Congratulations to the Class of 2008!

Congratulations to the graduates of 2008! While you may be transitioning from students to alums, you will never transition from the hearts of the Newman Center. You are always welcome and we invite you to return to the Newman Center/St. Joseph University Church for Mass, events and just to say hi and let us know how you are doing. May God bless you in all that you do and fill your journey with surprising joy and beautiful grace. You are in our hearts and our prayers.

Change the World!....Volunteer!

Join the Newman Center on Wednesday, May 14th from 1-4pm at the St. Monica's Scholars Program, located on Buffalo's east side. While there, we will be part of the kick-off of a Junior Service Corps and we will clean up the grounds of their school and maybe paint a bit. We will meet in the St. Joe's parking lot at 12:45pm and return at about 4pm. Email or call Kristin to sign up: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649. You should come for so many reasons...

1. This event is part of AmeriCorps Week and, as an AmeriCorps VISTA Alum, I can state that AmeriCorps Week is pretty awesome because it celebrates national service...and in WNY we celebrate by hands on service with our communities and what's better than that? To learn more visit http://www.wnyamericorps.org/.

2. It's spring and we will be outside (mostly).

3. On May 14th, exams will be over. Yay!

4. St. Monica's is an extraordinary school. If you want to meet a staff, faculty and group of students who pour their entire selves into excellence in education..and who do so with limited resources and in the midst of the many challenges that come with education to underserved communities...then you want to meet the St. Monica Scholars. They are stellar.

Peace Rally for Africa!

On Thursday, May 15 Buffalo for Africa is sponsoring a Rally for Peace at Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo. We’ll meet at St. Joe’s at 4:30pm to drive down to the square for the event, which is from 5pm – 7pm. Included in the rally will be speakers; musical performances; refugee groups; a balloon release and vigil; and a tribute to Buffalo native and US Diplomat to Africa, John Granville. Join us to take a stand against genocide and promote peace in Africa while bringing our voices together to protect humanity. To learn more, visit www.buffaloforafrica.org. Please email or call Kristin to sign up at kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…or just show up at 4:30 on Thursday, May 15th.

Performance and Poetry Reading

Join the Newman Center for a Performance and Poetry Reading at the Burchfield Nature and Art Center on Sunday, May 18 at 1:30 PM. The Northeast Gardener’s Year, a song cycle by Roland Martin, will be performed by: Roland Martin, composer and pianist; Cristen Gregory, soprano; and Bryan Eckenrode, cellist. Poets include both Ann Goldsmith and Sally Fiedler who will be reading from their works.

We will depart at 1pm (following the 11:30am Mass) from the St. Joe's Parking Lot. While at the performance, we will enjoy refreshments and paintings by Catherine Parker, a parishioner at St. Joe's. The Charles E. Burchfield Nature and Art Center is located at 2001 Union Road in West Seneca, NY - it is a very beautiful setting and there are friendly trails to walk as well. Join us! Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today! kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649.

Palette of Life at the Buffalo Museum of Science

On Saturday, May 31st we will depart from the St. Joe’s parking lot at 1pm to attend the “Palette of Life: Colors of Our World” exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science (BMOS). It should be a fun trip – the exhibit is designed for kids, but it is fun for people of all ages because who doesn’t love color?! Color paints our world every day with vibrancy yet how often do we stop and think about it?* Come to BMOS and experience color like you never have before. This is a great opportunity to see one of the museums in Buffalo and also to see Martin Luther King, Jr. Park where the museum is located. Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…or meet us in the St. Joe’s parking lot on the 31st at 1pm.

*If you like color, visit the Albright-Knox before the end of May to view Remix Color and Light, which is on view until the end of May (it’s free on Friday nights and there are some great pieces to view) and while you are there stop by the quite astounding Jennifer Steinkamp exhibit (not free…sorry). From www.albrightknox.org: “Steinkamp creates stunning 3-D installations that explore architectural space, motion, and the phenomenon of human perception. Fusing abstract painting, computer animation, sound, and film, her unique approach and distinct imagery create an awe-inspiring experience that balances between the virtual and the real.”

The Allentown Art Festival!

The Allentown Art Festival is a Buffalo classic – there is art to view, art to buy, crafts to peruse, jewelry to gawk at, people to watch, fresh-squeezed lemonade to drink and fried dough to munch. Join us as we stroll the streets of the festival on Sunday, June 15th. We will depart from the St. Joe’s parking lot at 1pm and return at about 5pm. Learn more at www.allentownartfestival.org. Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…or meet us in the community room on June 15th at 1pm.

Church Picnic!

Who doesn’t love a summertime picnic?! Join the St. Joseph University Parish community for an outdoor picnic on Sunday, June 29th from 3pm – 6pm.

Excursion to Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market

Fresh fruit, fresh veggies, fresh flowers and fresh air is at the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market this summer (mostly to purchase, but the air is free). Join us on Saturday, July 12th to visit the Market and then stroll the Elmwood Village for a bit. We will depart from the St. Joe’s parking lot at 11am and return at about 3pm. Bring some cash with you to buy food, coffee, or lunch or just bring a smile and maybe some sunglasses, too. To learn more, visit www.elmwoodmarket.org. Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…please RSVP for this event!

Shakespeare in the Park - King Lear

Every summer, Buffalo hosts a free (yes - -free!) production of two separate Shakespeare plays in Delaware Park. Join us for “King Lear” on Sunday, July 20th. We will depart at 7pm (sharp!) to get to the park and get seats before the 7:30pm start time and should return at about 10pm (honestly, I have no idea – Shakespeare can be quite lengthy sometimes and I have never read King Lear). The Newman Center will provide finger foods to munch on during the performance as well as blankets to sit on, but feel free to bring your own! Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…or just show up at 7pm to the St. Joe’s parking lot.

All About Buffalo - a downtown stroll

Downtown Buffalo is a pretty cool place. Join us for a downtown walk on Saturday, July 26th from 1pm – 4pm. We will visit some important Buffalo buildings (historically and/or architecturally significant), check out the Cathedral and also hit up the waterfront and Naval Park. It should be a fun day – so wear your walking shoes and bring a dollar or two to buy yourself a drink or a snack along the way. Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…please RSVP for this event!

BBQ at Newman North

On Sunday, August 17th from 12noon - 6pm, please join us for a BBQ at Fr. Pat’s house and outdoor tent located at 495 Skinnersville Road, just next to North Campus. There will be great food and great fun so bring a friend or two! It is $4.00 for students and $8.00 for everyone else – this is one of the North Newman Center’s biggest fundraisers – we’d love to see you!

St. Joe's Garage Sale - cheap stuff for you!

Does your dorm room need that extra bit of pizzazz…or does your apartment need a few more plates and bowls? Come to the St. Joe’s garage sale and make someone else’s old stuff your new stuff! We all know garage sale-ing is fun, and this garage sale is not just one person’s old stuff but lots of people’s old stuff, so it is GREAT fun! Take it from someone who has nearly an entire apartment of gently used items (it is so very wonderful to be the youngest in the family) – every garage sale is well worth the visit! The exact time of the sale is TBD, but it will be sometime in the morning on Saturday, August 23rd…join us! We will also need volunteers for this event; if you are interested please contact Kristin.

Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts!

Oh joy of all joys – it’s the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts! I love this festival – it’s both small and intimate but also fun and exciting all in one. Join us on Sunday, August 24th to stroll Elmwood and peruse the talents of local artisans (it’s ALL local – pretty exciting, eh?!). We will depart from the St. Joe’s Parking lot at 1pm and return at about 4pm. Send an email or call Kristin to sign up today: kmcasey@buffalo.edu or 716-833-6649…or meet us in the community room on August 24th at 1pm.

Volunteers needed!

Do you like cooking? We are looking for parishioners and students who would like to share their talents with the Newman Center community on South Campus. We invite you to prepare a meal for the Newman Center at South in Fall 2008 - please contact Kristin if you are interested.

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