Bishop Grosz farewell reception planned at Saint Stan’s

As a gesture of gratitude, Saint Stan’s parish will hold a farewell reception for their sixth pastor,Bishop Grosz, in the Marian Hall from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.on Sunday, November 29th.

Bishop Grosz will depart from Saint Stan’s on Monday, November 30th to take up full-time work at the Chancery in the Catholic Center of the Diocese of Buffalo on Tuesday, December 1st.

More info…

http://www.ststanislauschurch.com/

Super STUFFed Christmas Stocking Fundraiser for Saint Luke’s

To benefit St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy Education Fund…

St. Luke’s is pleased to announce our second annual major fundraiser to benefit the St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy Education Fund. This fund is used to provide support for Our Lady of Hope Home School. This school, for grades Pre-Kindergarden through Eighth Grade is now in its third year and helps educate 22 of our young people.

Our Lady of Hope Home School was started when all of the Catholic Schools on the East Side of Buffalo were closed down. There was no convenient place to send our young people to receive a good education that was well founded in Catholic morals and principals.

This is a one winner takes all raffle. The cost is $10.00 per ticket and there are some incredible prizes included. Here is the complete list of what the single winner will receive:

* 13″ Flat Screen TV
* $500 Gift card to Dick´s
* iPod Nano
* Netbook
* Sabres Tickets
* Bison’s Suite
* Two Buffalo Bills tickets
* Autographed Tim Connolly Jersey
* Two Tickets to Penguins game in Pittsburgh
* Golf at Oak Mount Country Club
* Panera´s — Bread for a Year
* An overnight stay at Salvatore´s Grand Hotel
* Weekend in Ellicottville
* Dinner for two at Romeo and Juliet´s
* Gift Certificates to:
-Sinatra´s
-Club 31
-Siena

AND…MUCH MUCH MORE!

[click for more info--->]

Crescent Village stalled

I received a letter last week from Marlies Wesolowski  indicating that the Crescent Village project has been stalled.  Wesolowski is the Exceutive Director for the Matt Urban Center…one of the partners in the project.

[click here to read letter - pdf]

The project encompasses a 16- block area surrounded by Broadway, Walden Avenue, Loepere Street and Rother Avenue and also includes Masjid Zakariya Mosque and the City of Buffalo as partners.

I will email or call Marlies to get more info on the delay.

Father Baker event to honor Sister Johnice Rzadkiewicz

From the Buffalo News:

Sister Johnice Rzadkiewicz, founder and director of the Response to Love Center on Buffalo’s East Side, will be honored with the Father Baker Service to Youth Award at the 29th annual Friends of Father Baker Reception at 6:30 tonight in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

The reception is part of the Friends of Father Baker Campaign, which supports the projects of Baker Victory Services, which assist more than 3,500 people annually. This year’s goal is $175,000. For tickets and donations, call Cassandra Okon at 828-9289.

Congratulations Sister J!!!!

http://www.responsetolovecenter.org

Saint Ann’s November Schedule

http://friendsofsaintanns.org

Canisius College Chrorale @ Corpus Christi 11/16

The Canisius College Chorale is the college’s major vocal performance ensemble. Their repertoire encompasses nearly six centuries of sacred and secular choral music.

Frank Scinta is well known as one of Western New York’s most active choral directors and music educators. In addition to directing the Canisius College Chorale, Scinta serves on the faculty of the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, is associate director for Opera Sacra and is organist and choirmaster at Blessed Sacrament Church.

The concert is part of the Corpus Christi Centennial Music Series…more info can be found here—>

A Paderewski Save

Last week I received word that the former Strusienski Restaurant at the corner of Paderewski and Sears was purchased at Buffalo’s foreclosure auction.  That news was great…then I heard that the building was purchased by none other than neighborhood friend and activist Eddy Dobosiewicz of Maxwell Truth, Dyngus Day Buffalo and Forgotten Buffalo fame.

I sent Eddy some questions about the purchase and he was gracious enough to send along a response.

BFA: Have you been looking for a building in the neighborhood?

Eddy: I have been looking at all the buildings in the neighborhood. Especially after the destruction of the former Polish Village. Not necessarily to buy but to make sure they are not demolished without justification.

BFA: Why did you decide to purchase the former Strusienski Restaurant…is it a building you have had your eyes on?

Eddy: I decided to purchase the Strusienski structure after becoming aware that it was facing demolition and that no one else was willing to buy it.

BFA: What are your plans for it?

Eddy: Initial plans are to secure the building and begin repairs that are necessary due to decades of neglect.

BFA: Did you ever go the restaurant when it was open? When did it close? Any memories?

Eddy: I did indeed go there as a child and also when I had an apartment on Houghton Street. They had great roast beef sandwiches.

BFA: How important is it for the neighborhood to save buildings like the one you purchased and reuse them?

Eddy: It is extremely important to save the structures that are salvageable. The “Historic Polonia district” is filled with buildings and houses that are unique to our area and maybe even the country. The historical significance of this neighborhood is the key to it’s revitalization. Do not discount that. By sharing our past we will shape our future.

Not only does this area contain a business district that once competed with the downtown corridor in volume, we also have numerous churches within blocks of each other that rival anything found in Europe and one of the most magnificent art deco buildings in the nation. These things along with it’s close proximity to downtown the 190 and 33 plus the existing community already in place with the Broadway Market, Post office, banks, inexpensive housing stock, stores, shops, taverns, etc make the “Historic Polonia district” WNY’s largest shovel ready site for development.

Great stuff!!!!

Sorry for the light posting this week…

…it was election crunch time and I was helping this GUY to victory.

Posting should pick up over the next day or so…

Parish Eucharistic Day at Saint Stan’s on Friday

In observance of the 136th Anniversary of the founding of St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr Parish, a special Eucharistic Day of Thanksgiving will be held in the historic church on Friday, November 6th.

The celebration will begin with the 8:00 a.m. Mass, after which the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for Adoration for the rest of the day until the 7:00 p.m. Mass and Procession. The Eucharistic Day affords us the opportunity to offer our prayers of thanksgiving and petition to the Lord not only in thanksgiving for the 136th years of existence of the parish, but also petitioning the Lord for blessings in the future of the parish community, as well as offering our petitions for our own particular needs and intentions, as well as the needs and intentions of our own family and friends.

Please note that Saint Stan’s will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. so all will have the opportunity to come at any hour of the day for a period of Adoration before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

Parishioners are encouraged to sign up for a half hour of adoration covering the period from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Volunteers for adoration are requested to sign (and print) their name for the designated time slot on the adoration time sheet which can be found on the information table at the Wilson Street church entrance.

http://www.ststanislauschurch.com

Halloween photos from the Broadway Market

(Derek Gee – Buffalo News)

From the Buffalo News…

You will have to take the word of 6-year-old EvRhett Eberle of Williamsville that that’s him inside the robot costume Saturday, hoping to have his Halloween bag filled with candy from Irene Sekuterski at Chrusciki Bakery in the Broadway Market.

Nice to pick up my copy of today’s Buffalo News and see a scene from the Broadway Market on it! 

[click here to see the rest of the photos from the Market and others from Halloween around WNY]