Hello friends! First of all,…Happy Independence Day! Today is a special day to give thanks to God for all the blessings we receive as a nation, as well as a call to pray and work for those things in which we can be even worthier of God’s blessings. As a nation and community, we ought to work ceaselessly for the sanctity of life (especially for the unborn) as well as laws which respect the natural order. As Catholics, we proudly declare that Christ is our King, and that kingship should be upheld in all areas of life, both public and private.
I wish to offer a special word of thanks on behalf of Sr. Lucette and all those who helped with the Mass and reception! This past weekend, when we honored and thanked Sister for all her hard work, we were treated to a beautiful reception and wonderful video presentation. Many people volunteered their time by helping with the decorations, flowers, and food. It was great to be able to have an in person, face to face, reception after not being able to have anything because of COVID. I especially wish to thank Lucy Stanton and Kristen Kolodziejczyk for the planning of the reception and the video presentation that followed! Your efforts to honor Sr. Lucette are deeply appreciated…thank you for all your hard work! Also, to all of you who cooked food, decorated the hall, set up tables, and cleaned up…thank you so very much! Your dedication and commitment demonstrated not just a great love for Sr. Lucette, but also a great love for Blessed Sacrament. As a pastor and priest, I was very moved to see how much this parish is loved and treasured by all of its members.
Speaking also of how much the parish is loved, many of you are already aware of the diocesan Road to Renewal program and how it will be implemented over the course of a few years. On Tuesday, June 29th, the Buffalo News published an article by Jay Tokasz entitled, “Buffalo Diocese eyes grouping parishes to share priests, schools as it emerges from scandal.” This article reported on the many reasons for this renewal program and why a collaborative model of parish life is in the best interests of everyone. In the article, Mr. Tokasz also named our specific region and what the proposed “family” of Tonawanda parishes might look like. These are the parishes that would make up our own “family,” as reported by the Buffalo News: 1) Blessed Sacrament, 2) St. John the Baptist (Kenmore), 3) St. Paul (Kenmore), 4) St. Andrew (Kenmore), and 5) St. Timothy (Tonawanda). As of right now, this grouping is only in the proposal stage and is not set in stone. Each of the parishes in the proposed “families” have time to review and reflect upon these proposed groupings, as well as a chance to offer their own suggestions. Later in the summer, we will be discussing this more as a parish and what it means for our own proposed “family.” Something to start thinking about now, however, is this question…what makes Blessed Sacrament stand out, and how do we share that special something with the other parishes listed above?
~Fr. Martin Gallagher
Blessed Sacrament Church 