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.

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.”

9 Days for Life is a “digital pilgrimage” of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person’s life. A multi-faceted novena highlighting a different intention each day provides reflections, bonus information, and suggested actions.

Join to receive the novena through the 9 Days for Life app, daily emails, or daily texts. See below for information on how else you can get involved!

#9DaysforLife #OurPrayersMatter

Year of Mercy – Every Life is Worth Living

Bishop Matano will be celebrating Mass on Sunday, January 17, at 11:15 a.m. at SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL in support of all human life, especially the unborn

This Mass for Life is a local celebration to give thanks fo God for the gift of human life and to pray for the legal protection of unborn children, coinciding with the anniversary of the U.S. supreme Court Row vs Wade decision.

COFFEE AND DOUGHNUT RECEPTION TO FOLLOW

Protect the Conscience Rights of Health Care Providers

By December 11, 2015, Congress must agree on a year-end spending bill for the federal government.

We need your help to ensure that protections for pro-life health care workers are included in that bill.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops  has long endorsed this bill and is calling on all U.S. Catholics to encourage its passage now. Americans’ right to object to involvement in abortion has long enjoyed broad support, and President Obama has said several times that he supports federal laws protecting this right. But the conscience laws on the books today need to be clarified and strengthened.

The “Abortion Non-Discrimination Act,” or ANDA, will accomplish this goal. It needs to be included in the year-end spending bill.

Go to http://nchla.org/ to send an e-mail message to your federal legislators and for more ideas to spread the word on this critical issue.

More Resources:

Stand with Cathy for Conscience Rights video  http://bcove.me/vdb9twsf

Article explaining the need for this law from USCCB staffer Richard Doerflinger,  including links to the video and the Action Alert http://goo.gl/bebTwk

• February 11:   7:00 PM  St. Mary, Bath (O’Malley Hall)
• February 17:  7:00 PM  Assumption, Fairport (Parish Living Room)
• March 3:  7:00 PM  St. Pius Tenth, Chili (School)
• March 5: 1:00 PM  All Saints, Lansing
• March 10:  7:00 PM  St. Mary of the Lake, Watkins Glen
• April 6:  7:00PM  Transfiguration, Pittsford

We will provide an overview of the 5 year application and formation process and the time commitment involved and answer questions about ongoing ministry.

An eligible applicant for permanent deacon formation is a man of strong and active faith who can demonstrate a record of service in the communities in which he lives, works and worships. He must be at least 35 years of age and no more than 62 years of age at the time of ordination, in good health, emotionally mature and stable in his professional and personal relationships. Men may be single or married.

Interested men and their wives are encouraged to attend. For more information please contact Deacon John Brasley, Director of Deacon Personnel & Director of Deacon Formation, Diocese of Rochester, 585.328.3228 or

Celebrating the Extraordinary Year of Mercy

Schedule of Special Masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral

Them, Extraordinary Year of Mercy is to be the “living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective.” (Pope Francis).

Periodically, Jubilee Years are called by the Sovereign Pontiffs to lead the faithful to a closer relationship with God and as a sign of unity and charity. The Extraordinary Year of Mercy, (December 8, 2015 – November 20, 2016) is the first Holy Year (hence, extraordinary) which does not commemorate an anniversary of some kind, but focuses our attention on the attribute of God the Father which is exalted in both the Old and New Testaments, His Mercy. In
announcing the Year of Mercy, our Holy Father wrote: “The Church makes herself a servant of this love of Christ and mediates it to all people: a love that forgives and expresses itself in the gift of oneself. Consequently, wherever the Church is present, the mercy of the Father must be evident.”

Father Daniel Ruiz welcomed into diocese