Bishop celebrates Catholic Schools Week with Mass in Swormville

Bishop Michael Fisher took a drive to the hive to celebrate Mass at St. Mary School in Swormville. The Feb. 5 visit, which helped cap off Catholic Schools Week, was the recently-installed bishop’s first school Mass in the Diocese of Buffalo.

During Mass, Bishop Fisher gave a homily that included a vocation talk as he asked the students questions such as, Do you know what God the Father wanted Jesus to do, What ways did Jesus help people, and Who does Jesus pray for?

“Each one of us is called to spread the good news about God’s kingdom because we’re all a part of God’s family,” the bishop told the students of St. Mary’s and the students of Notre Dame Academy in South Buffalo that watched via a livestream.   

He later toured the school, visiting classrooms where the students had a chance to ask the bishop questions. They learned the bishop’s favorite food – pizza and wings; his favorite color – green; and hobbies – reading and playing guitar.

 Father Bryan Zielenieski, pastor of St. Mary’s, thanked the bishop for taking the time to visit and celebrate Mass during this special time of the school year.

“(Catholic Schools Week) has been awesome. It’s a great celebration of our Catholic values and why we celebrate education and able to bring Jesus into the classroom. It’s a great experience.”