Holy Orders
Those who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders -- as a deacon, priest or bishop -- are consecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of God."
Please see more information about vocations to the priesthood and diaconate in the section on Vocations page at the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB).
Holy Orders: Ordained to Serve, Gather, Transform and Send (Also available en Espanol) - This short, two-page handout describes how ordained ministers play an important role in helping Christians to imitate Christ's mission of love and justice, through gathering the community, modeling Christ's love for the poor, presiding at Eucharist, and evangelizing social realities.
Priesthood
Dear friends in Christ,
I can hardly believe that one year has gone by since I have been in the Vocations Office. Thanks to your help, this year has been filled with tremendous blessings for me and for our entire diocese. I have had the opportunity to visit several parishes and other communities throughout our diocese, and in every case I have been impressed by the depth of the faith of the people I met. It was great to visit several of the “hidden treasures” of our diocese in the small towns. Even though these communities are small, and we might not hear about them very often, our faith is often practiced in such places with great fervency and joy. One thing that I have gladly noted in all of my visits is that people, as individuals and as communities, make prayer for vocations a high priority. Witnessing this has certainly been the most heartwarming and encouraging experience for me, and I cannot thank the people of our diocese enough. I am also glad to say that our prayers are being answered! This year I have had the privilege of working with a much higher than expected number of applicants! When I share this great news I am often asked what I consider to be the cause for this increase. At first I wasn’t sure, but it quickly became clear to me that our prayers are the reason. If I have learned one thing it is that prayers are the most effective resource for promoting vocations, and that we have been blessed with an abundance of them! In addition to visiting parishes, I have been glad to have taken part in the Charis retreat for young adults this past Fall, the 2016 Youth Convention, the 2016 Altar Server of the Year Mass and the Christian Leadership Institute. Even though I am not able to attend in person, I pray for all who are partaking in World Youth Day 2016 in Poland. I am sure that the spirit of prayer and faith that the event will facilitate will be instrumental in helping all involved to better hear the voice of Christ, from whom all vocations come. As I count my blessings, I would like to acknowledge the help that the seminarians of our diocese have been in both presenting the vocation to priesthood in a positive light and encouraging those with such a vocation to pursue it. Seminarians, you are a great resource, and I hope that your great work continues. I would also like to acknowledge the help of the Serra Club of Buffalo for their support to our seminarians, those called to religious life, and the vocations office. Their help continues to go great lengths. As always, if I can be of any assistance in promoting or pursuing vocations to priesthood, I encourage you to contact me. I look forward to serving you. Prayers and Blessings, Fr. Andrew Lauricella Helpful Links St. Joseph Club Response Program Msgr. Paul BurkardJohn SullivanPeyton Kellner |
Permanent Deacons
www.buffalodiocese.org/documents/Vocations/PermanentDeaconsFAQ.pdfwww.buffalodiocese.org/documents/Vocations/PermanentDeaconsBrochure.pdfPermanent deacons are ordained ministers of the Church who, like bishops and priests, have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Deacons are called to Diakonia – to be servants of God to His people. Just as Jesus said, "I come not to be served, but to serve," (Matthew 20:28) so, too, a deacon is called to this fundamental mission of the Church.
The ministry of a permanent deacon is a threefold:
View more information about the ministry of permanent deacons. Download brochure Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the ministry of permanent deacons. Download FAQ's Visit www.cks.edu to find out about the program for diaconal formation at Christ the King Seminary. Visit www.buffalodeacons.com for additional resources and information. Contact Deacon Timothy Chriswell, Director of Deacon Formation at (716) 652-4308 for more information beginning the process. 
DIACONATE
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