St. Mary's

Catholic Church in Arcade, NY

dinodiction

🔔 No Daily Mass in Arcade: May 4 – 8, 2026.

Lent (2022)

The following contains edited copy from the bulletins of February 27, 2022 and March 6, 2022. The edit includes an edited excerpt from the Diocese of Buffalo website.

Abstinence:

All Catholics who have reached their 14th birthday are bound to abstain totally from meat on the following days: Ash Wednesday, all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday.

Fasting:

All Catholics between their 18th and 59th birthdays are also bound to observe the Law of Fast on the following days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. This practice involves limiting oneself to a single full meal and avoiding food between meals. Light sustenance may be taken on two other occasions in the course of the day.

Easter Duty:

“After they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, all the faithful are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year. This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season, unless for a good reason it is fulfilled at another time during the year. This obligation may be fulfilled between [March 5] (First Sunday in Lent) and [June 12] (Trinity Sunday).”
— Source: Diocese of Buffalo, https://www.buffalodiocese.org/lent/ (Accessed: 3-1-2022. Edited to correct dates.)

Lenten Procedures

  • Confessions will be heard 1/2 hour before every Mass during Lent.
  • Stations of the Cross will be private this year. Please pray the Stations of the Cross during Adoration on Thursday and Fridays, or before Mass.

How to Make a Good Confession

1. Examination of Conscience
Use the 10 Commandments as your guide for Examination of Conscience:

  1. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
  2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
  3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day.
  4. Honor your father and your mother.
  5. You shall not kill.
  6. You shall not commit adultery.
  7. You shall not steal.
  8. You shall not bear false witness against you neighbor.
  9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
  10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

2. After Examination of Conscience, go in to see the priest, either face to face or behind the screen, and proceed as follows:

“Bless me Father for I have sinned. This is my 1st Confession (or my last Confession was……). These are my sins.”

3. Proceed to tell the priest the sins you are sorry for and would like Jesus to forgive.

4. The priest will give you spiritual advice and penance which may be a prayer (such as a Hail Mary or Our Father) or possibly something to do.

5. The priest will ask you to pray the Act of Contrition aloud at this time.

Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you.
I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

Amen

6. The priest will give you absolution and God’s blessing.

Envelopes have arrived! (2022)

Our envelopes for 2022 have arrived and will be available at both worship sites! Availability will begin the weekend of February 27, 2022. In Arcade, envelopes will be found in the church vestibule. In East Arcade, the envelopes will be found in the Multipurpose Room.

God’s Blessings Always!

New Survey: Road to Renewal

The survey is now online! Please click the button below and you will be taken to the Catholic Leadership Institute’s website to participate in the survey. Thank you for your help!

(If you would prefer a paper copy of the survey instead, please see below.)

Road to Renewal — Family of Parishes

St. Mary’s Parish will be participating in a parish survey about discipleship conducted by the Catholic Leadership Institute! We need your help!

Please help us by participating in a 10-15 minute survey online. The survey can be accessed through an online link from March 2-April 4, 2022 and will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and enable you to provide feedback on our parish’s efforts to help you grow. All responses will be confidential and the parish will only receive information about the community as whole.

We are trying to get the highest response rate possible. This information will be invaluable to Father Joe and our various ministries as we plan for the future and strive to be the best disciples we can be. We will receive the results this spring/summer at which time we will share what we have learned with the entire parish.

If you prefer a paper copy of the survey, copies will be available in the parish vestibule at both worship sites. Additional copies may be obtained from the parish office (please call) as needed. To submit the completed paper survey, you may place them in the weekend collection or drop them off at the parish office on Tuesdays. You may also leave your completed survey in the office foyer (in the clear paper holder next to the office door).

Thank you for your help!!

PAC Food Pantry

A new satellite location at Hope Lutheran Church (2 East Main Street, Arcade) opened Saturday, February 19, 2022.

It will be open each month on the first Wednesday: 4 – ?7 p.m., and the third Saturday: 9? – 11 a.m.

For more information, call 585?-492-?2530 or email pantry [at] hopearcade.org.

The United Methodist location in Arcade will continue to serve the community every Monday and Thursday: 12:30 – 2:00 p.m.

The above is an edited version of an announcement printed in the bulletin of February 27, 2022.

Ash Wednesday Schedule (2022)

The following is slightly modified and reprinted from the bulletin of February 20, 2022.

Dear Parishioners,

February is going so fast. Lent will be here before you know it.

The Ash Wednesday Schedule for our parish is as follows:

Ash Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022

Arcade — 12:00 noon: Mass & Distribution of Ashes

East Arcade — 5:00 pm: Mass & Distribution of Ashes

Note: We won’t be having our annual Ash Wednesday Fish Fry this year. Hope you are staying warm in this weather we are having.

God’s Blessings Always,
Fr. Joe Gullo

Year of St. Joseph Extended

The following is reprinted from the bulletin of February 20, 2022.

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph.” We are extending the yearlong celebration to April 23rd, 2022 in anticipation of the 175th anniversary of our Diocese.

Masks Now Optional for Worship (Feb. 2022)

The following is an excerpt from a Diocese of Buffalo document published February 9, 2022.

“COVID-19 Update: February 10, 2022 Diocesan Mask Mandate for Worship Lifted

On February 9, 2022 New York State announced its mask mandate would be eliminated February 10, 2022 for many indoor settings.

Masks Optional for Worship

At this time, masks are now optional for all participants in liturgies held in Catholic churches and worship spaces located in the Diocese of Buffalo based on prevailing guidance from health officials and/or an individual’s doctor or other medical professional.

Masks may continue to be worn at the discretion of the individual. Out of pastoral concern, the safety of others should always be considered when making this choice.

Ministers of the Eucharist should continue to wear masks when distributing Communion for the protection of the vulnerable and those who may not be able to be vaccinated…”

Temporary Envelopes Will Be Available

The following is an edited excerpt from Fr. Joe’s letter found in the bulletin of February 6, 2022.

Sometimes, we are called to be patient people. As you can see, our parish boxed envelopes have not arrived yet. We called again this week, and the company will send us a batch of temporary envelopes for the time being. We will place the temporary envelopes in the vestibule of both worship sites for you to use.

God’s Blessings Always.

“Souper” Sunday Food Drive (2022)

The “Souper” Sunday food drive to support our PAC/food pantry will be on the weekend of February 13th, 2022.

A box for your generous donations of nonperishable goods will be in the vestibule at both Worship sites.

Thank you!

The above is an edited version of text from the bulletin of January 30, 2022.

Blessing of Throats (2022)

The following is an edited excerpt from text originally published in Fr. Joe’s letter found in the bulletin of January 30, 2022.

This week we celebrate the feast of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr of the Church.

After all masses on the weekend of January 29-30, 2022, there will be blessing of throats.

The prayer for the blessing of the throats is:

Through the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may the Lord protect you from all ailments of the neck and throat and all other illnesses. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen