Author Archives: bparker

Hispanic Heritage celebrated Oct. 7

A special celebration of the contributions of the Roman Catholic Diocese’s Latino Catholics and
their long history of faith here will be held Friday, October 7, 2016, at Our Lady of the
Americas, 864 E. Main St., Rochester. All are welcome.
The evening’s activities begin at 6 p.m. with the Rosary, followed by a bilingual Mass at 6:30
p.m. Celebrant is Bishop Nelson J. Pérez of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York. After
Mass, there will be live music, dinner and special presentations. The theme of the evening is
Honoring Our Heritage. Building Our Future.

Catholic Schools to hold Open Houses

We welcome all families to consider the gift of a Catholic education. Catholic schools provide a strong foundation for the Church’s greatest treasure, our young people. Additionally, more information can be found at each schools’ web site. Families may visit any of our elementary schools listed below at any time throughout the year, but each school will also host Open Houses.

Message from the Bishop on the 15th Anniversary of 9/11

Fifteen years ago this coming Sunday, our nation was forever changed by the horrendous
events of Sept. 11, 2001. On that day, our nation suffered a single day of carnage that tore at the very fabric of our daily life and broke our hearts. Fifteen years later, with the sorrow and anger and fear of that day still fresh, we also bear the grief of many more unbearable and horrific acts of terrorism and violence throughout our world.

Creating a Safe Environment Newsletter | Summer 2016

“Grooming” behavior puts children at risk

Julie was just 13 when she started talking online to Tom. She may have met him first at her church, but their relationship grew through emails and texts. “He didn’t act or even sound like a 56-year-old man on the computer,” Julie says. She knew it was wrong to spend so much time—between three and six hours ever day—texting a man she didn’t know. “But I did it out of retaliation to my parents. It felt nice to have somebody who wasn’t always trying to tell you what to do.”-Julie says she would get very anxious when she wasn’t able to go online. She knew Tom would send her emails asking what she was doing, and she would feel guilty. And besides, she felt she had built a close relationship to him, and he became “very important to me.”

Bishop Matano requesting prayers for end to violence

Message from Bishop Matano requesting prayers for end to violence:

Bishop Matano renews his request that prayers continue to be offered for an end to the violence now plaguing our country and our world. While continuing our prayers for the victims of the horrific violent tragedy in Orlando, and united in prayer with the families of all who mourn their loss, we also pray for the victims and families of the senseless violence in Istanbul, Bangladesh and Baghdad, and now most recently with the shootings claiming lives in Dallas, Louisiana and Minnesota.

Each day sadly brings a new cross of pain for humanity to bear. Throughout the world, the family of God is being torn apart, demanding us to acknowledge that all life is sacred and we are all God’s children.

CMA tops $6 million for first time in Appeal’s history

The Diocese of Rochester announced today that commitments to the Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) exceeded $6 million for the first time in the 35-year history of the campaign.
Nearly 28,000 Roman Catholic households committed $6.035 million to this year’s CMA. The average household gift also surpassed $200 for the first time.
“We are blessed in the Diocese of Rochester with many families that care deeply for the Church’s mission and charitable works,” said Bishop of Rochester Salvatore R. Matano. “ I am most grateful that they have chosen to help sustain our ministries and programs.”
Contributions to the appeal enable the diocese to provide critical support to parishes, including training and support for catechetical leaders, youth ministry opportunities, formation of seminarians, migrant ministry, Catholic schools, and religious education programs. In addition, the appeal benefits Catholic Charities, which provides outreach to the poor and others in need through regional offices located throughout the diocese.

Church prays for victims of the Orlando, Fl. tragedy

Archbishop Joseph Kurz, president of the USCCB, and the Catholic Bishops of the United States issued the following statement regarding the tragedy in Orlando, Fl. on June 12.

 “Waking up to the unspeakable violence in Orlando reminds us of how precious human life is. Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this terrible act. The merciful love of Christ calls us to solidarity with the suffering and to ever greater resolve in protecting the life and dignity of every person.”
Bishop Matano offered Masses for the victims and requested that all our parishes offer special prayers for the victims this past weekend, June 18-19, “for the consolation of their loved ones and for an end to senseless, unspeakable violence that scars all humanity in its blatant disregard for the dignity of every person as a child of God.”

3 men ordained priests June 4

At approximately 10 a.m. on June 3, the sudden crash of a drum shook Sacred Heart Cathedral and was followed by blaring, majestic organ music.

Those booming sounds marked a dramatic start to the priestly ordination Mass — a fitting beginning when one considers the profundity of the occasion for Fathers Anthony Amato, Juan Benitez and Michael Merritt.

Catholic Schools receive $60,000 grant from Fidelis Care

Fidelis Care, the New York State Catholic Health Plan, has again awarded Diocese of Rochester Catholic Schools a $60,000 grant to assist a special learning program called Math & Movement™ for grades K-8 in diocesan schools. Fidelis Care generously provided a
$60,000 implementation grant last year for the program.
“We are most grateful to Fidelis for this grant,” said Jona Wright, associate
superintendent of Catholic Schools. “By partnering with Math & Movement™,
diocesan Catholic Schools aim to combine health, wellness and academic growth
through a multi-sensory approach to teaching math that incorporates physical
exercise, stretching, cross-body movements, and visually-pleasing floor mats that
allow children to practice using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning modalities.”

Creating a Safe Environment Newsletter | Spring 2016

10 Safety Lessons to Teach Your Children

1. Trust your feelings.
God created us to experience emotions for a reason. When we are faced with danger, we experience fear, preparing us to fight or flee. We experience anxiety or apprehension, at times, as a precursor, warning us in advance of pending danger. Teaching your child to notice and respond to their feelings can help them avoid danger and help you know when to take a closer look at their surroundings.

Bishop celebrates Year of Mercy Masses in June

Bishop to preside at two June Year of Mercy Masses

You are invited to attend two special Year of Mercy Masses in June 2016 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park, Rochester.
June 3, 2016 at 6:30 pm: First Friday Mass/Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (patronal feast of the Cathedral, with a special intention for the men who will be ordained priests the following morning), followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and individual Confessions until 8 p.m.  Bishop Salvatore R. Matano will preside.
June 22, 2016: 6:30 pm: The Feast of Saint John Fisher, the patron saint of the Diocese of Rochester, with Mass seeking his continued intercession for our Diocese. Bishop Matano will preside.
Pope Francis has declared that passing through the Holy Door of Mercy, located in our Diocese at the inside center entrance of the Cathedral, will offer the possibility of obtaining a Plenary Indulgence, a remission of the temporal punishment due to sins, by participating in the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Eucharist, praying for the Holy Father’s personal intentions, and praying the Profession of Faith (the Creed).
Complete schedule: Link

20th Anniversary Schools Golf Classic

The 20th Anniversary Catholic Schools Golf Classic will be held on Monday, June 27, 2016, at Greystone Golf Club, 1400 Atlantic Ave., Walworth.

Proceeds will be used to provide tuition assistance for exceptional hardship cases for students in any of the diocesan Catholic schools in our 12-county diocese.

Teams, sponsors and donations of auction items and raffle prizes are being sought to help raise funds. For more information, please call 585-328-3228, ext. 1294, or e-mail

You may also

Theology on Tap Spring Series

Theology on Tap is an opportunity for young adults to gather to discuss and reflect on issues of
faith. Sponsored by The Diocese of Rochester Department of Evangelization & Catechesis. Theology on Tap is a copyrighted program of Renew International. Used with permission.
April 18, 2016
Confirmation: What it is, what it isn’t, and why it still matters in your life
April 25, 2016
Go and Make Disciples: The Great Commission
May 2, 2016
Wait! How Many Gifts of the Holy Spirit Are There?
May 9, 2016
Pentecost: Jewish & Christian Traditions

Year of Mercy Divine Chaplet of Mercy April 3

All the Catholic faithful are invited to attend a special Year of Mercy Chaplet of the Divine Mercy on Sunday, April 3, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 296 Flower City Park, Rochester, with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Sung Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

Priests will be available to hear individual Confessions. Presider: Reverend Peter VanLieshout.

For a complete schedule of the special Year of Mercy diocesan events at the Cathedral, visit www.dor.org

Bishop’s statement regarding physician-assisted suicide

Statement Regarding Physician-Assisted Suicide – March 2016

Amidst the joys of this life there is one that looms high above all the others, the joy of parents who welcome their new-born child into their lives. When they cradle this precious gift of God in their arms, there are no words to express adequately the joy in their hearts. Heaven and earth unite in the marvelous gift of life. And so begins a journey for which there are no certain maps or charts. The course is filled with so many surprises and unexpected events, many joyous, some challenging, others disconcerting; there are anxious moments, times of worry and even heartaches. But through it all parents never stop embracing their children; theirs is a love without boundaries, unrestricted, forever alive and without question.

The precious life of the new-born child is the same precious life of the old and the frail, the weak and the suffering, the ill and the infirm, the distraught and the sorrowful. As we care for the child so must we care for all persons in the vast spectrum of human life. When we subjectively determine when life begins and ends, when it is viable or not, or when it is too burdensome to endure, we begin a path toward self-destruction. Life is no longer precious, but just another commodity in the business of living. Relativism becomes the absolute, and even the value of life itself is questioned.

The value of persons who are gravely ill and/or at the end of their lives is currently being questioned and their very lives threatened by a growing movement in our society to end life prematurely. Now pending in the New York State Legislature are two bills that would legalize physician-assisted suicide for patients diagnosed with a terminal illness. They are euphemistically titled the “End-of-Life Options Act” (S.3685/A.2129-A) and the “Patient Self-Determination Act” (S.5814/A.5261-B). These proposals ask those in the medical profession, a vocation dedicated to the service of life, to assist in the termination of the very lives they have pledged to heal and to comfort at life’s most critical moments. Dr. Herbert Hendin, the CEO and Medical Director of Suicide Prevention Initiatives in New York City, has urged New York lawmakers to reject the legalization of doctor-assisted suicide, and to focus instead on accessible quality end-of-life care. He states: “[E]vidence suggests that good palliative medicine can help people face death with dignity; assisted suicide falls far short of that goal” (http://noassistedsuicideny.org/in-state-resources/ see Suicide Prevention Initiatives, New York City).

Dr. Michael Brescia, Executive Medical Director of Calvary Hospital in the Bronx, a specialty hospital serving advanced cancer patients, has recently noted that with groundbreaking advances in pain medicine, “the physical aspects of pain can be managed effectively for all patients. [W]e have found that with attention, affection and high quality care, we can prevent patients from saying they want to die” http://noassistedsuicideny.org/in-state-resources/ see Calvary Hospital, Bronx, New York). Indeed, we must not abandon our terminally ill sisters and brothers.

Clearly, then, the rejection of physician-assisted suicide is not solely a Catholic position, it is a human rights imperative. The Catholic Church is the defender of Life in concert with physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals; in union with these same people, we seek to protect people with physical and mental disabilities, those in life-threatening situations, and those who have no one to speak on their behalf, from being viewed as burdens to society when they are our sisters and brothers in the human family. What is needed is support for and the further exploration of healthcare measures that will effectively relieve suffering, so that the terminally ill might know and feel the love, concern, compassion and care of a society that protects them and cherishes them. This, in itself, eases the greatest pain, which attacks the heart when people feel no one cares!

The Catholic Church, united with persons of other faiths and people of good will, does care, especially for those who are the weakest among us! And our concern is not irrational. It is a very reasonable and noble concern, which appreciates the worth of the human person in his or her most difficult moments of life. In 2011, the United States Bishops stated: “Respect for life does not demand that we attempt to prolong life by using medical treatments that are ineffective or unduly burdensome. Nor does it mean we should deprive suffering patients of needed pain medications out of a misplaced or exaggerated fear that they might have the side effect of shortening life” (“To Live Each Day With Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide,” USCCB, July 2011, p. 10, http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/assisted-suicide/to-live-each-day). The New York State Bishops, in their 2011 “Catholic Guide to End-of-Life Decision-Making, Now and at the Hour of Our Death,” note that “out of deep respect for the gift of life, we must always accept, and others must provide, ordinary medical means of preserving life. Ordinary means are those that offer us a reasonable hope of benefit and would not entail excessive burden on us, our family, or the community” (p. 3, http://www.nyscatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/End-of-Life-booklet-final.pdf). But intentional euthanasia, the willful and conscious act of putting to death those who are sick, are disabled, or are dying, is morally unacceptable and a tragic offense against life!

I urge New York State lawmakers to reject the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, for it will inevitably put tremendous pressure on our most vulnerable citizens to end their lives. As the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law cautioned many years ago (1994), in an era of health care rationing and cost-cutting, assisted suicide could easily rise to the level of the most acceptable, inexpensive, and even expected “treatment” for terminal illness. We owe our brothers and sisters in the human family so much more.

I pray that reason will prevail and be guided by an even greater Wisdom. Shakespeare said it well many years ago: “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we may” (Hamlet, V .ii). Indeed there is One greater than ourselves and He said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Asking the Lord to bless our efforts in the service of His gift of life and united in prayer for all our suffering brothers and sisters in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, I remain

Devotedly yours in Christ,

+ The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano
Bishop of Rochester

Lent: The Journey to Easter 2016

The 2018 Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, for Latin-rite Catholics with Easter Sunday on April 1.

During Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and to sacrifice self-control through fasting. Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection. In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God’s gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446).

Assisted Suicide Conference Feb. 20

Historical, medical, legal, and ethical aspects of assisted suicide
Ideal for: Attorneys, health care professionals, clergy, chaplains, caregivers, patients, and family members
Sponsors:
Knights of Columbus, Finger Lakes Chapter ● St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild ● Catholic Medical Association, Finger Lakes Guild ● Feminists for Nonviolent Choices ● Rochester Area Right to Life ● Leo Holmsten Human Life Committee ● New Yorker’s Family Research Foundation ● New Yorkers for Life ● generous private donors
For more info: https://www.facebook.com/No-Way-To-Die-Rochester-1688504591366523/

Message from the Bishop: Day of Penance and Mercy

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In this Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, we especially celebrate, in gratitude, the mercy of our Heavenly Father. In contemplating God’s mercy and forgiveness, we begin with a very basic premise: we are God’s noblest creation conceived by His perfect love for us. In this love by which He binds Himself to us, He lifts us up again and again when we sin.

Day of Penance and Mercy March 9

All Catholics in the 12-county Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester are invited to participate in a special diocesan-wide Day of Penance and Mercy Wednesday, March 9, 2016, to experience the healing power of Confession, formally called the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Priests will hear individual Confessions from 12:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at all parishes. If your parish has multiple worship sites, kindly consult your bulletin and/or parish website for specific times at each site.

The Diocese has created a special website at http://forgiven.dor.org/ to explain the sacrament and offer “how to’s.”