Bishop Kmiec to celebrate Mass for World Youth Day pilgrims

Young people from four diocesan parishes will participate in a special Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown Buffalo as they continue their preparations for World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney , Australia .  Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo , will be the principal celebrant at the 4:30 p.m. liturgy on Saturday, June 28.

Seventeen WYD pilgrims from St. Mary of Lourdes Parish, Bemus Point and Mayville, Christ Our Hope Parish, Sherman and French Creek, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Lakeview, and St. James Parish, Jamestown, are scheduled to leave from the Erie (Pa.) airport on July 9 and return to Erie on July 21.

Father Josef Dudzik, parochial vicar of St. Mary of Lourdes Parish, is spiritual director of the group and will lead the WYD pilgrimage.

To help pay for the pilgrimage, a number of fundraisers were held in the past year, include bake sales, garage sales, T-shirts, calendar and candle sales; a Christmas concert was held and the young people began a music ministry.  Their band performed at a number of concerts and at parish Masses.

Generous private donations also helped to offset the cost of $3,250 per person.

Pilgrims will first fly into Melbourne and will stay with host families from Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish. 

While in Melbourne , the diocesan pilgrims will attend a commissioning Mass on July 11 for domestic and international WYD pilgrims.  Father Dudzik will be a concelebrant at liturgy.  From Melbourne the pilgrims will travel to Sydney for World Youth Day.      

The next information meeting for the pilgrims and their parents will take place at St. Mary of Lourdes in Mayville on Sunday, June 29, at 7 p.m.  Also at St. Mary, Father Dudzik will celebrate Mass on Sunday, July 6, at 9:45 a.m., for the pilgrims, their families and the wider community.

The largest youth event in the world, World Youth Day will be held July 15-20.  Led by Pope Benedict XVI, WYD brings youth from around the world together to celebrate and learn more about the Catholic faith.  About 225,000 are expected to attend.

The WYD ’08 theme, received from Pope Benedict XVI is, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)  This passage occurs after the death and resurrection of Jesus, just before his ascension to the Father. It represents the birth of the Church.

The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo today announced the creation of the Tim Russert Making a Difference Fund, an endowment created to continue the legacy of Tim Russert’s dedication to Catholic education in the diocese.

In 2001, Russert created the Sister Lucille Socciarelli/Father John Sturm Making a Difference Award, named for two of the Catholic school educators who, in Tim’s words, “had a profound impact on (my) life.” Sister Lucille taught at St. Bonaventure Catholic Elementary School in West Seneca. Father Sturm was prefect of discipline at Canisius High School.

The award has been given annually to honor outstanding Catholic elementary school teachers in the Diocese of Buffalo for their “devoted service, and the significant contribution they make to their students, their schools and the church,” Russert said during the 2008 “Celebrate Catholic Education” dinner when the award was presented.

In announcing the fund, David J. Kersten, executive director of the foundation said, “The establishment of the Tim Russert Making a Difference Fund will ensure that Tim’s mission of helping to further Catholic education in the Diocese of Buffalo will continue for generations to come.” Gifts to the fund will be used for the annual Making a Difference Award and to provide financial assistance to deserving students wishing to attend a Catholic elementary school in the Diocese of Buffalo.

“It is our hope,” Kersten continued, “to honor Tim by providing a means to support the Catholic values and heritage he credited with shaping who he became as a man, a husband, a father, a journalist and a human being.”

To give a gift to the fund in honor of Russert, for questions, or for more information, visit www.frcdb.org or contact David J. Kersten, executive director, Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, 716-847-8370.

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, bishop of Buffalo, released the following statement upon learning of the passing of Tim Russert:

“I am deeply saddened by the death of Tim Russert, a gracious son of Buffalo who was a highly respected journalist and dedicated member of the Catholic Church.

“A graduate of St. Bonaventure Catholic Elementary School in West Seneca and Canisius High School, Tim was a strong supporter of Catholic education in the Diocese of Buffalo. His commitment has been evident every year since 2001 when he began the Sister Lucille Socciarelli/Father John Sturm Making a Difference Award, honoring an outstanding Catholic elementary school teacher in the diocese.

“On this Father’s Day weekend, we remember the way Tim honored his own father and many other fathers through his literary efforts. He recognized the importance of fatherhood, family and faith, and he set a wonderful example for others to follow.

“Tim Russert is being remembered in Masses throughout the Diocese of Buffalo this weekend. My prayers are with Tim, his wife Maureen, his son, Luke, his family and friends. May God grant him eternal rest.”

Tim Russert was an award-winning managing editor and moderator of the longest-running program in the history of television, NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Born and raised in a tightly knit, Irish Catholic neighborhood in Buffalo, Russert’s two greatest influences growing up were his father, “Big Russ,” and his Catholic faith. Educated by the Sisters of Mercy in grade school and the Jesuits in high school, he earned his degree in political science from Jesuit-run John Carroll University in 1972 and his law degree from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law four years later.

Click here to watch the interview conducted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Tim Russert was the keynote speaker at the first “Celebrate Catholic Education dinner,” held Feb. 1, 2001, at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo. The dinner is held annually in support of Catholic education in the Diocese of Buffalo. Below is the text of his address.

Click here for text of Tim Russert's  address

Father Richard W. Siepka, president-rector of Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, will be stepping down from the post on June 30.

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, established on April 23, 1847, comprises the westernmost counties of New York State, which include: Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Allegany. The Diocese covers 6,455 square miles and has a Catholic population of  702,884.