Religion Notes / News of area faith groups
Patroness of Poland
The merged Polish parishes of St. Barbara’s, St. Hyacinth’s and St. Michael the Archangel, along with Our Lady of Grace, will gather at 7 p. m. Tuesday for the first traditional devotion honoring Our Lady of Czestochowa, the patroness of Poland, in their new church, the Queen of Angels Parish, located on the corner of Warsaw Street and Electric Avenue in Lackawanna.
The service will be in Polish. For details, call 826-0880.
Joint service set
St. Ambrose, St. Agatha and Holy Family parishes will come together for a Labor Day joint Mass at 10 a. m. Sept. 1 at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 65 Ridgewood Road.
The Rev. James Cunningham, administrator of Holy Family Parish, and Monsignor David M. Lee, pastor of St. Ambrose, and administrators of St. Agatha’s parish will concelebrate. For more information, call 822-5962.
Labor Day Mass
The St. Joseph Guild will host a Labor Day Mass at 9 a. m. Sept. 1 at St. Joseph the Worker Shrine, located at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 450 Abbott Road.
Union members are asked to present gifts for blessing. The event is endorsed by the Buffalo AFL-CIO, the Buffalo Building Trades and other labor organizations.
The Labor Day parade will begin with lineup at noon on Abbott Road and Stevenson Street, followed by a picnic in
Cazenovia Park. For details, call 633-2211.
50th anniversary
The Rev. Richard E. Blemaster recently observed the 50th anniversary of his ordination into the ministry of the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod. The congregation of St. John Lutheran Church in Youngstown, where he has been serving as pastor for the past six years, held a service followed by a banquet at Antonio’s Banquet Center on Niagara Falls Boulevard, Niagara Falls.
Born and raised in Springville, Blemaster was ordained in Salem Lutheran Church on Aug. 17, 1958, after graduation from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. On Nov. 1, 1959, he was installed as pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in South Buffalo, where he served almost 40 years until retiring Sept. 12, 1999, when he was honored with the title of pastor emeritus of the congregation.
Blemaster and his wife, Cheryl, who live in Akron, have three children and four grandchildren.
Fatima Shrine events
Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, 1023 Swann Road, Lewiston, will offer a Healing Mass at 6:30 p. m. Sept. 7 with the Rev. Dennis Mancuso presiding. Music will be provided by Voice of Mercy.
On Sept. 13, the Niagara Falls Rosary Society’s 13th of the Month Club will gather for prayers at 7 p. m., followed by a Mass honoring Our Lady of Fatima. For details, call 754-7489.
