Eleven Years of Worship and Community Service

August 2019

Annual Picnic -- Thank you to Ralph and Diane Mercuri for making all the preparations for our annual picnic in Clarence.   It was a beautiful day, and all who were able to come had fun with the socializing and tasty foods!

Backpack Drive for Response to Love

Sister Johnice receiving backpacks from the community.

As we have done for many years, back-to-school supplies and backpacks were collected in August and donated to Sister Johnice and the Response to Love Center.   Sister has many children living in poverty on the East Side of Buffalo, and many, including refugee children, are slipping through the cracks, ineligible for free supplies.   We have been able to fill the void for many years, thanks to the generosity of the community.   And this year, thanks to a sponsorship from our community, we were also able to donate an additional 20 full backpacks thanks to The Teacher's Desk.  More than 25 backpacks in total were donated, along with extra supplies.

Full backpacks lined up, ready for distribution at Response to Love.

Timau Catholic Mission

Our community outreach this month will benefit the Timau Catholic Mission in Kenya.  We received this letter and photos from Sister Joanne Gangloff.

Timau Update re Duncan

During one of our Sunday masses, Sister Pam Conte visited us and gave a first-hand account of her very recent visit to the Mission.   She reported how the Mission provides so many basic needs to the children in the schools, including health care and one or two meals a day.   She explained the gratitude the children have for all the support they receive from the US partners, such as our faith community.   She also reported that 2020 will be the year Sister Joanne is planning to turn the mission over to new leadership, after more than 45 years of service at Timau.   Our Sunday collections for the month resulted in a donation of $3,475 to the mission.   A "thank you" note from Sister Joanne is found by clicking here.  Thank You Note

July 2019

South Buffalo - Community Table

We heard a wonderful message from Sister Kristen Schmitz about the services and social friendship offered to clients at the South Buffalo - Community Table.   This is a grass roots organization offering hot meals since 1983 for hundreds of clients each week.  We recognize the importance of volunteers to keep this facility helping people as well as they do.   Our support will go directly to the operation, which in turn will continue to feed the hungry.  "It is in giving each day that we are blessed."

June 2019

Hearts for the Homeless

This organization is well known to our community, and once again, our financial support goes to help them as they feed and clothe the poor and homeless men, women and children in the city of Buffalo.   The latest news from Ron Calandra is that they will be opening a food bank and cafe next door to their present location in Riverside.  

Ride for Roswell

Our community encouraged a team to participate in this fundraiser for cancer research.  Our Team Newman included Captain Renie Stevens, Perry Figliotti, Luanne and Jack Leo, Mark Brady, and first time riders, Jasmine and Darius Leo.   The team raised over $14,000 in donations, which helped push the total for the Ride to over $5 million.

Jack Leo, Darius Leo, Jasmine Leo, Luanne Leo, Renie Stevens
Back row:  Mark Brady and Perry Figliotti

Luanne with Darius and Jasmine

May 2019

Mission Update -- Father Jim made a wonderful announcement from the Foundation of Children In Need, located in India.   Our community and several individual members of our community have supported his friends in India, Dr. Geetha and Tom Chitta, the founders of FCN.   They made a special presentation, announcing the opening of the new FCN Home in Hyderabad, India, a large, capital project funded largely by several faith communities scattered around the USA.

Dr. Geetha and Tom Chitta

Father Jim joined his friends in thanking our community for the financial support for many years.

April 2019:   Buffalo Peace House   

Our community support was directed to this organization, which opened its doors in 2013.   There are presently 20 asylum seekers living at Peace House, receiving shelter and legal services during this time of unrest in their homelands.   We heard from a young lady from Rwanda, whose family was a victim of the genocide years ago.  But her message was a message of hope and survival as she continues to build upon her new life in the USA and shares are confidence for other residents at Peace House.   Our community donation was $2,575.

Holy Week Services

 Father Paul and the Traditional Seder

 Father Jim and the Easter Vigil

March 2019

The Kathleen Mary House ... a place of new beginnings, was our mission for the month of March.  This is a Southtowns transitional house that opens its doors to women and children who are victims of domestic violence and need safe, short-term housing.    Residents are given physical, emotional and spiritual assistance they need in this safe, nurturing environment.

 ... LENT ...      Ash Wednesday opened our observance of the season of Lent.  Father Duke was our celebrant for the evening services at the Unitarian Church.   The evening began with our traditional soup and bread supper, thanks to the coordination efforts of Diane and Ralph Mercuri.

January - February 2019

Our community support during these two months was focused on TRY House (Teaching and Restoring Youth) and Family Promise of WNY.   Our faith formation program collected items for the young girls in residence at TRY, including many household products that were on their wish list, along with new bed linens and gift cards.   

TRY Program Residents

On February 5, an early morning mass was celebrated at the Response to Love Center.  Father Fred Betti, SJ was the celebrant.   Sister Johnice thanked our community for years of support for her mission for the benefit of the needy on the East Side of Buffalo.

Father Fred Betti, SJ

Family Promise of WNY

Located on Hickory Street in Buffalo, this unique, family-centered homeless shelter provides for the needs of families who can stay together while a permanent home is found.

December 2018

The end of the year allowed the generosity of our community to bear much fruit, as we were able to make many donations from our accumulated funds from the Sunday collections.   $6,000 was donated overall during the month.  Some went to help needy families within our community dealing with serious health issues.  Other funds went to purchase stoves for two families in need,who have been living without a stove in their apartments.  Another donation was made to Hearts for the Homeless to purchase boots for the homeless in Buffalo.   A donation was made to Heart, Love and Soul in Niagara Falls for two families undergoing difficult times.   

Pam and Tom Lawless helped coordinate the giving of seventy gifts for families at the Response to Love Center and in adult education at Harvest House.

Our own Newman Mission Choir, under the direction of Mary DeWald, rehearsed for the Christmas Eve Mass.   We are so grateful for Mary for her musical direction and her creativity for the Christmas Eve pageant.  We thank Paul DeWald for his narration during the year.   And we thank Steve Stempien for his wonderful accompaniment on the piano during our Sunday worship.

Mary DeWald sings with Mike on piano, and her grandchildren Michael and Elizabeth during the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Father Jim leads our celebration of the Eucharist on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.   All four candles of the Advent Wreath were lighted each week:   First by Darius Leo, then Jasmine Leo, then Davey Dorner and finally by Georgia Zorich.







Timau Mission -- An Update about our three children, Freddy, Wendy and Duncan.
We renewed our annual support this month.
Read More and See their photos here.

Christmas Eve - The Gospel Comes to Life

November:   Our community honored the military veterans by donating to VetsHERD.   Our own community member, Jack Michel, explained all the ways our donations will help the veterans in WNY who have fallen on tough times.   Their motto is that "Let no veteran be forgotten when he or she returns home from active duty."    Our donation for this organization was $2,950.

October:   Harvest House was our Mission for the Month of October and our support included our Sunday collections, our attending of the 25th Anniversary Gala on October 4th, and a wonderful pancake breakfast on October 21st.    Harvest House is always grateful for the outpouring of support, so they can continue to serve the needy in Buffalo, provide free health and dental care, and provide clothing for over 5,000 children.    If you haven't seen the new Harvest House web site, here is a convenient link:  Harvest House

Including the proceeds from the pancake breakfast, our donation was $6, 925.   

Thanks to the generosity of the John Roba, Steve Hanley, Tom Stoddard, Rich Sullivan and many, many more, the pancake breakfast was a wonderful, successful event.   Thank you Joanne Montante and her crew for the expertise in decorating the Clarence Club House.

September:  We welcomed Doris Valentin from the Hispanic Migrant Workers ministry and supported them with our Sunday donations, plus personal care items, hats, shirts and towels.  The migrants are living in tension due to increased surveillance of ALL immigrants by government officials.  Our funding in the amount of $2,700 will help people in their care with necessities of living and maintaining their legal residency in Western New York.

August 2018

Our community moved into our eleventh year of worship and community service as we supported The Response to Love Center in Buffalo.   Sister Johnice attended mass with us, under the tent, along with Sister Rose and Sister Catherine and Mike Gilhooly.   Our community collected back-to-school supplies for the clients of the Center.   Sister Johnice and Father Fred Betti invited our community to an early morning mass at the Center.... a mass of thanksgiving for our many years of support for the work they do for the benefit of those living on the east side of Buffalo.   In addition to the school supplies, we donated $2,950 from our Sunday collections.

Mary Miller, Luanne and Jack Leo, and Sister Johnice