Category Archives: News

Deacon Information Session Dec. 9

DEACON INFORMATION SESSION
7:00 PM Tuesday December 9, Bishop Hickey Conference Center, 1150 Buffalo Road (Pastoral Center rear entrance and parking).
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.
Applicants 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

Brighton parish begins monthly Mass for first-responders

Our Lady Queen of Peace begins monthly Mass for first-responders
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Brighton has begun a monthly Mass offered for all of the area’s fire, ambulance, police and other emergency personnel. The Mass for first-responders will be held the first Tuesday of every month at 7 a.m. — a convenient time for first-responders getting off an overnight shift and those about to begin their day shift.
“At the Mass, we ask God to uphold and protect these extraordinary men and women who go out there every day and risk all for our community’s safety,” said Margaret Ostromecki, pastoral administrator of the parish, located at 601 Edgewood Drive. “After the Mass, and thanks to the generosity of our nearby Starbucks and Bagel Land, the men and women attending can enjoy a cup of coffee and a bagel.”

Black Catholic Revival to held Nov. 13-15, 2014

A Black Catholic Revival will be held November 13-15, 2014, at Immaculate Conception Church/St. Bridget’s Church, 445 Frederick Douglass St., Rochester.

The revival, free and public,  will be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 15, from 9:30 a.m. until noon.

Special guest speaker is Reverend Anthony Bozeman, SSJ, a revival leader, presenter, and retreat facilitator from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Fr. Bozeman understands that “to whom much is given much is expected.”

The revival is sponsored by the Diocese of Rochester Office of Cultural Diversity and the Black Catholic Leadership Commission.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Johnston at 328-3210 or

Red Mass to be held Oct. 10

The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, and the St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild cordially invite members of the legal community and general public to the annual Red Mass, to be held on Friday, October 10, 2014. The Mass will begin at 12:10 p.m. at Our Lady of Victory Church, 20 Pleasant Street, in downtown Rochester.
The Red Mass, also called the Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, requests divine assistance on behalf of judges and lawyers and others associated with the legal community.  Inaugurated in England in the 13th century at the time of Edward II, the Red Mass was held at the opening of the Michaelmas term of the judicial calendar.
The Red Mass was so named because the celebrant wore red vestments and members of the Lord High Justices and academic officials wore scarlet robes, and the red vestments worn by the clergy were symbolic of the tongues of flame symbolizing the Holy Spirit. This traditional event has been held in the Diocese of Rochester for almost 40 years.  St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City has also held an annual Red Mass.  In Washington D.C. the Red Mass has been celebrated each October at the Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle with United States Supreme Court Judges and lawyers in attendance.
The St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild will sponsor a reception on the church grounds at Our Lady of Victory Church following the Red Mass so attendees can meet Bishop Matano.

Annual Blue Mass is October 26

The Most Reverend Salvatore R. Matano, Bishop of Rochester, will preside at the annual “Blue Mass” for members of law enforcement on Sunday, October 26, 2014. The Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral at 11:15 a.m. All are welcome to attend to pray for these brave men and women who daily risk their lives to protect our community..
Representatives from local, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies throughout our community will attend the Mass.
Sacred Heart Cathedral is located at 296 Flower City Park, between Dewey and Lake avenues, in the city of Rochester.

“White Mass” for health professionals

“WHITE MASS” scheduled for Oct. 19

A “White Mass” for health care professionals — so-named because of the white lab coats that many wear while treating patients — .will take place 2 p.m. Sunday, October 19, at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park, Rochester.

Bishop Salvatore Matano will preside.

Physicians, nurses, chaplains, and all other allied health professionals, are cordially invited to attend.

A social reception will follow. Family members are welcome.

The event is sponsored by the Finger Lakes Guild, which is chartered by the Catholic Medical Association.

For more information, visit the Guild’s website at http:// FingerLakesCMA.org

New principal at St. Lawrence School

Frank Arvizzigno appointed new principal at St. LawrenceSchool, Greece
Frank Arvizzigno, an experienced educator, has been appointed Principal at St. Lawrence School in Greece.
Arvizzigno most recently served as an Administrative Intern at The Steinway School in New York City. Previously, he taught mathematics at the middle-school level at The Steinway School for nearly a decade.
He holds a Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from The College of Saint Rose, a Master of Science in Mathematics Education from St. John University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater with a Computer Science minor from DeSales University. He holds New York State certification as District Leader, Building Leader and Teaching.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be the principal of St. Lawrence School,” Arvizzigno said. ” I am looking forward to working closely with parents, teachers, and students to continue St. Lawrence’s tradition of strong spiritual and academic values in order to create a successful school year for every family in the St. Lawrence School Community.”
St. Lawrence School, located on the campus of St. Lawrence Church, 1000 N. Greece Road, Greece, is a co-educational preK-6th grade Diocese of Rochester School whose primary mission is to nurture a garden of faith, hope and love in each child’s soul, heart and mind. Through spiritual growth and academic excellence, parents and teachers become co-creators in revealing the face of Christ in every child. For more information, visit St. Lawrence School on the web at www.stlawrenceschool.org