The Buffalo Religious Arts Center





















Weekly Architectural Tours of
Saint Francis Xavier Church
wrap
up the weekend of November 7/8.

Join our Christmas Bus Tour,
co-sponsored with
Buffalo Tours,
on December 5th.

Check back for our Winter Tour
schedule starting in Jan 2010.





























Broadway-Fillmore Alive
Buffalo Central Terminal
Buffalo Rising
The Buffalo News
Buffalo Tours
Campaign for Greater Buffalo
Friends of Saint Ann's
Olmsted Parks Conservancy
Preservation Buffalo Niagara
H. H. Richardson Complex
WNY Heritage Press





















Come join us in our effort to
create a space that preserves
and celebrates the religious art of
the immigrant, ethnic heritage of
Buffalo.
Upcoming Events
Links
News
Last Tour Weekend
    Nov 6th, 2009 - Thank you for a great summer tour season.
    This past year, we have doubled our number of members,
    and increased our number of visitors and patrons by over one
    thousand percent. We had special event concerts with Ars
    Nova and the WNY Chorale, an Open House with Doors
    Open Niagara, and numerous volunteer days to clean up and
    clean out. We've also added art items from a dozen closed
    houses of worship, and added interpretive signage to better
    tell the tale of the religious history of Buffalo.

    But all good things must come to an end, and this weekend
    is the last weekend tour of the season. But don't worry - more
    opportunities to visit are coming up as we prep for an even
    better year in 2010. Join us for our special Christmas Bus
    Tour December 5th, and stay tuned for our monthly winter
    tours starting early next year.

Upcoming Events
    Oct, 11th, 2009 - The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is pleased
    to announce two more great opportunities to see the arts
    center.

    This upcoming weekend, October 16th & 17th, the Religious
    Arts Center will participate in Doors Open Niagara. This is a
    great opportunity to get a sneak peak for free of what changes
    we have made as new items go on display.

    Then, on Sunday, November 1st, at 6:30pm, we are pleased
    to host Ars Nova as part of their annual "Viva Vivaldi" string
    festival. Tickets are available the door - come hear beautful
    music in a beautiful setting performed by one of Buffalo's
    leading classical ensembles.

Outstanding News: St. Francis Xavier Complex
added to National Register of Historic Places

    Sep 9th, 2009 - The Buffalo Religious Arts Center recently
    learned from the New York State that our application was
    approved, and the former St. Francis Xavier Church complex
    has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
    This recognition not only acknowledges the architecural
    beauty of the buildings themselves, but the historical
    significance of this church, the Mother Church of Black Rock.
    Celebrate with us by coming to a tour, every Saturday at noon,
    and Sunday's at 1:00pm, to see Buffalo's newest historic
    landmark for yourself.

Member Meeting Upcoming
    Aug 19th, 2009 - Don't forget about two upcoming community
    events. On Thursday, August 20th, at 7:00pm is our Annual
    Member's Meeting. Member's are invited to learn more about
    current projects, volunteer opportunities, and ongoing events.
    If you aren't a member, now is a great time to join. Learn
    more here.

    In addition, we're pleased to announce a new event. On
    August 29th, from 1 to 4 pm, we are starting our Church
    History project. Come to the Center with old vintage photos of
    religious events to add to our archive as we collect and
    preserve the religious history of WNY. We will have a
    computer and scanner at the event, so we can make a copy
    of your photo, and give you back the original, of course. This
    will be a great opportunity to tell stories, share history, and
    learn more about our heritage in Buffalo.

Find us on Facebook!

    July 19th, 2009 - As part of our continued effort to reach out
    and spread the word about our current happenings at the
    Religious Arts Center, we're now on Facebook. Follow us by
    becoming a fan of the "Buffalo Religious Arts Center." You
    receive occasional status updates, be able to check info on
    tours and events, and get the latest information. See you
    there.

Summer Newsletter Now Available





    July 5th, 2009 - Our Summer 2009 Newsletter is now
    available to members. See inside for stories about the
    windows of Saint Joseph's, new art from Nativity Church, and
    upcoming tour options.







Reminder-Rediscover Amherst Street this Saturday!

    June 19th, 2009 - Don't forget! Tomorrow is the Rediscover
    Amherst Street Festival, with tons of music, food, events and
    fun for the whole family. Buffalo Rising did a great article
    here, listing all the events. At the Buffalo Religious Arts
    Center, we will be doing quick low cost tours of the site, and
    selling desks from the school for extremely reasonable
    prices. Stop by and visit the former St. Francis Xavier Church,
    and our growing collection.




The Windows of St. Joseph's
    June 17th, 2009 - Jay Tokaz had a great piece in today's
    Buffalo News about the beautiful windows of St. Joseph
    Church in North Tonawanda, and their fate after the church
    closed. Fortunately, all of the windows went to great uses, in
    Buffalo, and overseas.

    The main recipient of the windows is the Jesus de Riscate
    Shrine in Nicaragua, a country with so few art glass windows
    that most of the shrine's visitors have probably never seen
    one. The windows depict a number of events in the life a
    Jesus, making them very appropriate for such a location.
    Other local recipients are a mausoleum in Niagara Falls, and
    a Catholic grade school in North Tonawanda.

    The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is proud to be home to four
    of the windows, that have particular significance to Western
    New York. They are Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (pictured
    here), a Mohawk woman who lived in Central New York in the
    seventeenth century, St. Maxmillian Kolbe, who was killed
    Auschwitz, St. Joseph holding a small model of the North
    Tonawanda church, and a rendering of a former bishop of
    Buffalo. These windows are not on display now because
    while we received sufficient donations to purchase the
    windows, we are still raising money to display them properly.
    Please contact us at 957-9251, if you wish to Adopt one of the
    windows, and help us put it back on view in Western New
    York.



Buffalo Tours Partnership Starts This Saturday

    June 4th, 2009 - Another great way to visit the Religious Arts Center
    starts up this weekend, as we begin our partnership with Buffalo
    Tours by co-sponosring the Neighborhood Tour of Black Rock. The
    tour starts at 10:00am, this Saturday the 6th of June, and meets at
    the corner of Niagara and Amherst Streets, just two blocks from the
    Religious Arts Center. The $10 cost covers not only a walking tour of
    the neighborhood, but entrance into the Religious Arts Center and a
    mini-tour of the former St. Francis Xavier Church. Hope to see you
    there!
    Return to top of page

Rediscover Amherst Street Festival June 20th

    May 23rd, 2009 - The latest edition of Rediscover Amherst Street, the
    festival that celebrates the people and businesses of Black Rock
    that make it such a vibrant community, will be Saturday June 20th.
    There are events up and down Amherst Street, including a parade,
    live music, food and drink specials, and arts displays. The Buffalo
    Religious Arts Center is getting involved by have a desk sale. That's
    right, we're selling off the desks of the former school for cheap, and
    hoping they go to a number of good causes and places that can use
    them. In addition, we'll be giving discount $5 tours of the former St
    Francis Xavier Church, and talking about our ongoing projects. Make
    your plans now to Rediscover Amherst Street on June 20th.


New Website Unveiled

    May 20th, 2009 - We've been working on it for months, and today we
    are pleased to unveil our new website. It should load faster, be
    easier to read, have crisper layouts, and generally be much more
    user friendly. Please check it out, look at some new pages and
    information, and let us know if there are any bugs. And don't worry -
    we've kept the archives intact, so all the old stories and information
    is still there.

    Thanks for the website goes to one person: our intern for the Spring
    Semester, Nicole Crapez. Besides doing marketing researching,
    designing new promotional materials, and researching grants,
    Nicole also found time to redo our website. We are extremely grateful
    to her, and can't say enough good things about the job she did for
    us. Thank you Nicole!


Don't Forget - WNY Chorale Concert on Sunday  

    May 15th, 2009 - Don't forget that the concert of great choral music is
    this Sunday, May 17th, at 3:30pm at the former Saint Francis Xavier
    Church. Tickets are $10 ($7 for seniors and students), and can be
    purchased at the door. Come hear fantastic music in the magnificent
    space that it was meant to be sung in. See you there.




Great Clean Up Last Week  

    May 10th, 2009 - Thank you to all our volunteers that
    came out to help clean up the center, and get it ready
    for tour groups. The nave, pews, altars and artifacts
    look great. A special thank you to Joyce DiChristina,
    our volunteer coordinator. We can't put on these
    events without her!

    And don't forget, we're open each Saturday and
    Sunday now for tours, plus other special events,
    including the WNY Chorale concert this coming
    Sunday at 3:30pm.



Reminder: Tours Start Tomorrow

    May 1st, 2009 - Don't forget: the 2009 tour season at the
    Religious Arts Center starts tomorrow. Architectural tours of
    the former St. Francis Xavier Church, and growing collection
    of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, are Saturdays at 12:00,
    and Sunday at 1:00pm. Admission is $8, with Member's
    getting their first tour free. Hope to see you there!

    Return to Top of Page





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