Church of the Annunciation in Elma to Host the Marriage in Christ Seminar.

Soon after the birth of my son Charlie, who has Down syndrome, a visitor asked whether he was "mild, moderate or severe," referring to his level of cognitive impairment. I knew the terminology, but the question shocked me. In my arms I held my beautiful baby boy, who defied easy categorization. Clinical labels may describe some aspects of an individual's "functioning," but they don't tell the whole story. Labels could not describe how Charlie's smile lit up a room or how the sweetness of his soul had captured our hearts so completely.

In Pope Francis' work on modern family life, "Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family)," he wants Church leaders to help the young people discover the dignity and beauty of marriage and family life. In this apostolic exhortation, the pope speaks about the theme of accompaniment. He calls the Church to be a sign of mercy and encouragement for families. A pastoral way that the Office of Family Life Ministries accompanies engaged couples is with immediate preparation to receive the Sacrament of matrimony to help the couple make a solid beginning of life as a family.

This fall Katie Bishop will again walk the halls of St. Mary School, Swormville, as a fourth-grade teacher. Bishop is also an alumnus of St. Mary's, but so is her mother, grandparents and a great-grandfather. Her family, the Herbergers, put down roots at St. Mary's and the family tree has grown healthy in faith ever since.

St. Casimir Church, the home of the world's first shrine to the Domestic Church, will offer classes on easy family faith celebrations for the home. The 10-week series offers traditional, user-friendly ways to invite Jesus into the family household.

WASHINGTON— In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Blessed Paul VI's papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement. Originally published in 1968, Blessed Paul VI's letter promotes the whole human person in the context of marital love that respects both the spiritual and physical dimensions of man and woman, which is faithful, generous, and life-giving.

St. Christopher Bereavement Team will have their Annual Children's Memorial Prayer Service on Tuesday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at St. Christopher Church, 2660 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Tonawanda.

Someone once said, "marriages may be made in heaven, but they sure take a lot of work on earth." In our society, with the pressures of conflicting demands and too little time, personal relationships are often taken for granted. With all the distractions we easily forget that strong caring loving relationships take work.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, gave their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which was recently introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in the U.S. Senate:

For engaged couples making wedding plans, most are typically concerned about reserving a date and venue, hiring a photographer and DJ, and sending out save the date cards and invitations. However, if they plan to have a Catholic ceremony, those who wish to adhere to these practices have other things to plan out.

WASHINGTON—Following the USCCB General Assembly in November 2017, a group of ecumenical and interfaith partners gathered with bishops of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage to discuss gender ideology. As a result of this discussion, faith leaders today issued an open letter entitled "Created Male and Female".

In September, parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo began using the new faith formation curriculum, "Forming Disciples," designed to be introduced over the next few years. Of its four key components, the first is a focus on engaging parents in their faith, and in faith in the home. This family attention is intended to build up the Church within households to support a child's growth in the faith. Although the actual process is different in every parish, and it should be tailored to the unique needs of each one, the diocesan Department of Lifelong Faith Formation has implemented a plan to ensure they share a common goal.

Here's the story of a family named Donahue. It's a familiar tale of a modern-day blended family, with a slight twist. Instead of a husband and wife blending their children from former marriages, three Colombian children joined the American-based Donahues.

A new initiative to develop a pastoral plan that would offer more support for Catholic marriages and families was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops during their Fall General Assembly in Baltimore Nov. 14. Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo presented the case before the bishops, calling on the body to take a new look at the issue.

Eudist Father Dr. Robert Perelli, CJM discusses his upcoming course on Family Systems Theory at D'Youville College beginning on September 19.

Retrouvaille, an international Catholic ministry that has worked with couples in troubled marriages for four decades, will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Retrouvaille's International Council Meeting, a major ministry event that is held in a different location each year, will take place at Sheraton on the Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, from Oct. 13-15. It will be hosted by Region 11, which includes Retrouvaille Buffalo and 10 other American and Canadian communities.

For World Marriage Day and National Marriage Week we discuss marriage preparation and the Office of Family Life.

As a newly-ordained young priest serving at St. Mark Parish in Rushford, Father David Griffin, who is now retired, conducted his first wedding ceremony, that of Desider and Dorothy Simcoe III, on Sept. 10, 1966. Today, the couple has been married for 50 years and, to commemorate their golden anniversary, the Simcoes and Father Griffin held a celebration at St. Mark's with a congregation of family members.

The most important words in a wedding might be "I do," but the most important words to a marriage are, "please," "thank you" and "sorry."

When Cheryl Calire unlocked the door to the former St. Adalbert rectory, she opened a new life for women and their babies. Through the Mother Teresa Home, she will offer a roof over the heads for homeless women who have chosen to raise their babies.

Two USCCB committee chairmen have issued a joint statement reaffirming the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage "as exclusively the permanent, faithful, and fruitful union of one man and one woman [and] cannot change."

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops offers some thoughts on Faithful Witness to Marriage

Recently, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, offered the following challenge: "But nowadays who is making an effort to strengthen marriages, to help married couples overcome their problems, to assist them in the work of raising children and, in general, to encourage the stability of the marriage bond?"

On Tuesday, May 10, the Family Justice Center in downtown Buffalo, an organization that provides services for domestic violence victims and their children, welcomed Bishop Richard J. Malone and Bishop R. William Franklin of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York for a tour of the facility and a look at living rooms they sponsored to help the center in its 10th year of serving the community.

As we prepare to celebrate these two occasions we may find ourselves reflecting on how our parents raised us, and we may also spend some time reflecting on how we are raising our own children. Are we raising them to be children of faith and service?

Bishop Richard J. Malone speaks about "Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love)," written by Pope Francis. This apostolic exhortation is a beautiful celebration of love and families.

Bishop Richard J. Malone was in Washington, DC, Friday morning to respond to the long anticipated exhortation by Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love.

WASHINGTON - Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, on love in the family. Pope Francis' "love letter to families" invites everyone to grow as members of the family of God, Archbishop Kurtz said April 8.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Catholics who have divorced-and-remarried need the fullness of Church teaching. They also need a wise pastoral and community response to their difficulties that can help them grow in the Christian life, Pope Francis said on Friday in his new document on love in the family.

"We welcome this teaching from Pope Francis as the fruit of the synodal process started by him more than two years ago—a process that has inspired in our Church, and indeed all over the world, a renewed attention to the importance of marriage and the family for all of society," said Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, chairman of the Committee.

Bishop Richard J. Malone is one of three who have been chosen to go to Washington, DC, and respond to the Pope's Exhortation on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Malone is the Chairman of USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

A seminar designed to help couples strengthen their marriage, whether newly married or married for 50 years or more, will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 in Selbert Hall at the Church of the Annunciation, 7580 Clinton St., Elma.

Richard and Marilyn Neil are products of a Catholic life. Married 51 years and longtime parishioners of St. Louis Church in downtown Buffalo, the Neils involve themselves in giving back to the causes they care about.

WASHINGTON, DC - National Marriage Week USA and World Marriage Day are opportunities "to celebrate the gift and blessing of marriage," said the chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Many of us in the pro-life movement have heard someone make the claim that they're firmly against abortion but see nothing wrong with contraception. This statement shows a common confusion that blurs the truth, espoused and cherished by our Church, about the gift of life and the dignity of every person.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - With a two-thirds majority vote, the more than 200 bishops gathered for the Vatican's synod on the family supported Church teaching on hot-button issues such as homosexuality and communion for divorced and remarried persons.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis Sunday officially brought the Synod on the Family to a close at Mass in St. Peter's, warning against a "spirituality of illusion," and reminding pastors of their duty to accompany the faithful and be bearers of God's mercy especially in times of suffering and conflict.

Following Pope Francis' lead to simplify the Catholic annulment process, Bishop Richard J. Malone has announced that he has waived the fee for annulments in the Diocese of Buffalo. Now Catholics can learn more about the confusing process with a workshop Thursday night.

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.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Married couples who endure hardships together; gay men and women trying to live chastely; engaged couples who choose not to cohabitate. What do all these people have in common?