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The African-American Commission of the Diocese of Buffalo will present "Revival 2015 - Cast the First Stone" on October 13, 14, and 15 at SS. Columba & Brigid Church, 75 Hickory St., Buffalo. The three-night program will include worship, music and guest speakers. The programs begin with 30 minutes of praise and worship at 6 p.m. each night.

SAN FRANCISCO (CNA) - A new group called the Marriage Reality Movement aims to help Catholics and others renew the vision of marriage in society.

The Diocese of Buffalo is currently home to a number of international priests who have come from around the globe to bring their unique gifts to the area. One of these priests is Father Johnson Machado, administrator of St. John Neumann Parish in Strykersville, who was born in India.

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.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis' visit to homeless men and women in Washington, D.C., was "life-changing," said the head of Catholic Charities in the nation's capital.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Ahead of next year's World Youth Day in Krakow, the long-time secretary for Pope John Paul II explained how the saint inspired a generation even though many never saw him in person.

The Diocese of Buffalo offers spiritual hope and guidance from a religious perspective to Catholics who struggle with alcoholism.

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.

In what has become an annual tradition celebrating the Feast of St. Francis, Bishop Richard J. Malone spent a weekend morning blessing pets at his residence in Buffalo. Was your four-legged friend there? Check out our new photo gallery.

Five Sisters of St. Mary of Namur from the diocese attended a conference on human trafficking which took place at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., on July 9 and 10. The conference titled, "Answering Pope Francis' Call: An American Catholic Response to Modern-Day Slavery," was sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA.

In 1984, Pope John Paul II called more than 300,000 young people to St. Peter's Square for an international jubilee of youth. There he entrusted to all youth the care of the World Youth Day cross. This cross has traveled the globe, serving as a centerpiece for World Youth Day celebrations in Denver, Manila, Paris, Toronto, Cologne, Madrid, Sydney, Rio, and soon Krakow. The Diocese of Buffalo has mirrored that tradition with its own WYD cross, that is now traveling from parish to parish in preparation for next year's Poland pilgrimage.

"Every Life is Worth Living" has been a consistent theme of 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.

On Oct. 1, a yearly tradition among Catholics in the legal profession continued at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo. Bishop Richard J. Malone presided over the Red Mass, an annual gathering of lawyers, judges, paralegals and others, with a homily tailed to them. The Mass concluded with a speech by Hon. Frank Caruso, a New York State Supreme Court justice and City of Tonawanda native, who recommended to those in attendance that they continue to use a Catholic sense of compassion in their jobs.

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.

Pope Francis arrived in Philadelphia Saturday for the World Meeting of Families. We decided to catch up with several of our diocesan friends in Philly as we present our day four photo gallery.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will bless animals on the front lawn of his residence, 77 Oakland Place in Buffalo, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, the day before the Feast of St. Francis.

About 100 people skipped Sunday's Buffalo Bills victory over the Miami Dolphins for another kind of community activity: a special telecast of Pope Francis' closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia screened at St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst.

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.

VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis told journalists on board his flight to Rome that giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics is a "simplistic" solution to the issue, and stressed that there are also other problems that need to be discussed.

Amtrak train #184 is my mobile office as I write this column en route from Washington, D.C., to New York City. I have just left a U.S. Capital totally energized by the presence of Pope Francis.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. (CNA/EWTN News) - At the final Mass closing out the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pope Francis warned against narrowing God's love and works to only a certain group of people.

Pope Francis took the Big Apple by storm Friday with appearances at the United Nations, 9/11 Memorial and Madison Square Garden. Relive the day in our new photo gallery.

NEW YORK CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis on Friday had a brief, but urgent, reminder for the Catholics of New York City. They must proclaim the joy of God and remember to care for all those who go unnoticed in their metropolis, because they have seen the "great light" of Jesus Christ.

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.

"Three Buffalo bishops walk into a cathedral" isn't the beginning of a joke, but it's what happened Thursday night when Pope Francis arrived in New York City. See how the Big Apple is reacting to the Holy Father in our new photo gallery.

NEW YORK CITY (CNA/EWTN News) - On Friday Pope Francis told members of the United Nations that there is no room for "ideological colonization" in their agenda, and stressed the need to go beyond policies to concrete solutions in caring for the poor and vulnerable, as well as the environment.

On Sept. 24, when Pope Francis delivered his address to a joint session of Congress during his trip to the United States, two representatives of the Diocese of Buffalo were in the room. Sister Johnice Rzadkiewicz, CSSF, director of the Response to Love Center in Buffalo, and Father James J. Maher, CM, president of Niagara University, were the invited guests of Congressman Brian Higgins. After the address, Sister Johnice provided some of her thoughts on the experience of hearing Pope Francis speak.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, who attended a midday prayer service at St. Matthew's Cathedral and the canonization Mass of St. Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Wednesday, talked to the media Thursday afternoon about the pope's trip so far. Bishop Malone will also participate in papal events in New York City and Philadelphia in the coming days. Here are some highlights from the bishop's media conference:

Pope Francis arrived in the United States on Tuesday afternoon, and judging by the reaction of people throughout the country, everybody's excited. See images from the first 24 hours of the pope's United States journey and how local Catholics are reacting to his visit.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - In his lengthy speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis said the family is being threatened today like never before, and praised American figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., for their tireless efforts to defend freedom and values.

On Wednesday, the same day Pope Francis was in Washington, D.C., meeting with President Barack Obama and many American bishops, the World Meeting of Families was held in Philadelphia. Michael Gilhooly, assistant director of the Response to Love Center in Buffalo, attended one of the workshops held there, entitled "In the City: Concerns of the Urban Family," which addressed the concerns that plague many urban families whose members end up caught in a cycle of poverty and violence.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis made history Wednesday by performing the first-ever canonization on U.S. soil, of St. Junipero Serra.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - In the longest speech of his trip so far, Pope Francis on Wednesday praised U.S. bishops for their commitment to defending life, their handling of the clerical abuse crisis, and their welcome of immigrants, while urging them not to be afraid to do more.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Francis Wednesday reminded U.S. president Barack Obama that religious freedom is one of America's most "precious possessions," while lauding the nation's Catholics their work toward a society marked by tolerance and inclusivity.

WASHINGTON, DC (CNA/EWTN News) - On the papal flight from Cuba to Washington, D.C., where Pope Francis held the customary press conference with journalists on board, an Italian reporter posed a particularly tough question.

A delegation of about 20 people from the Diocese of Buffalo will attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The mixed group of parents, grandparents, educators, clergy and vowed religious will attend keynote addresses and breakout sessions dealing with parents as catechists, concerns of the urban family, marriage and vocations.

HAVANA, CUBA (CNA/EWTN News) - In an intense Sunday, Pope Francis on Sept. 20 said a Mass attended by 200,000 people in Havana's Revolution Square, visited Fidel Castro, improvised two speeches, and was welcomed with affection by the Cuban people. Here are some details you might have missed while he was in "the Rome of the Caribbean."

Pope Francis arrives today for his first visit to the United States. He will do many significant things in his six days with us. He will visit the White House, address Congress and the United Nations, and participate in a multi-religious service at New York's 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center site.

Msgr. Robert E. Zapfel, pastor of St. Leo the Great Church in Amherst, is especially eager for the pope's visit. The parish will debut its new technology on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m., featuring Pope Francis celebrating Mass live from Philadelphia for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families.

A native of Nigeria and a father of two are among the four men who were ordained transitional deacons on Saturday, Sept. 19, at St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo. Through the imposition of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Richard J. Malone will ordain Venatius Ifeyichukwu Agbasiere, Michael K. Brown, Samuel T. Giangreco Jr. and Michael LaMarca at a special 10 a.m. Mass as the seminarians move one step closer to becoming priests.