A Day In Buffalo Visiting Jesus & His Mom-Part I

Dear brothers and sisters, yesterday, September 5, 2012 was truly an amazing day for Kathy and I!  We had made plans to visit several sacred spaces in the City of Buffalo New York.  Over the course of many years, I have come to know that the Lord delights in giving surprise gifts to His children. Yesterday, the Lord had several unplanned surprises for us, scattered throughout the day.

.We started the day by going to 7:30 a.m. Mass at Corpus Christi Church on Buffalo's east side.  As many of you know, Corpus Christ is Latin for "Body of Christ".  The parish was founded in 1898 by Franciscan Conventual friars in a predominantly Polish immigrant area of Buffalo.  The Romanesque Revival church that is pictured was completed in 1907.  The inside of the church was absolutely astounding in its adornments.  Upon entering the church, visitors are quickly met with awe & wonder, as well as peace & reverence.

 

 

Mass was celebrated by Fr. Mariusz Dymek on the left, side altar devoted to Divine Mercy. Immediately after Mass, Fr. Mariusz prepared the altar for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  Kathy and I were very pleased to be able to go to Mass and to spend time afterwards visiting with Jesus.  Above the altar is a mural depicting St. Francis & St. Clare, with their guardian angels, kneeling before the Christ Child, who is on Mary's lap.  Both of us felt such peace in this Sacred Space as we joined in adoration of Jesus!

 

About 8:30 a.m. we took a break for a bite of breakfast at Buffalo's famous Broadway Market.  It was just one block over.  Afterwards we returned to Corpus Christi Church for a tour that we had arranged.  Adoration was ongoing, therefore we walked and talked quietly with Mrs. Chris, our guide.  She gave a brief, but very good history of the parish as well as the adornments in the church. Since there is so much to tell, I have included a link for you to explore at your leisure :            Buffalo's Corpus Christi Church

 

However, I do have a few photos that I would like to share:

 

 

The left photo is of the left side altar with ongoing adoration.  The right photo is of the right side altar.  The image in the center is of  Our Lady of Czestochowa.

 

 

Two of the many stained glass windows created by the famous Franz Mayer Works of Munich, Germany.  The window on the left is of the Madonna and Christ Child appearing before a Franciscan priest.  The window on the right is of St. Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata from our Lord Jesus.

 

 

A view of the front of the church taken from the back.

 

After taking lots of photos, Kathy and I spent more time visiting with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  Afterwards, we drove to our next planned destination for the day - The Felician Sisters Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent Chapel on the campus of Villa Maria College.  This is another Franciscan site in the town of Cheektowaga, a suberb of Buffalo.

 

To visit the 2nd Sacred Space of the day, Kathy and I joined up with a "Buffalo Tours" group.  They had made all the arrangements for us to have access to the chapel.  The Chapel of the Felician Sisters was truly awe inspiring!  It was built in 1928 in the Gothic Revival style.  Sister Bernard opened the doors for us.  She then asked our group of 15 people to please tour the chapel in quiet and with respect as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was in progress.  Kathy and I were once again given the gift of being before the Lord in a very special way!

I took many photos, however, I will post only a few, especially of the all wood altar.

 

More photos of this extraordinary chapel can be found at the following link:

Felician Sisters Chapel

 

 

 

 

 

All of the adornments of this chapel were of carved wood except for the stained glass windows, the capitals of the columns, and 4 or 5 statues.

 

Window is of Our Lady of Lourdes with St. Bernadette Soubirous.  Photo of front of chapel taken from the back.

 

 

Behind the main altar in the above photo, is a smaller, less ornate chapel.  However, the altar is identical on either side. The smaller chapel is for the cloistered nuns who live in the adjacent convent.  It is that chapel where Adoration was in progress. Sister Bernard would surprise all of us later in the tour by allowing us to go into that chapel for a very brief visit - and no photography!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Kathy and I were once again immersed in the peaceful presence of our Lord and Saviour.  However, He had more in store for us.  Our next Sacred Space to visit was only a few blocks away.  It would be the Chapel of the Dominican Nuns Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary.  However, due to the length of this post, I will continue the final segment in "A Day in Buffalo Visiting Jesus & His Mom - Part II".

jw