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SSTT.. TTEERREESSAA OOFF AAVVIILLAA PPAARRIISSHH Akron, New York

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Volume 1, No. 1 JANUARY 2007

MMoonnssiiggnnoorr RRoobbeerrtt JJ.. WWiilllliiaammssoonn In January 1995, Monsignor Robert J. Wil-

liamson succeeded Msgr. Francis Swiatkowski asPastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in Akron. Msgr.Williamson, a native of Kenmore, attended St. Jo-seph’s Collegiate Institute, the University of NotreDame, St. Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, andSt. John Vianney Seminary, East Aurora. He re-ceived his master’s degree in social work from theState University of New York at Buffalo.

He was ordained in St. Joseph’s New Cathedral in 1962 by the MostRev. Joseph A. Burke, then Bishop of Buffalo. After ordination, he served as chaplain to the Boy Scouts and wasthen on loan to the Diocese of Miami for one year. Upon returning to thediocese, he was appointed assistant pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish inBuffalo. He then served as assistant pastor at St. Mark’s, also in Buffalo.He was director of Buffalo Boy’s Town for 10 years. Monsignor Williamson was a member of the board of directors ofBlue Cross of Western New York and on the executive committee of BlueCross. He served as chaplain for the local Notre Dame alumni and con-ducted seminars throughout the United States on behalf of the NationalConference of Catholic Charities. Msgr. Williamson was the diocesan representative on Appalachia,past chairperson of the Central City Commission and a former member ofthe Priests’ Senate. In 1988 he received an honorary doctorate of lawsfrom Niagara University. He was associate director of the annual Catholic Charities Appealfrom 1965 and associate director of the Catholic Charities from 1967 to hisarrival at St. Teresa of Avila Parish

Msgr. Robert J. Williamson

Pastor ev. Msgr.

rt J. Williamson

Rectory 1 Buell Street 8, Akron, NY 14001 : 716-542-9103 716-542-2444

s Schedule Sunday 0, 10:15 AM

urday Vigil 4:30 PM

day Liturgies

Daily 8:00 AM ednesday 5:30 PM

aturday 9:00 AM

of Holy Days 4:30 PM

oly Days 0AM and 7:30 PM

Education Director th Warejko, CSSF t: 726-542-9717 : 716-542-5777

aptisms

must be made 3 weeks prior

arriages tact the Parish Rec-more information

ish Website resasofakron.com

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arish to Publish wsletter

Would you like to know more about what is going on in yo

e hope to inform you about events in the par-ish, way

arishioners Prepare dy

Teresa

mong other volunteers participating in the pro-ject we

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P Quarterly Ne

ur parish? St. Teresa of Avila parish is a vibrant community of caring individuals and families with much to offer to its members and the community as a whole. The parish will publish this newsletter once each quarter with the goal of drawing our community together as we grow in faith and love.

Ws to get involved, noteworthy items of news, and

to entertain you as well. If you are interested in contribut-ing to the newsletter or working on it, contact Ralph Handley at rhandley@rochester.rr.com. P& Deliver Baskets to Nee

Rev. Monsignor Robert Williamson, Pastor of St. of Avila Church, Akron, expressed his thanks and

appreciation to his parishioners for their generosity in do-nating sufficient non-perishable foods and monetary con-tributions that allowed the members of St. Teresa’s Women’s Guild with the assistance of John Cardinal O’Hara Council Knights of Columbus to prepare and dis-tribute 23 Thanksgiving food baskets and turkeys to area needy families. Co-Chairpersons for the drive were Carole Hartl and Nancy Handley.

Are Cathy Badding, Judy Bell, Kathy Capan,

James and Diane Creed, Jean Dolph, Anthony and Sadie Gennaro, Ralph Handley, Gregory Hartl, Jerry and Sandy Klosterman, William and Patricia Kotansky, Mary Mecca, James and Ma y Ann Schnei-der, and Merritt “Whitey” and Joan Spoth. Special thanks also went out to William Lampart, the Kelken-berg Family and Robert Penn for their contributions.

Families that Prayer Together, Stay Together

Parish Organizations

ne of the new teachers in the Religious Education Pro-

hen asked what is the most difficult part of her teach-

arish Groups Spread heer

he Women's Guild and Salt and Light Outreach

un and Fellowship Ones:

re

se their own

Ogram is Deb Hilton, who is teaching an 11th Grade Con-firmation Class. With her background as a Speech Pathologist, she is comfortable in her role as a teacher. Deb lives with her husband, Mike, and two of her children on Skyline Drive. Wing, Deb replied, “Making the textbook material meaning-ful in their everyday lives.” When asked what she enjoyed most about teaching, Deb responded, “The kids. Their energy, enthusiasm and inert faith are amazing. The challenge is to strengthen their awareness of how important they are to the Church so that they will continue to attend Mass after the class is over. “ P Christmas C TGroup made Christmas brighter for two families. Gifts were provided for an inner city family of 10 and local fam-ily of 5, through the generosity of members of the Women's Guild. Salt and Light members donated the food for the holiday meal including hams, vegetables, Jell-O, sweet potatoes, desserts and treats. Thank you to all who contributed to this project! F For Little

New Playgroup Hoping to Form – Jen Reichenberg A you looking for a healthy and active way to keep your little ones busy this winter? Are you looking for some companionship with other moms or dads? St. Teresa’s has the answer for you! We are hoping to start a play-group for children from age’s birth to 5 and their parents. We hope to meet once a week for an hour.

the parents superviThe children can play aschildren and visit with one another. If you would like to attend or just have questions, please call Jen Reichen-berg at 542-2728 or e-mail at jennierreich@yahoo.com. We hope to have the first meeting at the end of January. Hope to see you there!

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ooks For Tots: Program Helps Par-

enberg

“Parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremos

hopes to help parents in this i

Bents Talk to Kids about God and Catholic Faith

Jennifer Reich

t educators of their children.” Pope John Paul II quotes Vatican II in his encyclical Familias Consortio (On the Family) to emphasize that “the family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted and from which the Gospel radiates.”

St. Teresa of Avila parishmportant task, in part, through the Books for Tots

program. Books for Tots is the creation of parishioner Pat Litfin. Pat says the idea came to her as she contem-plated her own experiences raising eight children. As a mother, she was always on the lookout for children’s books that would help her to teach her children about God and the Catholic faith. In 1998, the program began to provide a book for each child of our parish on their first four birthdays. Recently, the program was expanded to include providing a children’s Bible on the fifth birthday. The goal of the program is to help parents to teach their children about their faith. Titles include Jesus Loves Me, God Made Hugs, Thank You, God, and God’s Best Gift.

Books for Tots is coordinated by Pat who has a small ar

alt And Light Group

Among the many projects taken up by the Parish Salt and

o You Recognize vidual?

de

Parish Puzzle

my of dedicated helpers. On the first Tuesday of each month, a group of women (men are welcome, too) gathers to collect their deliveries for that month. Then the women contact the families of the children and usually hand deliver the books. One participant, Jan Lichtenthal, unexpectedly reconnected with a former babysitter for her own children when she delivered the book to the babysit-ter’s first child. She thought she was just making another delivery, and ended up staying at the child’s birthday party and having a slice of cake! If you are interested in helping to deliver the books to children of our parish, con-tact Pat at 542-4383. S

Light Group is the monthly making of sandwiches for the Saint Vincent de Paul Dining Room in Buffalo. Following the 8 AM Mass on the third Friday, the group assembles in the kitchen and prepares the sandwiches, bags them and seals them in the empty bread bags for delivery to the organization. While it gets a little crowed in the kitchen at times, the volunteers work well together and accomplish their task in a little over an hour.

D this Indi

Do you recognize the above individual? He is a well-respected member of the parish but we won’t date the photo – that’ll be a dead give-away. If you think you know the identify of this young man, drop us a post card ad-dressed to St. Teresa’s. Unlike the lottery, there will be no ntify our subject.

prize awarded to the person (s) who i

St. Vincent de Paul Sandwich Making Group On September 19, 1986, a parish group was formed to make sandwiches for the St. Vincent De Paul Dining Room in Buffalo. Twenty years later, a group of dedi-cated volunteers meets on the third Friday of each month at 8:30 A.M. in the church hall kitchen to make three hun-dred bologna and cheese sandwiches to be delivered to the dining room the following day.

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The yearly cost for this project is partially funded by the Women's Guild and the remainder is funded through individual and business donations and the pro-ceeds from our church picnic 50/50 drawing. Donations are always welcome. Project funds are handled by Melissa Sanford, our parish secretary. The regular staff of volunteers is Barbara Burke, Mary Charles, Sandy Klostermann, Martha Kroemer, Jim and Mary Ann Schneider, Virginia Sherman, Bob and Mame Sicker, Carmela Verdi, Irv Weibel and Liz Wulf. Parishioners such as Adolph and Faith Bassanello, Ed and Terri Buekers, Ed Burke, Ralph and Nancy Handley, Carole Hartl, Marcia Jackson, Ann Lyon, Phillip Morris, Marilyn Schaeffer and Whitey and Joan Spoth stop in to help whenever they can. Their help is always appreci-ated since many of the regular volunteers become snow-birds for the winter or are unable to help. Donations and volunteers are always welcome.

Where Is Jesus To Be Found?

Deacon Dan Mack Deacon MacKowiak posed this question to fifty young people during their retreat time. Using the gospel of Mat-thew (25:31ff) and Mother Teresa's Attitudes of Spirit, Deacon Dan guided the Confirmation candidates through an afternoon of prayerful reflection. The retreat began at the 11:30 am Mass, Msgr. William-son as celebrant, on December 10. A generous lunch was prepared by the following parents: Laurie Mozee, Adrianne Braunscheidel, Donna Ciurzynski, Kim Rushok, Karen Klimchuk, Liz Wulf, Rose Gramza, Dawn Izydorczak, Lisa Torrelli, and Debbie Tiedt. Two breakout sessions based on the theme of the retreat were facilitated by the three catechists, Deb Hil-ton, Michele Ludwig and Laura Strollo as well as vol-unteer parents, Terrence Baker, Michelle Rudz, and Liz Wulf. The retreat concluded with a prayer ritual based on John's gospel account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

In the Spotlight

With the hopes of recognizing those individuals who have served St. Teresa’s Parish so faithfully, our first “Spotlight” shines on Karen Skalski of Lockport. Since September 1981, she has served as a Reli-gious Education Teacher here at the parish. For twenty-six years she has been teaching

our children and grandchildren about the Lord. When she is not at the head of the classroom, Karen is employed by After Care Nursing Service as a Home Care Aide and takes on additional roles working privately for families. Her leisure time activities include occasionally watching football and hockey games. Her hobbies include ceram-ics, reading, bowling, and solving puzzle books and cards. When time permits, Karen loves to travel. Our thanks go out to Karen for her commitment to the children of the parish!

Saint Teresa’s Women’s Guild The Women's Guild was formed on November 29, 1983. The purpose of the Guild is to promote spiritual growth, unity, community spirit, youth involvement and service to our parish. Membership is open to any woman who is a registered member of St. Teresa's Parish and is 18 years of age or older. Current Coordinator is Mary Ann Schneider with Kathy Capan as Secretary and Lori Wende as Treasurer. Any women parishioners inter-ested in becoming a member of the Women's Guild should contact Mary Ann Schneider at 716-542-5141. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month (ex-cept for the months of July and August) at 7:30 P.M. in the Rectory Meeting Room. Committee Chairs include Sunshine Chairwoman Martha Kroemer, Respect Life Chairwomen Liz Wulf, and Bishop's Committee Chairwoman Suzie Schrock. There are 2 Pamphlet Chairwomen positions, currently unfilled. Women’s Guild Events January thru March 2007 Respect Life Weekend Saturday and Sunday, ................... January 20 & 21 2007 (Joint Project with the Knights)

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Guild Anniversary Mass........................February 18, 2007 Poor Man's Meal................Ash Wednesday, February 21 Speaker from Hearts & Hands Following 5:30 Mass First Reconciliation Reception .................... March 3, 2007 Harvest House Donations Saturday and Sunday ................. March 10 & 11, 17 & 18

Harvest House Baby and Children's Ministry: March 10th & 11th; 17th & 18th 2007

The St. Teresa's Women's Guild will be collecting new and gently used: toys, car seats, cribs, clothing, monetary donations, books ... and anything else related to children, in an effort to ease the desperate need of over 4500 chil-dren being helped annually by the Harvest House. They are always in need of children's socks and underwear, p.j.'s, newborn clothes, sizes 5 - 14 boys and girl’s clothes, jeans, cribs, bassinets and car seats. (If your child has outgrown their car seat, the Harvest House will gladly accept your seat and offer you a brand new booster seat, free of charge, in exchange!) The Harvest House, located on Seneca St. in Buffalo, NY, is the product of years of unselfish dedication to God's calling by its founders, Gary and Linda Tatu, and their dedicated volunteers. The Baby and Children's Min-istry goal is to help the moms who say "yes to life" care for and provide for God's richest blessings...the children. Look for the Guild's donated Port-a-Crib in the Vestibule of the Church on the weekends of March 10th & 11th; 17th & 18th 2007. Clean out the attic, your kids’ rooms, garages and basements and fill it up! Please feel free to call Liz Wulf at 716-542-9550 with any donation ques-tions or further information.

RReessppeecctt LLiiffee

Right To Life Liz Wulf

January 22, 2007 marks the 34th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing women the right to an abortion. The Women's Guild will be offering Precious Feet ($1) and Life Roses (.50 cents) before and after Masses on January 20th & 21st 2007 in an effort to raise awareness for the dignity of all human life. Life Touch first trimester fetal models will be available as well as informational material, and 2007 pro life wallet size calendars. This is not a Guild fundraiser and all do-nations received will be forwarded to the Office of Pro- Life Activities Diocese of Buffalo. Questions? Liz Wulf 716-542-9550.

The Knights of Columbus Gregory Hartl, GK

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men's fraternal benefit society that was formed to render financial aid to members and their families. Mutual aid and assistance are offered to sick, disabled and needy members and their families.

Social and intellectual fellowship is promoted among members and their families through educational, charita-ble, religious, social welfare, war relief and public relief works. The history of the Order shows how the foresight of Father Michael J. McGivney, whose cause for saint-hood is being investigated by the Vatican, brought about what has become the world's foremost Catholic fraternal benefit society. The Order has helped families obtain economic security and stability through its life insurance, annuity and long-term care programs, and has contrib-uted time and energy worldwide to service in communi-ties.

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The Knights of Columbus has grown from several

members in one council to more than 14,000 councils and 1.7 million members throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico, the Dominican Repub-lic, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Bahamas, the Virgin Is-lands, Guatemala, Guam Saipan and most recently, Poland. Imagine being part of an organization that fills your heart and your mind with the joy of giving to others and the feeling that comes with making a difference. Knights are Catholic men, 18 years of age and older, who are committed to making their community a better place, while supporting their Church. Being a Knight is more than camaraderie; it is being involved with your commu-nity; it is supporting your local Catholic Church, while en-hancing your own faith; it is about protecting and enhancing your family life.

John Cardinal O’Hara Council 13661, one of the

newest councils in the Diocese of Buffalo, serves the par-ishes of St. Teresa’s in Akron, Our Lady of Peace in Cla-rence and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Williamsville. We extend an invitation to all Catholic men of the parish, over age 18, to join our ranks. Parishioners from St. Teresa’s who are members of the Knights in-clude: Thomas Bergman, Richard Blemel Jr., Patrick Buczek, Raymond Butler, Leonard Coffta, James Creed, James Dolph, Richard Ehrensberger, Steven

Flumerfeldt, Ralph Handley, Gregory Hartl, Jim Hayes Jr., Douglas Kalinowski, William O’Donnell, Carlton Patterson Jr., David Penn, Rory Reichenberg, An-thony Scheeda, Thomas Schumacher, Whitey Spoth, Bernard Thoma and Vincent Totaro.

Suffer the little children to come

unto me. . .

Altar Servers Minister to Parish at an Early Age Amy Bergman It is an honor and a privilege to serve on the altar as an “assistant” to our pastor, Msgr. Williamson, as he cele-brates the Eucharistic sacrament each week. We have many wonderful boys and girls who give of their time at Mass as altar servers. They set a positive exam-ple to the parish of how to give to the Church, even at a young age. They can begin this service ministry after they have re-ceived their First Holy Communion, therefore usually in the 4th grade. We have a training session typically in the month of October on a Saturday morning for a couple of hours. After that the new altar servers “shadow” with a veteran altar server for a few Masses to get comfortable with their duties. Then they will be scheduled with a part-ner for a month of Masses at a time that works well for their family. Some of our altar servers continue in this role until they go off to college, so that is quite a dedication to this ministry. Hopefully, as a result of the many years they give to this service, they grow deeper and stronger in their faith. I enjoy teaching the new “recruits” in service to the Lord and pray they learn to love this most important aspect of our Catholic faith for a lifetime relationship with God.

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2006 Parish Christmas Pageant

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Parishioners Cited on Golden Anniversaries

St. Teresa of Avila Parish Post Office Box 168 Akron, NY 14001

Nancy and William O’Donnell oAkron, and Joan and Whitey Spron, recently celebrated their 50

Following a Mass a

O’Donnell’s, Monsignor Williamfrom the Most Reverend Edwarthe couple with the proclamation

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Swormsville, the site of their ofamily members and friends loo

Both couples also rece

from Grand Knight Gregory Hawas signed by Carl A. AndersoKnights of Columbus from Newand Bill are members of JohnNo. 13661, which serves St. TeLady of Peace, Clarence, and ville

Congratulations and be

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

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f Clarence Center Road, oth of Crescent Drive, Ak-th Wedding Anniversaries.

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