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ORCHARD PARK — The students at Nativity of Our Lord School had a very busy in November. On Nov. 5, students gathered to pray for our nation. They said a rosary, dedicating each decade to a different government office.

Earlier this week, Bishop Malone added this statement to the NYS Catholic Conference of Bishops, regarding the passage of the Reproductive Health Act: "NYS is already the state with the highest rate of killing pre-born children through abortion. This is a tragic day for NYS that makes a very bad situation even worse. It is a barbaric action of our legislature, and clearly nothing to celebrate."

St. Christopher School Media Lab program has been completely revamped and features the new learning platform "Google for Education."

PANAMA CITY, Panama (CNA) — Upon arriving in Panama for World Youth Day 2019, Pope Francis met with politicians, diplomats and civil society leaders, extending a message of hope for "a more humane world."

Mount Mercy Academy's Women in Social Sciences Program has completed its first full year giving the students the opportunity to interact with three strong female role models.

On the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that gave women the legal right to an abortion, New York state passed the Reproductive Health Act on Jan. 22 that expands abortion-rights legislation in the Empire State.

World Youth Day 2019 opened Jan. 22 in Panama City, Panama. Over 150,000 have registered for the event which ran until Jan. 27. Usually held in the summer, this year's event was held during the cool season of Panama, which conflicted with the American school year. As a result, the Diocese of Buffalo has not planned a pilgrimage to the Central American city.

ORCHARD PARK — Teachers and parents will be offering tours of Nativity of Our Lord School and welcome all families interested in a proven Catholic education for their children. The open house takes place Sunday, Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Diocese of Buffalo has established the Adult Sexual Abuse and Misconduct Task Force. The group will review and recommend policies and procedures for assessing and responding to allegations of sexual misconduct with adults by priests, deacons, religious and lay employees. The Task Force will ensure that the diocesan policies for adult abuse and misconduct complement the existing diocesan policy on child abuse. In addition, the Task Force will review the investigation framework of sexual abuse allegations to ensure compliance with federal and state law, canon law, and the Diocese of Buffalo Code of Conduct to ensure the protection of all of God's people.

Christmas is over. Lent has not yet begun. How does a spirit-filled teen keep the faith in this middling time? The annual diocesan Youth Convention offers teens an opportunity to Power Up their faith over a three-day weekend filled with good talks, prayer and nearly a thousand new friends.

Edward Cosgrove, MD, has been named medical director of the Emergency Department at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo. He is a member physician of TEAMHealth, Northeast Division, which services the hospital.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY — Niagara University and Niagara County Community College announced a new partnership that will increase engagement and improve collaboration between the two colleges, creating a seamless continuum of learning and leadership that expands programming in keeping with the workforce, economic and entrepreneurial needs of the region.

"Victim's first." That is the commitment of Bishop Richard J. Malone and all the bishops of New York. "Our principle in anything we say or do, it has to be victims first. That's the first concern. I tell that to our priests."

As we continue this Christmas season and begin the calendar year, the faculty, staff and students of Christ the King Seminary would like to offer you a blessed season of hope and joyous New Year of encounters with the Lord. We also believe this start to the new year is the perfect opportunity to give you a brief description of seminary life today as compared to around 50 years ago, as well as offer you a glimpse into changes that will be forthcoming.

Girls at Nativity School, in Orchard Park are making headlines for a good cause, literally. These eighth-graders wrote, designed and printed their own newspaper to raise money for the children at Mother Teresa Home in Buffalo.

Rooted in a Catholic mission to honor Christ by serving those most in need, the Brothers of Mercy was founded in Hadamar, Germany in 1856. For over 160 years, professed brothers have dedicated their lives to serving the sick and elderly all over the world. One such brother carrying on this legacy of compassionate care is Brother Xavier O'Neill.

The Upon This Rock committee presented its first emergency grant to Assumption Parish in, appropriately enough, Black Rock. The $20,000 grant will go to replacing a much-needed furnace used by the century-old church and the adjacent Our Lady of Black Rock School.

Catholic Charities has announced their launch of the 2019 Appeal with a goal of $11 million. $1.4 million havs already been raised. The theme for Appeal 2019 is "Help your neighbor find HOPE."

Sister M. Johnice Rzadkiewicz CSSF, executive director of the Response to Love Center came to Notre Dame Academy on Wednesday, Jan. 9 to accept a donation from the fourth-grade class.

Bishop Richard J. Malone will celebrate a special Mass for the observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The 10 a.m. Mass will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20, at Blessed Trinity Church, 317 Leroy Ave., Buffalo 14214. Guest homilist will be Father Clarence Williams, CPPS, Ph.D. All are welcome.

This year marks the 46th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. A special Mass will be held on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 4 p.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, 4125 Union Road, Cheektowaga. Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, will be the main celebrant and homilist.

The Presbyteral Council and the Vicars Forane met with Bishop Richard Malone on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. The priests committed themselves to work together with Bishop Malone to move forward in the healing process of the victims of clergy sexual abuse, the healing of the divisions within our diocese, and hope-filled steps towards the spiritual renewal and healing of our brother priests and all in our diocese. With these goals in mind, the following actions steps are being initiated:

My column will be brief this month, as I want to leave space for an important statement from the priests who serve our diocese as vicars or members of the Presbyteral Council.

A once in a lifetime trip to Zambia for local girls turned into the beginning of a new life for girls in the south central African nation. Along with making new friends on the mission trip, the Sacred Heart students provided the gift of education for the African students in the form of four years of tuition.

The 19th annual Catholic education dinner - GALA 22:6 - will be held Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Proceeds from the dinner will be used to fund needs-based tuition assistance for students attending Catholic elementary schools throughout the eight counties of Western New York. The 2018 dinner raised $353,708 resulting in 295 scholarships created.

On December 20, 2018, the independent Diocesan Review Board met and carefully considered the report of Investigator Scott F. Riordan who was asked to investigate an allegation of clerical sexual abuse of a minor against Father Ronald P. Sajdak of the Diocese of Buffalo.

Three students at Mount St. Mary Academy have used their talents to help those afflicted with Alzheimer's. They created a cognitive coloring book to help draw back memories. Actually, they created more than a product. They created an entire business.

Students at Christ the King School are jumping into STREAM education to develop skills for the future.

Born 75 years ago as a result of the refugee crisis that unfolded during World War II, Catholic Relief Services, the international relief and development agency of the United States Catholic Church, has since grown into one of the largest humanitarian aid agencies in the world while responding to some of the most devastating modern crises of our time.

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Harris Hill and St. Stephen Church on Grand Island are two of the parishes that host healing Masses.

ORCHARD PARK — On Dec. 26, St. Bernadette Parish is hosting an Inclusive Christmas Mass from 7-7:30 p.m. This Mass is designed for families with children and adults who have special needs. These families are living examples of Christ's love and his nearness to the most vulnerable among us. The Open Doors Committee, who advocates for parishioners with disabilities planned the celebration.

On December 13, 2018, the Diocesan Review Board met and carefully considered the reports of Investigator Scott F. Riordan who was asked to investigate allegations of abuse against four priests of the Diocese of Buffalo.

If you are a young person, the parent of young people or a ministry leader, your thoughts are wanted.

St. Joseph Cathedral, 50 Franklin St., Buffalo, has scheduled a number of celebrations during the Advent and Christmas seasons.

A tearful reunion took place in Buffalo this past month. Lynn Stephens met the woman she calls her second mother, Sister Dorothy Feltz. It had been over 40 years since they last saw each other. When Sister Dorothy saw Stephens safe and sound with her adopted family, she faded away.

Buffalo Diocese and hundreds of thousands of other Catholics will be taking a pilgrimage of public witness to Washington, D.C. They are calling for the end of abortion in the United States.

The gym is more than a place for games. It is where young people learn to obey a set of rules, work as a team and be a good sport. That has always been the belief of Msgr. Leo McCarthy, former coach and mentor, and now namesake of the Baker Hall gym.

As an activity to study the states of matter, fifth-grade teacher Mary Donahue and St. John the Baptist School STREAM coordinator Mary Makar worked together to create lab stations for the students to apply the concepts that they learned in science class and understand how these theories work in the real world.

TONAWANDA — A silver anniversary is an occasion to celebrate. At Cardinal O'Hara High School, this year's Hawk-tion, held on Nov. 9, celebrated its 25th year of the school's most successful fundraiser.

Teenagers and adults from over 10 parishes gathered at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Cheektowaga on Friday, Nov. 9, to reflect on The Call: Sainthood is Now. The evening began with praise and worship led by The Anointed music group. The opening prayer focused on First Samuel where the young boy finally realizes it is God who is calling him. He responds, "Speak for your servant is listening." A sung litany of saints concluded the prayer.