Genesee Cancer Assistance will hold its Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Thursday, April 25. The event is held in memory of Joe Gerace, who was a valued and dedicated volunteer to the organization for many years.
This will be a Dine-In or Take-Out event held at Ascension Parish Hall, 17 Sumner St., Batavia.
The menu will include spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, and dessert. Tickets are $15 each. There will also be raffles, including wine & chocolate baskets, with tickets available for purchase.
Pre-sale dinner tickets are available online at www.geneseecancerassistance.org, from any Board member, or through the office by calling (585)345-0417. Pre-sale tickets are suggested but not required.
It was a faith-filled Second Sunday of Advent Sunday morning at Ascension Church at Resurrection and Ascension’s combined Faith Formation programs, with:
Card making for nursing home residents
Food and conversation
Discussion about Church and family Advent & Christmas traditions
Catholic Charities of Buffalo announced the members of its Appeal 2024 leadership team which include Kevin Gannon as chair, Michael Noe, MD, MPH as vice chair, Gina Giese as parish and community division chair, and C. Kevin Brayer and David Wolf as corporate division co-chairs.
After previously serving as both vice chair and parish chair in recent years, Gannon is taking on the role of chair as the annual Appeal marks 100 years in 2024. Gannon is the chief sales officer of Azeros Health Plans and has more than 35 years of experience as a benefits broker. He is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and serves as a committee member at OLV Homes of Charity. Gannon and his wife reside in Hamburg and belong to Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Hamburg.
Appeal 2024 Vice Chair Noe is an emeritus clinical professor in the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Recently retired, he previously served as associate dean for community relations and clinical affairs and director of the school’s residency program in preventative medicine. Dr. Noe also held various senior administrative positions during his career with Kaleida Health. He is a long-time member of the Bishop’s Council of the Laity and serves on the board of directors at Brothers of Mercy campus facilities, at Harvest House Buffalo, and at The Family Help Center. Dr. Noe resides in Clarence and is a member of St. Gregory the Great Parish in Williamsville.
As parish and community division chair, Giese works with both parish Appeal teams as well as Catholic schools, parish societies and other local organizations throughout the eight counties of Western New York. She is a senior vice president and retail regional manager with M&T Bank and serves on the Genesee Community College Foundation board. Giese and her husband, Deacon Walter Szczesny, are members of Ascension Parish in Batavia.
Brayer returns for his fourth year as corporate division co-chair, to direct a team of volunteer business leaders and develop strategies for seeking contributions from local corporations and small businesses. He is the retired executive director of the St. Bonaventure Buffalo Center and a long-standing parishioner of St. Louis Church. Brayer also serves on the Bishop’s Council of the Laity, the Foundation for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, and the board of directors for the Ronald McDonald House. He resides with his family in Buffalo.
Also named corporate division co-chair, Wolf is a senior financial advisor with Excelsior Financial. He holds the Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM (CRPC®) designation and has more than 25 years of experience servicing both individual high net worth clients and small businesses. Wolf resides in North Buffalo with his family and are members of St. Mark Parish in Buffalo.
“Volunteers are, and always have been, the backbone of the annual Appeal – their dedication make it happen year after year for the past century,” said Deacon Steve Schumer, president and CEO, Catholic Charities. “We are grateful for the support of Kevin and the entire leadership team to spearhead our centennial Appeal efforts and look forward to a successful campaign in 2024.”
The annual Appeal, which is celebrating its 100 year in 2024, kicks off in January and runs through June 30. Funds raised during Appeal 2024 support Catholic Charities’ 57 programs and services, along with several ministries through the Fund for the Faith. More than 145,000 people of all faiths were served by Catholic Charities last year. For more information or to donate to Appeal 2024, visit ccwny.org/donate.
Congrats to our Confirmation candidates from Ascension and Resurrection Parishes, who made their commitment to this sacrament with their parents and sponsors, today St. Joseph’s Church on the first Sunday of Advent.
Registration is now open for the 2023-24 Faith Formation Program at Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes in Batavia. The parish families are excited about this joint venture to share our Catholic faith with our families and children.
All sacramental preparation classes (Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation) will be offered as well as enriching programs for the entire family.
Classes will begin on Sunday, September 10 at 10 a.m. Mass at Ascension Parish, followed by a pancake breakfast, meetings, and of course, Bingo! Come and join us!
Registration is now open for the 2023-24 Faith Formation Program at Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes in Batavia. The parish families are excited about this joint venture to share our Catholic faith with our families and children.
All sacramental preparation classes (Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation) will be offered as well as enriching programs for the entire family.
Classes will begin on Sunday, September 10 at 10 a.m. Mass at Ascension Parish, followed by a pancake breakfast, meetings, and of course, bingo! Come and join us!
Registration is now open for the 2023-24 Faith Formation Program at Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes in Batavia. The parish families are excited about this joint venture to share our Catholic faith with our families and children.
All sacramental preparation classes (Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation) will be offered as well as enriching programs for the entire family.
Classes will begin on Sunday, September 10 at 10 a.m. Mass at Ascension Parish, followed by lunch, meetings, and a fun kick-off event! Come and join us!
Please contact Jason Smith from Resurrection Parish at resurrectionff14020@yahoo.com or Ann Pratt from Ascension Parish at mgp1731@gmail.com for information.
Fourteen young people from Ascension and Resurrection parishes in Batavia were confirmed by Bishop Michael Fisher during Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo.
Confirmation is one of the seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church.
The newly confirmed were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to the faith of the Church, signified when the Bishop makes the sign of the cross with chrism oil on their foreheads.
The sacrament of Confirmation represents full entry into the Catholic Church. Each candidate also chooses a sponsor to support them in their faith journey.
Resurrection and Ascension parishes hosted their annual confirmation retreat on Sunday morning at St. Mary's in Batavia.
The class was led by Jason Smith and Ron Chrzanowski.
Smith said that Father Ivan offered a blessing after the 9:15 mass, and then candidates engaged in several activities, including making a coat of arms, and church collages symbolizing elements of the faith. They also studied the Corporal Works of Mercy, and presented their Saints in an interview style.
Candidates will be confirmed on May 28 at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo by Bishop Fisher.
Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes had a joint Confirmation Commitment Mass today at 11:30 at St Joseph’s Church for our shared Confirmation candidates, to be confirmed this spring. Parents and sponsors attended and participated as well.
Prior to Mass, families and students gathered as part of our joint Faith Formation program.
Ascension Parish hosted its first Oktoberfest on Saturday in the parking lot of Sacred Heart on South Swan Street in Batavia.
There was beer, wurst, giant pretzels, and traditional German music performed by The German American Musicians. There was also a basket raffle and pull tabs.
Ascension Parish is ready for a party at its Social Center, 19 Sumner St., Batavia, on Saturday, headlined by The German American Musicians and beer.
It's Oktoberfest time.
The German American Musicians is a 25-member band founded in 1933. It is a not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to the cultivation and performance of the traditional music and culture of German-speaking lands.
Oktoberfest organizers said in a statement, "Our Oktoberfest creates an opportunity to gather as a community to listen to fine German music, to dance and sing, to eat and drink and appreciate one another."
Registration is now open for the 22-23 Faith Formation Program at Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes in Batavia. The parish families are excited about this joint venture to share the faith with our families and children. All sacramental preparation classes (Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation) will be offered and enriching programs for the entire family.
Father Dave Glasmire and Father Ivan Trujillo, pastors of Ascension and Resurrection Parishes, concelebrated Mass today at 9:15 at St Mary’s as part of commencing our combined Faith Formation program.
In his homily, Father Dave called for all parishioners to offer their gifts and talents in this joint venture.
Volunteers then gathered in St. Mary’s Hall for a kick-off meeting led by Ann Pratt and Jason Smith, Faith Formation coordinators of Ascension and Resurrection, respectively.
Ascension Parish and Resurrection Parish will be joining forces to provide faith formation to the children and families of our parishes! This is an exciting and needed opportunity to tap and combine the strengths and resources of both our parish--and we need YOU!
To kick of this exciting venture, there will be a special Mass on Sunday, June 12 at 9:15 at St. Mary's Church, concelebrated by both Father Ivan and Father Dave. Following Mass, there will be coffee and donuts in the church hall for all returning, new catechists, and anyone interested in supporting this fundamental program of our faith) so we can begin to share ideas!
If you cannot join us, perhaps you can tap someone on the shoulder who you think would make a great catechist!
If you have any questions, please contact us below:
Holly Sharpe delivers two dinners to a customer Saturday evening during the annual Joe Gerace Spaghetti Dinner sale at Ascension Parish, an annual fundraiser for Genesee Cancer Assistance.
The electronics recycling event in the parking lot behind the parish hall* at Ascension Parish in Batavia has been so successful they are ending it early.
It got underway on Thursday April 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and planned to go for 13 days until April 20th.
This afternoon The Batavian received an email saying it would not continue into a second week because they received a lot of scrap electronics.
"We have done well," Terri King wrote.
So tomorrow Wednesday and Thursday of this week, April 14 and 15, will be the last opportunities to get rid of your old electrical stuff to benefit Camp Good Days & Special Times. It's an organization working to help improve the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer.
There will be a 13-day electronics recycling event at Ascension Parish in Batavia starting tomorrow, Thursday, April 8, and running through Tuesday, April 20.
The drop-off site is the garage adjacent to the parking lot behind the parish hall, which is located at 17 Sumner St. Signs will be put up to direct you.
Proceeds will benefit Camp Good Days & Special Times, an organization is working to help improve the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer.