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The Muppets taught us that it's not easy being green. It's even harder to be a sick kid, stuck in a hospital room.

St. Augustine is credited with saying "To sing is to pray twice." That quote has proved to be a mission statement of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish.

Bishop Richard J. Malone has spent the better part of the past year hearing from many different people including protestors and supporters.

Sister M. Christina Kraus, OSF, longtime teacher, died July 30, 2019, at Niagara Hospice, Lockport. She was 91.

The gym of St. Bernadette School became a big top as the Orchard Park parish hosted their festive summer Bible Camp themed "Parade Around the Our Father."

Hip, knee, or shoulder pain can severely impact your quality of life, but there are medical treatment options that can help provide relief and restore function.

Msgr. Joseph M. Dowdell, who was known for his near quarter century as pastor for Sacred Heart Parish in Lakewood, died July 26, 2019, at the St. Joseph Campus of Sisters of Charity Hospital, Cheektowaga.

A political issue that has separated the nation brought people of different faiths together in Buffalo. St. Joseph University Parish in Buffalo hosted an interfaith prayer service on July 24 to pray for everyone involved in the Mexican immigration issue, from children to border guards.

On July 24, 2019, the Independent Review Board met and carefully considered the reports of investigator Scott F. Riordan who was asked to investigate allegations of abuse against three priests of the Diocese of Buffalo.

Hilbert College was awarded an Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program grant for participation in the program beginning this August and continuing through 2024.

Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D., president of Trocaire College in Buffalo, has received the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) 2019 Chief Executive HR Champion Award. Recognizing that what makes an institution great are its people, this national award honors a president or chancellor of a higher education institution or system who has demonstrated significant support for the institution's human resources function. Thanks to the generous support of Sibson Consulting, CUPA-HR is pleased to offer an $8,000 contribution to Trocaire College's endowment or scholarship fund. Since his appointment as president of Trocaire College in 2012, Deeb has provided forward-thinking vision and support to the college's HR organization. The creation and support of a chief HR officer position that serves on the president's council and reports to the president and the board of trustees highlights his understanding of the importance of human resource leadership in sustaining a competitive organization. Deeb also created a new Compensation Committee of the board of trustees, which aims to ensure compensation practices and philosophy are in alignment with the institution's strategic plan. Early in his tenure, Deeb directed a review and revision of the evaluation processes for all employees, creating alignment between evaluation and goal setting, strategic objectives, budgeting and professional development. This effort led to the creation of the Mary Clare Development Center for faculty development and the strengthening of the Staff Advisory Committee to drive the staff's development needs. Deeb allocates 10 percent of the total rewards budget toward professional development for members of faculty, staff and administration, and he supports the concept of an "organization of continuous learning." Under Deeb's leadership, Trocaire College was awarded the "Great Colleges to Work For" designation in 2018 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, specifically recognizing the professional and career development programs, supervisor/department chair relationships, and work-life balance. "Dr. Deeb is always willing to try new approaches, take risks, employ nontraditional solutions, and urge unrestraint in the face of the status quo," says Jan Peters, chief HR officer at Trocaire College. "He has brought in executives from industries outside of higher education, inspired leadership to engage candidly in healthy conflict, set up systems for teams to chase innovation, and embedded diversity and inclusion into our philosophies and operations."

Hope, which is more than mere optimism, gives one a deep-rooted confidence in the love and care of God, no matter what has happened, Pope Francis said June 16.

Keeping an optimistic and positive attitude is a huge challenge during these days when society is increasingly polarized and when so much adversity and suffering streams through our devices and is broadcast through news outlets

Gathered around a small table in the lyceum of the former St. Gerard School, eight alumni reminisce about their time at their alma mater - the sock hops, the doughnut kitchen, working as pinsetters for the bowling alley.

With the sounds of noise makers and applause Principal Samuel Zalacca announced that Christ the King School has received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Sister Margaret Mary Hughes, teacher, hospital administrator and archivist for the Religious Sisters of Mercy, died July 13, 2019, at the age of 91. She was formerly known as Sister Mary Gerard.

The Intensive Care Unit at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, a member of Catholic Health, has earned the 2019 Silver Beacon Award for Excellence.

It seems that relating negative information about another is an age-old experience.

Father Thomas M. Mahoney, who had been serving as parochial vicar at St. Gregory the Great Parish, Williamsville, since his 2015 ordination, was named administrator of St. Peter Parish in Niagara County.

Believe it or not, Our Lady of Charity Parish's Holy Family worship site has a Celtic art treasure hidden beneath four coats of paint.

Expectant and young families are invited to five Healthy Baby Festivals planned for three counties during July and August by Catholic Charities Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program.

Father Alejandro Roque, OMI, 66, died on July 10, 2019, at the Tufts Medical Center, Boston. He was a son of the late Carlos and Rosa (Gonzalez) Roque. He was predeceased by his brother, Rogelio Carlos Roque Sr.

In the Diocese of Buffalo, all adults who work with youth or vulnerable persons are required to attend a Protecting God's Children® Workshop.

St. Gregory the Great Parish experienced a bit of an Easter miracle with a major renovation project being completed four days early, just in time for Palm Sunday Mass.

At the end of March, Dr. Ryan Hartnett was appointed Villa Maria College's vice president for academic affairs. He has served as VPAA in an interim capacity since July 2018.

I often ask myself why so many people haven't "stirred" the Holy Spirit since their confirmation. Many of us (myself included) spent years listening to the voice of the secular world in forming our opinions about the major moral questions of the day.

Pope Francis, in his message for World Mission Day, asked the Church to remember her "missionary awareness and commitment," rooted in the grace of baptism.

On May 31 of this year, an apparently disgruntled employee entered a municipal building in Virginia Beach where he worked and began shooting with the two silencer-equipped handguns he had brought in.

Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, a Catholic Health facility, held a blessing and dedication ceremony for its new MRI Suite housed inside a newly-constructed 8,100-square-foot addition to the hospital.

Immediately after the arrest of David Calaiacovo was announced, representatives of the Diocese of Buffalo began a review of Catholic schools within the West Seneca District. It

Pope Francis recently wrote that young people are called to be witnesses of the Gospel, wherever they find themselves, by the way they live.

Sister Mary Helen Royack, a longtime educator, died on June 28, 2019, in the Colette Hilbert Care Community in the 87 year of life and the 66th year of religious life.

When the Brothers of Mercy was founded over 160 years ago, their mission was simple, yet profound: provide comfort and care for those most in need.

Educator and pastoral minister Sister Mary Norbert Stang died on June 25, 2019, in the Health Care Center at Fredonia Place of Williamsville.

Going to church may be difficult for persons with autism and their families. The sounds, lighting, crowds and expectations socially are overwhelming without support.

Michael Cygan is running for life. Not his own, but for the lives of the unborn children and their mothers facing difficult pregnancies.

Father Paul J. Dugan, longtime moderator of athletics at Canisius College, died May 11, 2019, in Murray-Weigel Hall on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx. He was 95.

Christ the King Seminary has announced its Summer 2019 Dinner Lecture Series to be held on the East Aurora campus.

This year is the 10th anniversary that St. Joseph Hospital officially became part of the Sisters Hospital Family.

"The persecution of Christians is today worse than at any time in history," says papal charity Aid to the Church in Need in its report on oppressed Christians titled "Persecuted and Forgotten?"