proud to announce that "Damn Yankees" will be presented the weekend of March 6-8.

Chancery announcements for the week of March 2, 2015.

A day of prayer and spiritual enlivening titled, "Come to the Water," will be offered by Grey Nuns and friends on Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The weekly Chancery bulletin announcements for the week of Feb. 9, 2015.

Trocaire College will host a Citizens Preparedness Training course for New York state residents to attend. The course will take place on Wed., March 11 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the Margaret Wendt Center at the main campus located at 360 Choate Avenue in South Buffalo.

WASHINGTON—A variety of resources to help Catholics observe Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, this year February 18, is being provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

With the coldest temperatures of the winter forecast for this Sunday, Bishop Richard J. Malone is advising Catholics to exercises extreme caution when it comes to attending Mass.

At some point every family must deal with issues involving end of life care for a loved one. As Catholics attempt to navigate the myriad medical, ethical, and religious questions that arise, all the while dealing with the grief of an impending death, it can become overwhelming.

ST. BONAVENTURE — Dr. Kimberly Young has been looking deeply into Internet addiction since the days of AOL chatrooms. She was the first to identify Internet addiction and its impact on our children, families and culture.

Approximately 700 Catholic youth and adult chaperones will be in attendance at the 63rd annual Diocesan Youth Conference this weekend. This year's theme is "Restore."

BUFFALO, NY - The Canisius College departments of chemistry and biochemistry will welcome internationally-renowned organic chemist Phil S. Baran, PhD, to campus on Friday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center, located at the corner of Main Street and Eastwood Place. Presented under the auspices of the Paul G. Gassman Memorial Seminar at Canisius College, Baran's lecture is entitled "Studies in Natural Product Synthesis." The event is free and open to the public.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, will distribute ashes at the 12:05 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, on Wednesday, February 18, Ash Wednesday.

WASHINGTON—James L. Rogers has been named executive director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

WASHINGTON—Two recently enacted laws in the District of Columbia are "unprecedented assaults upon our organizations" and "violate the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of association protected by the First Amendment and other federal law," said representatives of a number of national and local organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), in a February 5 letter to Congress.

ST. BONAVENTURE — St. Bonaventure will welcome alumnus Thomas M. Marra, president and chief executive officer of Symetra Financial Corporation and a former university trustee, as the 2015 guest of the Building Extraordinary Leaders series.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo has announced several appointments to its leadership team in advance of the 2015 Appeal. The appointments were announced by the Most Reverend Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, and Sister Mary McCarrick, OSF, diocesan director of Catholic Charities of Buffalo.

Catholic Charities of Buffalo's Immigration and Refugee Assistance Program recently received two grants totaling $200,000 to develop a Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute (HTTI), in partnership with Niagara University's (NU) College of Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.

St. Bonaventure's Family Business Club was recognized for its innovative and unique case solutions and delivery at the globally renowned Family Enterprise Case Competition (FECC). The event was held from Jan. 8 to 11 at the University of Vermont.

WASHINGTON-In a letter sent to all U.S. bishops on January 16, Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, hailed National Marriage Week USA (February 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, February 8) as opportunities "to celebrate the gift and blessing of marriage and to affirm and support engaged and married couples."

The diocesan Catholic Directory team has been busy over the cold winter updating and overhauling the official book of diocesan information. The Directory was posted to the web on Feb. 1 and will continue to be updated on a monthly basis.

Bishop Edward M. Grosz, auxiliary bishop of Buffalo, will be the principal celebrant at a Mass of Thanksgiving, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2 p.m., at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo, as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his ordination as bishop.

Catholic Academy of West Buffalo, 1069 Delaware Ave., has scheduled an open house for Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 5, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.. The school invites prospective families interested in enrolling children for the 2015-2016 academic year to tour the school and meet faculty, administrators and parents.

St. Bonaventure University will host Tom Boney, vice president and general manager of Automotive Value Stream, Novelis North America, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building.

The 15th annual Catholic Education dinner will be held tonight, Jan. 29, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The 2015 dinner will mark Bishop Richard Malone's third year celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Buffalo. Nearly 1,200 guests are expected to attend.

Catholic Schools Week is celebrated in the Diocese of Buffalo and nationally January 25 - January 31. Several Catholic bishops from throughout the United States recorded their thoughts on Catholic education.

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Seán O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, welcomed passage of the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2015" (H.R. 7) by the U.S. House of Representatives. "By passing this legislation, the House has taken a decisive step toward respect for unborn human life, reflecting the will of the American people," he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo included the Education Investment Tax Credit in his 2015 budget proposal Wednesday, pleasing many Catholic leaders who have been advocating for the bill for years. The New York Senate passed the tax credit bill, which allows taxpayers to claim credits for donations to public schools or private scholarships for students attending parochial schools.

Kaitlyn Hogg, a 14-year-old high school freshman from St. Gregory the Great Parish, Williamsville, was the youth award recipient at the presentation of the Pro-Vita Awards on Saturday at Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna.

WASHINGTON—The U. S. Supreme Court granted a request, January 16, to review the November 2014 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upholding the constitutionality of marriage laws in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Eleven of the eighteen schools participating in the annual Future City Competition for middle school students are Catholic schools in Western New York. The competition will be held on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Mount St. Mary High School, 3756 Delaware Ave., Kenmore, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has appointed the pastor of St. John Paul II Parish, Lake View, to the Catholic School Advisory Council, the panel which advises the bishop on Catholic elementary school issues. His parish is also home to Southtowns Catholic School. Father Peter J. Karalus joined the panel in December 2014.