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Pope, JRS call attention to the face of Christ in faces of refugees
CNS photo by Muhammad Hamed/Reuters
June 19, 2013: At the end of his weekly general audience June 19, Pope Francis called attention to World Refugee Day.
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Bishops warn changes in immigration bill could kill it
June 12, 2013: Three bishops warned against amending a Senate bill in ways that would block the path to legalization for undocumented immigrants.
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Obama administration accepts ruling on ‘Plan B’ for girls
June 12, 2013: U.S. Catholic officials expressed disappointment with a judge's ruling to allow girls of any age to buy the morning-after pill without a prescription.
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Finding a place at the table
June 10, 2013: Lynette Saenz, the diocesan director of cultural diversity, said race is a topic the Diocese of Rochester has been examining closely.
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NY bishops slam Cuomo's proposed Women's Equality Act
June 4, 2013: The New York State Catholic Conference is sharply criticizing an abortion provision in the Women’s Equality Act, which was introduced June 4 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
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Supreme Court to hear local prayer case
May 22, 2013: What steps should a municipality take to ensure the religious diversity of prayers offered at open public meetings?
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Photos & Videos

Video Meet Father John Gagnier
June 18, 2013

Gallery Mercy softball wins sectional title
June 3, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Gallery Seven deacons ordained
June 1, 2013: By Courier photos by Tamara Tirado

Gallery Marching for peace
May 31, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Video Girl Scout Zumbathon
May 28, 2013

Gallery Scouts honor veterans, former Scoutmaster
May 28, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Gallery Riders greeted warmly at St. Lawrence
May 17, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Gallery Students rock around the clock
May 13, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Gallery A special first Communion far from home
April 30, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Video Family day of service
April 26, 2013

Gallery Seton students hit the gridiron
April 24, 2013: By Courier photos by Mike Crupi

Video The gift of song
April 22, 2013

Tier men help swell seminarian roster
May 3, 2013: Of the 20 current seminarians in the Diocese of Rochester, a healthy share hail from the Southern Tier area.
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Schuyler agency stresses community
April 5, 2013: Catholic Charities depends on the wider community of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Episcopal churches as well as its Catholic constituents.
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New grades adapt smoothly at ND
February 7, 2013: By offering seventh and eighth grades for the first time in its 57-year history, Elmira Notre Dame High School entered previously uncharted territory to start the 2012-13 school year.
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Filmmaker focuses on world's poorest
November 21, 2012: ELMIRA -- Earlier in his career, Gerry Straub used his filmmaking talents to entertain. These days, his productions aim to jar folks' comfort zones.
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Crowning tradition extends many decades
May 28, 2013: St. Mary of the Lake Church held one of numerous May crownings that took place in parishes across the Diocese of Rochester.
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Dominican encourages love of neighbor
April 5, 2013: Dominican Brother Humbert Kilanowski returned frequently to the subject of love during his March 5 talk at Elmira's Our Lady of Lourdes Church.
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Mass in Watkins Glen honors military
November 12, 2012: WATKINS GLEN -- Patricia Hastings contends that United States military personnel don’t get the full recognition they deserve, especially when serving in conflicts that fuel public controversy.
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Seminarian has kids' support during travels
August 3, 2012: Despite being far from home this summer, Matt Jones was accompanied in spirit by many youths from Chemung County.
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Catholic Charities names director
June 11, 2013: Charles Nocera has been appointed executive director of Catholic Charities of Chemung/Schuyler (CCCS) effective June 1.
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Spaghetti supper set for May 15
May 2, 2013: The 26th-annual Free Community Spaghetti Supper, hosted by Elmira's Blessed Sacrament Parish, will take place Wednesday, May 15.
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Notre Dame HS offers football camp
April 5, 2013: A free two-day football camp, open to all students in grades 9-12 is being offered at Elmira Notre Dame High School.
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Notre Dame wins sportsmanship award
January 11, 2013: Elmira Notre Dame High School's football team has earned the "Hipper Trophy" for sportsmanship.
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Notre Dame High School wins gold at national music festival
April 25, 2013: Elmira's Notre Dame High School earned the Gold Award for Jazz Band and the Silver Award for Concert Band at the Heritage Music Festival held April 18-21 in Nashville, Tenn.
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New grades open at Notre Dame High School
October 9, 2012: A prayer service and ribbon-cutting was held Sept. 6 to celebrate the opening of the seventh and eighth grades at Notre Dame High School in Elmira.
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First day at Holy Family School
September 11, 2012: The first day of school for Elmira's Holy Family Elementary was Wednesday, Sept. 5 and the schoool saw 218 students walk through the doors on opening day.
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Visiting a one-room schoolhouse
March 9, 2012

Newark Knights purchase ultrasound machine
May 3, 2013: Knights of Columbus Newark Council 897 and the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council matching-funds program funded the purchase of a new ultrasound machine for CareNet Pregnancy Center in Newark.
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Closing feels 'like a death'
September 6, 2012: When Eliza Maher graduated in June from eighth grade at Geneva's St. Francis-St. Stephen School, she was already looking forward to starting this fall at DeSales High School, which is located just across High Street from St. Francis-St. Stephen.
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Hundreds learn about freedom

August 2, 2012

CANANDAIGUA -- Religious liberty was the hot topic of discussion for the more than 500 people who visited Notre Dame Retreat House between June 21 and July 4 to take part in the Festival for Freedom.

The festival was planned in response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' request that Catholics spend the two weeks leading up to July 4 engaging in

Parishes merge, form St. Benedict
July 23, 2012: St. Mary Parish in Canandaigua joined with St. Bridget/St. Joseph Parish in East Bloomfield in late June to form the new St. Benedict Parish.
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Agency encourages kids' free play
June 10, 2013: Catholic Charities' counselors found that children who did not have access to adequate opportunities for free play struggled with high stress levels.
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Students rock at final Humanities Show
June 7, 2013: Seventh-graders at St. Francis-St. Stephen School in Geneva recently held their final Humanities Show.
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Church hosts mobile pantry
May 2, 2013: Every third Thursday of the month Food Bank of the Southern Tier's mobile food pantry pulls into the parking lot of St. Patrick Church in Prattsburgh.
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Priest's Kenyan school thrives
April 5, 2013: 20 students at the Friends of Fr. Symon Jubilee School for Nomads passed the national examination taken by eighth-graders in Kenya.
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Housing foundation receives $5,000 grant
June 11, 2013: Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation Inc. was one of eight nonprofit organizations to recently receive grants.
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Agency plans Day of Play
May 2, 2013: At the request of Catholic Charities of Wayne County, the Wayne County Board of Supervisors recently proclaimed May 4 to be a countywide Day of Play.
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Knights' ham supper to fund scholarships
May 2, 2013: Members of the Knights of Columbus Frank A. Cutri Jr. Council 1445 will hold their ninth-annual Ham Charity Supper from 5 to 7:30 p.m. May 18
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Feinstein Challenge boosts lunch program
April 4, 2013: Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes is raising money for the Geneva Community Lunch Program this spring
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May Crowning held in Newark
May 15, 2013: The Mary Garden outside St. Michael's Church in Newark was the location of the May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 12.
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Genevan attends papal audience
October 21, 2010: Pope Benedict XVI read greetings in many languages during an audience for about 7,000 people in Pope Paul VI Hall in Vatican City Sept. 8. Lynn Anania of Geneva was in attendance and took this photo.
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Pets blessed in Canandaigua
October 8, 2010: Students from St. Mary School in Canandaigua had their pets blessed by Father Thomas Mull on Friday, Oct. 1, following first Friday Mass.
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Students take part in Colonial Day
May 13, 2010: The fourth-grade class at St. Mary School in Canandaigua held Colonial Day on April 9. Students dressed in colonial garb, dipped candles, punched tin, and made sausage, applesauce and homemade butter.
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Tier men help swell seminarian roster
May 3, 2013: Of the 20 current seminarians in the Diocese of Rochester, a healthy share hail from the Southern Tier area.
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New abbot takes helm at Abbey of the Genesee
October 5, 2012: The recent leadership transition in the Diocese of Rochester quickly became public knowledge. But a similar shift in leadership also took place recently -- albeit more quietly -- at the Abbey of the Genesee.
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Trappist monk enters priesthood

October 3, 2012

He began monastic life at the dawn of the new millennium, and nearly 13 years later is embracing another vocational milestone: the priesthood.

Father Isaac Slater, OCSO, was ordained a Trappist priest Aug. 11 by then-Bishop of Rochester Matthew H. Clark during a 9:15 a.m. Mass at Abbey of the

Livonia concert on Oct. 21 will benefit Kenyan mission

September 24, 2012

An concert to be held Sunday, Oct. 21, in Livingston County will benefit orphans in Kenya.

The YellowJackets, a nationally known men's a cappella group from the University of Rochester, will perform at the Livonia High School auditorium, 2 Bulldog Blvd.,

Migrant women gather for learning, fun
May 2, 2013: A group of migrant women have taken on knitting as part of group activities that began last summer.
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Artist makes Lima stations shine
March 4, 2013: LIMA -- For many mornings and early afternoons this past year, Bonnie DePrez toiled alone inside St. Rose Church, applying her artistic talent to a historic building that
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Communities mark Three Kings Day
February 6, 2013: MOUNT MORRIS -- The three kings who paraded out to greet guests and pass out candy were not only small in stature, they were technically two kings and a queen.
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Livonia hosts bishop, St. Nick
December 10, 2012: LIVONIA -- Scores of children were surely delighted when "St. Nicholas" popped into St. Matthew Church toward the end of Sunday Mass.
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Public invited to spelling bee, dinner
May 2, 2013: Tickets are available for the fourth-annual Livingston County Spelling Bee, to be held May 16 at Geneseo High School.
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Donations need for Livingston fundraiser
January 11, 2013: Donations are being sought for the annual "Eat for Heat" spaghetti dinner to be held Jan. 26 at St. Matthew Church Livonia.
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Eagle Scout project enhances Geneseo cemetery
January 11, 2013: Joshua Friscia recently earned Eagle Scout distinction for his project that benefitted St. Mary's Cemetery in Geneseo.
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Avon students connect with Kenyan youths
January 2, 2013: First-grade technology students at St. Agnes School, Avon, have been corresponding in a variety of ways with students from the Kibera neighborhood, a slum section of Nairobi, Kenya.
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St. Agnes students connect with kids in Kenya
January 29, 2013: First-grade technology students at St. Agnes School, Avon, have been corresponding in a variety of ways with students from the Kibera neighborhood, a slum section of Nairobi, Kenya.
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Father Hayes given CCLC award
November 15, 2011: Father John H. Hayes was presented with Catholic Charities of Livingston County’s 2011 Father William Trott Award at the agency's 16th-anniversary dinner on Sept. 27 at the Genesee River Restaurant & Reception Center, Mount Morris.
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Agency breaks ground on community garden
May 12, 2010: Want a garden but don’t have any land? Catholic Charities of Livingston County is offering its neighbors a place to put down roots.
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Woodshop is ready to build again
June 11, 2013: St. Michael’s Woodshop, which offers woodworking programs to at-risk teens, will be reopening after a leadership transition.
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Greece parishes to see leadership changes
June 11, 2013: Holy Name of Jesus and St. Charles Borromeo parishes will experience adjusted Mass schedules as part of recently announced leadership changes.
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Church communicator relates tales of unscripted, unpretentious pope
April 22, 2013: On the Sunday evening before the conclave was to begin, Basilian Father Thomas Rosica and a colleague bumped into Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio.
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Speaker details Planned Parenthood fight
April 5, 2013: Karen Handel, author of Planned Bullyhood, spoke at St. John Fisher College during an event sponsored by Women’s Care Center, a crisis pregnancy center.
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Dance event held to help migrants
June 11, 2013: Girl Scout Troop 60040 donated clothing, blankets and food to a network of churches and organizations that help migrant workers.
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Saint's Place marks 15 years of miracles
May 3, 2013: Nearly 800 refugees a year are resettled in the Rochester area and Saint's Place is one of the first stops for resettlement case managers.
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Green initiatives branch out
May 2, 2013: A local urban agriculture program for children has been putting down roots in its greenhouse since 2009, and the program is working to branch out.
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Hospitalized dad gets to see daughter’s first Communion
April 29, 2013: Confined to Strong Memorial Hospital as he waits for a heart transplant, Timothy Day of Kenmore was going to miss his daughter’s first Communion.
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Sister Miller to get award
June 11, 2013: Sister of Mercy Grace Miller will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Rochester Community of Churches/Faith In Action Network.
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Maryknoll sister celebrates 50 years
June 11, 2013: Sister Elizabeth Erbland, a native of Fairport, celebrated 50 years as a Maryknoll Sister May 19 at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll, N.Y.
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Mass in Italian planned
June 11, 2013: Father Frederick Eisemann will celebrate a Mass in Italian and English in honor of St. Anthony at 7 p.m. June 12 at Holy Cross Church, 4492 Lake Ave., Charlotte.
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Mass planned for parents who have lost children
June 11, 2013: There will be a special Mass for parents who have lost a son or daughter (infant through adult) by death at 9:30 a.m. June 8 at Holy Cross Church in Charlotte.
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St. Rita Father-Daughter Dance
June 18, 2013: The first annual Father-Daughter Dance was held Friday, June 7 in the gymnasium at St. Rita School in Webster.
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Students host seniors for tea
May 16, 2013: St. Rita School students welcomed over 75 senior citizens from around the area for the annual Senior Citizens Tea May 15.
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Families honor Mary
May 8, 2013: St. Marianne Cope Parish Faith Formation families honored Mary with a May crowning ceremony on May 5.
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St. Joseph School celebrates Earth Day
May 1, 2013

Chiropractic college to hold memorial for Father Richard Murphy
June 12, 2013: A memorial service for Father Richard "Murph" Murphy will be held at the New York Chiropractic College June 20.
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Hundreds attend Masses for popes
April 4, 2013: More than 100 people celebrated the feast of St. Joseph and the inauguration of Pope Francis at Auburn's St. Mary Church on March 19.
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Auburn parishes come together

October 3, 2012

"Survive and thrive."

Deacon Gary DiLallo adopted that phrase as his personal motto when he arrived in Auburn in 2009 as pastoral administrator of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Hyaci

Seneca Falls, Waterloo parishes merge
September 24, 2012: Members of St. Mary Parish in Waterloo and St. Patrick Parish in Seneca Falls were less than thrilled when they learned in June that Bishop Matthew H. Clark had selected St. Francis and St. Clare Parish as the name of their new, combined community.
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Activist stands up for life
June 11, 2013: Mary Anne Tissot organized Ithaca's first 40 Days for Life in the fall of 2009 and has continued in that role twice per year since.
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Local Catholics feel connected to pope
May 3, 2013: Many people around the world were impressed by the new pope's choice of St. Francis of Assisi as his namesake.
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Saint was focus of Seneca Falls exhibit
April 5, 2013: St. Marianne Cope, a Franciscan nun from central New York, was the subject of an exhibit at the park's visitor center from March 8-31.
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Hundreds attend Masses for popes
March 25, 2013

Auburn parish to hold Polish Picnic
May 31, 2013: Ss. Mary and Martha Parish will hold its annual Polish Picnic June 23 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the grounds of St. Hyacinth Church, which is located at 61 Pulaski St. in Auburn.
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Feinstein Challenge boosts lunch program
April 4, 2013: Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes is raising money for the Geneva Community Lunch Program
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Group will tour Susan B. Anthony's birthplace
March 6, 2013: Local Catholic pro-life activists are planning a one-day bus trip from Seneca Falls, which is the birthplace of women's suffrage, to Adams, Mass., which is the birthplace of Susan B. Anthony.
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Auburn parish to hold pancake supper
February 7, 2013: St. Alphonsus Parish in Auburn will hold its annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in the parish center, located at 89 E. Genesee St.
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Auburn principal honored
June 11, 2013: A celebration honoring St. Joseph School principal Kathleen Coye was held at the Auburn school June 7.
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Corning parish welcomes back inactive Catholics
December 17, 2012: This Christmas, Catholic churches near and far are sure to be overflowing at Masses -- thanks in part to attendees who haven't shown up since last Easter or Christmas, if not longer. Such folks are bound to feel ill at ease; other inactive Catholics might not surface at all at holiday time.
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Steuben churches form single parish
July 27, 2012: From this year on, priests celebrating Mass in Bath and Hammondsport will be guided by special saintly support.
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Positions in Tier undergo change
July 3, 2012: Numerous comings and goings have recently taken place involving clergy and staff members at Southern Tier parishes.
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Parish missions set in Corning, Hammondsport, Bath
April 16, 2012: Father Hugh Burns, OP, will be the keynoter at parish missions scheduled to take place April 21-25 at All Saints Parish (St. Mary Church), 155 State St., Corning; and April 29-May 2 at St. Gabriel Church, 78 Shethar St., Hammondsport/St. Mary Church, 32 E. Morris St., Bath.
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Corning native evolves 'from bombs to Bibles'
May 3, 2013: How does somebody who spent 16 years in the military, helping produce nuclear weapons and loading bombs, end up a woman religious?
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Discussion series helps reinforce faith
April 5, 2013: The March 8 session, titled "Who Is My Neighbor?" was the third of a five-part discussion series hosted by Holy Family Catholic Community.
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St. James Mercy benefits from fundraiser, grants
December 6, 2012: St. James Mercy Foundation's third-annual "Diamonds and Denim" charity event, held Oct. 6 at the Hornell Golf Club, brought in $30,000. Now in its third year, the gala raises funds for St. James Mercy Hospital.
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New Corning principal is 'back home'
September 4, 2012: After retiring as principal of Corning-Painted Post East High School, Joe Tobia intended to see the world. He instead ended up remaining right in his back yard -- and is tickled pink about it.
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Holy Family liturgy notes Native Americans
January 11, 2013: Holy Family Catholic Community put a special focus on Native Americans Nov. 18.
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All Saints Academy noted for fitness
January 11, 2013: All Saints Academy in Corning has made notable achievements at of late in the areas of fitness and running.
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Hornell hospital opens new unit
May 21, 2012: St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell has unveiled its newly renovated and relocated 26-bed Adult Psychiatric Unit.
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Rosary for Life set for May 6 in Corning
May 7, 2012: he public is invited to a Luminous Rosary for Life on Sunday, May 6, in front of the mausoleum at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Park Ave., Corning.
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All Saints Academy honors congressman
June 26, 2012: U.S. Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, left, and his wife Jean Reed were honored during the All Saints Academy eighth grade graduation on June 20.
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St. Joseph Church celebrates 140 years
September 14, 2011: On Sunday, Aug. 28, Bishop Matthew H. Clark celebrated a special Mass marking the 140th anniversary of St. Joseph Church in Campbell.
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Hornell school remembers fallen student
June 2, 2011: On June 3, 1956, David Gozelski, a third-grade student at St. Ann School in Hornell, drowned tragically. His family has remembered him in prayer all these 55 years -- and David's memory was honored in a special way earlier in 2011.
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Tier men help swell seminarian roster
May 3, 2013: Of the 20 current seminarians in the Diocese of Rochester, a healthy share hail from the Southern Tier area.
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Lansing church celebrates centennial
February 25, 2013: Members of Lansing’s All Saints Parish will take a walk down memory lane -- literally -- to celebrate their church community’s 100th anniversary March 23.
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Sister O'Brien replaces Sister McGuire at TCRM
November 12, 2012: Sister Mary O’Brien, CSJ, is the new executive director of Tioga County Rural Ministry. She replaces Sister Phyllis McGuire, RSM, who retired in June 2012 after 16 years of overall service at TCRM.
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New Catholic Charities directors named
October 22, 2012: New directors for Tompkins, Tioga and Schuyler counties mark the latest of several recent transitions for Catholic Charities agencies in the Southern Tier.
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Activist stands up for life
June 11, 2013: Mary Anne Tissot organized Ithaca's first 40 Days for Life in the fall of 2009 and has continued in that role twice per year since.
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Lent remains in full swing across Tier
March 8, 2013: From soup suppers and Friday fish fries to Stations of the Cross, Operation Rice Bowl and prayer and discussion sessions, Southern Tier Catholics have had multiple opportunities to engage in the Lenten season. And there's still a long way to go, as St. Patrick's Day parties, St. Joseph's Tables and Holy Week activities
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Tioga Living Stations still going strong

February 7, 2013

It's almost Lent, meaning the time has arrived for a special production that's been a hit across the Southern Tier for more than 35 years.

Living Stations of the Cross, an initiative of Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick parishes, is gearing up for presentations each Lenten Friday. The troupe of 24 youths in grades

Tompkins pastoral associate joins abbey
August 9, 2012: Tompkins County's loss is Abbey of the Genesee's gain.
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College students offer aid to seniors
April 4, 2013: Volunteers will be on hand Saturday, April 27 to help seniors 65 or over with spring clean-up chores.
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Tioga ministry receives grant
January 11, 2013: Tioga County Rural Ministry in Owego recently received a grant of $1,500 from the Women’s Fund of The Community Foundation for South Central New York.
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Fidelis Care offers sessions in Chemung, Tioga counties
January 7, 2013: Fidelis Care, the health-insurance plan provider founded by New York state’s Catholic bishops, is partnering with Southern Tier agencies to help uninsured residents apply for free or low-cost health insurance.
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Trumansburg fair set for Nov. 3
October 23, 2012: All are welcome to St. James Church, Trumansburg, for its annual Fall Fair.
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Colleen Craig honored at St. Margaret Mary
March 1, 2012

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