Thousands of students were welcomed back into school buildings - both public and private - this week. As students, faces filled with joy, smiles and nerves, walked off the bus onto the grounds of the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo Tuesday morning, they were greeted by three of the top diocesan officials - Bishop Richard J. Malone, Diocesan Secretary for Catholic Education Carol Kostyniak, and Diocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools Sister Carol Cimino, SSJ.

Bishop Richard J. Malone visited Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Parish (St. Joseph worship site, 1413 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls 14301) on Sunday to rededicate the St. Joseph Church site and celebrate the completion of the painting of the church which included several murals.

Bishop Richard J. Malone says parish communities are the heart of the church in "Consider This."

Bishop Richard Malone explains how East Aurora's Christ the King Seminary offer education and services for all of us in a new "Consider This."

Bishop Richard J. Malone talks St. Ignatius and the Jesuit influences in the Diocese of Buffalo in this episode of "Consider This."

Over more than a half century of ministry, Venerable Msgr. Nelson Baker made a profound impact in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, helping thousands of orphans, founding the various Our Lady of Victory Institutions and now as a candidate for sainthood. As we celebrate the anniversary of his death on this day in 1936, take a look back at his life and ministry in our photo gallery.

We stopped by Our Lady of Charity Parish (which combined the St. Ambrose, Holy Family and St. Agatha communities) in Buffalo for their annual Summerfest Thursday through Saturday. Relive the party with our new photo gallery by clicking here.

Bishop Richard Malone shares some characteristics that make a good parish in a new episode of his weekly YouTube show, "Consider This."

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

Bishop Richard J. Malone remembers, and reminds us of, the contributions of St. John Paul II in a new episode of "Consider This." In his encyclical on the environment, "Laudato Si," Pope Francis mentions St. John Paul II's first encyclical, which also emphasized care for the environment.

Judging by these pictures, people had a lot of fun at the St. John Paul II Church lawn fete in Lake View July 10-12. Check out our photo gallery here.

Since his installation to Buffalo in August 2012, Bishop Richard J. Malone has ordained a half-dozen men to the priesthood. See where they are now in our new photo gallery.

Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the pope's encyclical "Laudato Si," on care for our common home and reads part of Pope Francis' prayer.

As we begin to celebrate Independence Day, Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the first American Catholic bishop and his prayer written in 1791 for the US government in "Consider This."

Pope Francis said fathers need to be by their wife's side though life. Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about his father's faithfulness to his mother and family in a new "Consider This."

Bishop Richard J. Malone spoke of the importance of Pope Francis' message during a press conference held at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport Thursday. Members of the Diocesan Care for Creation Committee, a group formed in 2006 under Bishop Edward U. Kmiec to spread local awareness of environmental issues, and Franciscan brothers and sisters joined him.

Even in an institution with 2,000 years of tradition, things can move pretty fast. To keep up with the frequent changes in parish staff or Mass times in the Diocese of Buffalo, the diocesan Office of Communications offers an online Directory of all things Catholic.

Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about devotions and litanies in this new episode of "Consider This," while sharing a few invocations for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The ordination of a priest is one of the most joyful times of a Catholic community, and this year, Buffalo saw three men join the clergy on June 6. Relive the ordination Mass with our exclusive photo gallery.

With clergy ordinations occurring this weekend, Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the roles of bishop, priest and deacon in a new "Consider This."

Bishop Richard Malone talks about what went into the creation of his Coat of Arms in a special episode of "Consider This."

Hundreds of people came to Buffalo last week for the 79th annual National Conference for Catechetical Leadership at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Take a look at our photo gallery from the 2015 conference here.

Care for the dying, advocates against the death penalty, an encounter with Pope Francis and the superhero in all of us. Here's our weekly roundup of interesting Catholic links from around the web to get you started for the week.

Bishop Richard Malone offers a brief lesson about the Ascension of the Lord into heaven in a special episode of "Consider This."

The first weekend of May was a special time for many of our men and women religious, as several communities came to St. Joseph Cathedral to celebrate anniversaries during a Jubilee Mass celebrated by Bishop Richard J. Malone Saturday.

BALTIMORE - A short video featuring the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Nepal following the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake is now available online. The video captures the arrival of a supply truck to a mountainous village in Nepal and the distribution of emergency shelter kits by staff from Catholic Relief Services.

Father Ronald P. Sajdak will be embarking on what he calls an "exciting venture."

Catholic Charities of Buffalo reached a major fundraising benchmark this week, but they still need your help. Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about the social service agency's importance in a new ‪"Consider This‬." Give it a watch below:

People involved in parish ministry will be honored during a special St. Joseph the Worker Award and Mass 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph Cathedral (Buffalo, New York). In a new episode of ‪"‎Consider This‬," Bishop Richard J. Malone talks about how important these people are in carrying out the ministry of the Church.

In "Consider this...A Statue in My Yard," Bishop Richard J. Malone discusses the various good works of St. Vincent de Paul and how his charism is carried on through Sisters of Charity, Vincentian Fathers and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

New people are welcomed into the Church each year. Bishop Richard Malone refers to a homily by St. Augustine who compares new Christians to colony of bees in a new "Consider This."

Over the course of a month, we take a lot of photos for our newspaper, so it makes sense to run the best of the best in an exclusive photo gallery on our site. Take a look at the best pictures from around the Diocese of Buffalo this month by clicking here.

Easter may be over for another year, but you can relive all the wonderful moments from Holy Week 2015 in our new photo gallery.

The gift of the resurrection has been seen throughout the ages, as Bishop Richard J. Malone explains in his video homily for Easter Sunday.

Bishop Richard J. Malone reminds us that Christ, risen from the dead is the ultimate reason for hope, to all who believe.

No doubt about it; St. Patrick's Day is one of the fun days of the year, particularly if you're Irish Catholic. After a Sunday morning Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral, Bishop Richard J. Malone joined the afternoon parade that drew thousands to downtown Buffalo. Be sure to catch all the fun in our new photo gallery.

Just because we're celebrating Lent and not Thanksgiving right now doesn't mean it's not a good time to express gratitude. Bishop Malone asks people to thank their priest and clergy personally in a new episode of "Consider This."

The value of Catholic schools, preparations for St. Patrick's Day and a dinner to support pro-life ministries are just some of the highlights of our new photo gallery featuring the best pictures from our March edition.

Bishop Richard J. Malone shares his thoughts of Mother Teresa and the importance of silence in a new episode of "Consider This."

Bishop Richard Malone explains what the Liturgy of the Hours are and how they can strengthen prayer life in a brand new episode of "Consider This."