News - December 2023 RSS Feed

THANK YOU to all the Community Christmas Dinner 2023 volunteers: cooks, assembly, runners, drivers, etc.....great teamwork and wonderful Christmas spirit! There were a total of 1,000 Christmas dinners shared with Olean, Allegany, Portville, Hinsdale, Knapp Creek, Franklinville and Limestone! Volunteers stepped up as we quadrupled our assembly line to produce dinners for the 30+ drivers waiting to deliver Christmas joy to our Greater Olean Community. Christmas blessings to our volunteers and the recipients of the Christmas dinners. A Special Thank You to those that supported this event financially. Your generosity is needed and very appreciated. Special Thank You to Swatt Bakery, Ried’s Food Barn, McCarthy’s Emporium and Sysco!

As We Celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, We Celebrate Our Parish Family in Imitation of Them . . . Thank You to all for the sharing of yourselves so God’s Presence could be shared by the Many! Blessed Christmas Season and New Year! Click on orange title for complete reflection.

As we grow in closeness and familiarity with God, we’re inspired to offer more heartfelt thanks and gratitude to God. Souls close to God, like Mary and Joseph and like today’s psalmist ardently thank and offer God more earnest and sincere adoration, glory, praise and gratitude. This week, let’s contemplate family members who’ve been role-models of holiness for us. Let’s try to be more aware of and appreciate the blessings we’ve received from them, throughout our lives. If our benefactors are living, we can make efforts to approach and thank them; while, if they’ve passed on, we can pray for them and acknowledge them in our prayers. This is a great time of year for giving thanks for God’s faithfulness and for that of our inspiring family members, friends or mentors. For the complete reflection, click on the orange title above.

Welcome to Olean Fr. Chris Emminger! Father Christopher Emminger has been appointed pastor of Family of Parishes #24 (St. Bonaventure, Allegany; St. John, Olean; and pastor & rector of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, Olean), effective Jan. 15, 2024. He will reside at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, Olean. Father Emminger has previously served as parochial vicar of the Catholic Community Buffalo, North/Family #20.

Parishioner “Gifts” As we end this Advent Season in the anticipation of the Jesus’ coming, we all search on how to receive Our Infant Savior anew in our hearts and then respond in His love. The prayer written by Mary Lou Wood can speak to us as it does to God. This Christmas, let us complete ourselves in the Lord, let us live in our vulnerability of not knowing but continuing to desire Him in the act of becoming. Blessed Christmas, Fr. John How Do I Learn To Live? Is this it? Is this my surrender to You? Is this my life? Am I truly learning that this is it? The wait for You is the nagging ache in my heart and soul and nothing I can ever do will ease that angst? I have searched, as you know, for activity, for involvement, and sometimes that does occur but in reality the ache, the desire never ceases, never leaves me. I feel I have never done enough, but can anyone do enough? My enough will not occur in this life and, I believe, I truly pray, that the next part of my existence will see the fullness of who I really am and what I can really do. By Mary Lou Wood

Click on title for complete reflection!

We remember that in Hebrew Bethlehem means “House of Bread,” and that Jesus said, “I am the bread of Life.” For complete reflection, click on orange title.

Faith-sharing, charitable works and acts of sacrifice aren’t just for the saints to do. We’re all called to “be the Light” of Christ to others. As we actively participate in “sharing the Light,” we’ll see that the rejoicing of the saints is infectious! Rejoice! Click on orange title for complete reflection.

Not everyone has the opportunity of enjoying a hearty dinner surrounded by family on Christmas Day. Many people locally have no family in town or no family at all. Others are unable to afford a meal, especially for a family. And others, who serve our communities such as first responders, police officers, fire personnel, hospital staff, and correction officers may not get the opportunity to obtain a hearty meal. Local meal providers such as Meals on Wheels and the Warming House are not open that day. For all these reasons, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels with our linked parish family of St. John the Evangelist, hold an annual Christmas dinner for the hungry, lonely, community workers and any others in need of a meal on Christmas day for any reason at all— no questions asked. The free dinner can serve up to 1,000 people. We will be serving take-out and home deliveries only—no in-person dining. With each complete ham dinner costing the parish roughly $12, monetary donations are vital. (We take donations on the Basilica website at Smaolean.org and the Parish Offices at the Basilica and St. John the Evangelist.) Also important are the volunteers who take time out of their Christmas schedules to help others in need by preparing food, driving home deliveries or cleaning up afterwards. Thank you!

For complete reflection, click on orange title above.

"After extensive discernment, it was determined that I would be helping the Diocese to create programming and establish sites of pastoral support throughout the Diocese, including in the Southern Tier. As a result of this discernment, I will be leaving my position as pastor at the Basilica and St. John’s effective January 15, 2024." Fr. John (for complete letter, click on orange title above)

If we’ve been loving God and others fully, we’ll have nothing to fear and everything to rejoice over when we meet our God. With reverent trust, we’ll be full of faith in God’s mercy and love, given that we’ll have been a conduit of them, throughout our lives. For complete reflection, click on orange title above.

“One of the hopes of a God-filled life is that our life will continue to grow and grow until it reaches its fulfillment in Heaven. God promises that He will always be faithful to us. Gift of God, fill my heart with Your hope and trust.” (“Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit” Winkler, 2008) For complete reflection, clikc on the orange title above.