News & Events

As we prepare to celebrate the annual solemnity of Christmas, the Birth of Jesus Christ, we remember the event that changed everything for us. The arrival of ‘Emmanuel,’ the God made human, we rejoice that salvation has come and brought us peace, hope and joy. This year, as we continue to adapt to the changes in our community parishes through the Road to Renewal, and come together as the Cattaraugus Creek Catholic Community, let us embrace the changes to our routines and familiar ways of operating, guided by the Holy Spirit, in anticipation of a larger family that more effectively uses our gifts and talents to fulfill the mission to bring the Gospel message of God’s love, mercy and care to the people throughout our area. We all know of the difficulties that accompany change, but Christmas reminds us of the great benefits that change can offer as well.

One thing that has not changed is the generous spirit and work of the many people in our parishes who help to create the beautiful environment of our worship spaces at this time of year, the liturgical ministers and musicians who help us offer praise to God, the people who organize our efforts to reach out to those in need, and those who work with our youth and children to help them grow in faith in the Christ child, Jesus. Of course, there are many others who work behind the scenes to keep our buildings in shape and dedicate themselves to keeping our parishes running smoothly. To all of the generous volunteers and staff members, thank you!

On behalf of all of us throughout the Cattaraugus Creek Catholic Community, especially Father Al Osiander, Deacon Jeff Forster, Deacon Rick Mackiewicz and myself, we offer our prayers and wishes for you and your families to experience a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Happy New Year!

Father Dan Fawls

Based on the bulletin of December 24, 2023.

As we continue to move forward in creating our Cattaraugus Creek Catholic Community Family of Parishes, we are pleased to announce that we have a Family Business Manager for our family of parishes, Tricia Bofinger.

Many of our St. Aloysius parishioners are familiar with Tricia, who has been the secretary/receptionist/business manager at St. Aloysius for over fifteen years.

She has also been an important part of creating our central business office for the Cattaraugus Creek Catholic Community over the past several months.

Tricia will be available at the St. Aloysius office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week from 9:00 AM until 12:00 Noon.

We thank Tricia for her assistance and support in bringing our financial affairs together and are grateful for her willingness to continue serving our Family of Parishes.

Based on the bulletin of December 3, 2023.

Over the past two weekends, we have celebrated the journey of two people who have expressed an interest in becoming part of our Catholic Christian community in two of our parishes.

At St. Aloysius Parish, Justin Domes has been learning more about our Christian faith and practice over the past several months and, as an unbaptized adult, we celebrated the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens with him and his sponsor (Jonathan Michals) at the 10:30 Mass on Sunday, November 12th.

Meanwhile, at the 9:00 Mass on Sunday, November 19th, at St. Mary’s Parish in Arcade, we celebrated the Rite of Welcoming the Candidate with Mark Feltz (and his sponsor, Naomi Feltz), who was baptized in a non-Catholic church and is seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

During the rite, the sponsors and the assembly were asked to approve and support Justin and Mark’s desire to become fully initiated members of our faith community, which they heartedly accepted.

We ask that all parishioners of the Cattaraugus Creek Catholic Community Family of Parishes continue to assist and support Justin and Mark through our prayers and the witness of our faith-filled lives as they continue their journey to full initiation into the Catholic Church.

Based on the bulletin of November 26, 2023.