October 28, 2026

We remember and praise you

For the saints and martyrs of this and every age,

Whose lives, like seeds, dropped to the ground,

Yet whose witness has inspired us and borne fruit.

from The Book of a Thousand Prayers.

A Message from the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

Team Calvary got home to Buffalo safe and sound shortly after midnight on Tuesday (yesterday). By the time we got our luggage it was about 1 AM. We’re all still a little tired and I hear some are a little sick now. It does catch up with you eventually, but we are back home. I know I speak for all of us on Team Calvary when I say we had a truly wonderful, holy and life-changing experience working with the girls of Our Little Roses in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. For me, I’m calling it one of the most important moments of my life! I will never forget it.  

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and we took lots and lots of pictures. For the safety and security of the girls we are not permitted to share pictures of their faces on social media and/or online. This picture of me speaking to two girls is permitted since you are not seeing their faces. I’m talking with two of the girls who were helping me with our mission project. We scraped and painted the pillars in the courtyard area. While I was scraping these two young ladies wanted to help me. I said, “No, I can do it.” But they persisted and wanted to scrape too. Apparently there’s something incredibly satisfying peeling paint with your fingers. Huge chunks of old paint came off the pillars and more and more girls joined me in all the “fun”. Soon we had so many girls helping out that we had some competition to see who could clean their pillar faster. There were so many girls helping I just stood back and watched. When we were done, I sat down with these two young ladies and told them I felt like I was Tom Sawyer. They didn’t know who that was, so I told them that it’s the story of a boy who had to whitewash a long picket fence. Tom Sawyer then gets some local kids to do his chore and soon everybody was whitewashing the picket fence except for Tom who just sat and watched. 

Later we refreshed all the flower beds in the courtyard with new white rocks that really made the trees and plants pop. The courtyard looks so much better. The girls use that courtyard to do their homework and play games.

There’s so much more to tell and share with you about our experiences. We’re looking at some upcoming dates for a potluck dinner and for you to hear from us on Team Calvary who travelled to Our Little Roses. Look for that date soon in an upcoming edition of Calvary’s e-news. We are eager to share what we learned from the girls and how we can support them in the future. 

Faithfully,

Fr. Robert Harvey

Fall Back!

Remember that Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, November 1. Be sure to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to sleep on Saturday night!

DEADLINE TODAY!

Feast of All Saints/All Souls

In celebration of All Saints/All Souls, on Sunday, November 1 we will publish in the bulletin the names of beloved family members who have passed, to honor them in thanksgiving for the gift of their lives. It is our tradition to read aloud the names of our family members who have died in the past year.

Names of relatives you would like to be remembered may be placed in the offering plate or emailed to the office. All names must be received by today, October 28. Add a star * by the names of those who have died in the last year. Please print clearly and include phonetic pronunciation for the names which will be read aloud. Donations are welcome.

Halloween Safety Tips from the Pet Ministry

Pet owners should keep the following in mind this Halloween:

• Do not feed or allow others to feed your pets candy of any kind, especially chocolate. Dark chocolate and baker's chocolate are the most lethal because they contain the highest concentration of ingredients that can cause increased heart rates, tremors, and seizures. 
• Sugar-free candy also can cause seizures and low blood sugar in dogs. 
• Macadamia nuts, grapes, and raisins can be poisonous as well. 
• If your pet consumes any of these toxins, you should contact your vet or an emergency clinic immediately.

From Dr. Elisa M. Mazzaferro

Emergency and Critical Care Specialist at Cornell Veterinary School

ASPCA Poison Control:  (888) 426-4435 (A fee for calling may apply.)

Have a Happy Halloween and keep your pets comfortable and safe!

Good Grief

The Good Grief Support Group will meet on Saturday, October 31 at 9:30 a.m. in the Reception Room. We are a non-denominational Grief Support Group that offers fellowship and support to anyone who has suffered any type of significant loss. For more information, contact Ellen Marshall, 716-689-2133.

DEADLINE COMING UP

Calvary Scholarships

The Scholarship Committee is accepting applications for college/higher education training through October. Contact Margie Chritton for an application and more information. Please turn in your applications by October 31.

Warden's Forum

Calvary's Vestry met yesterday, October 27. If you missed the meeting or have questions, the Wardens will review the topics of discussion at a forum at 9 a.m. this Sunday, November 1.

Socktober Drive

This is the final week to donate warm socks for Calvary's Socktober Drive. Drop off your sock donations in the bins in the Reception Room. Socks for Friends of Night People were delivered yesterday by Calvary FONP volunteers during their service visit. The remaining socks will be delivered to Journey's End Refugee Services. The drive ends on Sunday, November 1. Thanks to those who have donated already!

Communications Committee

Spreading the word is a critical mission of the church, and Communication makes this possible! The Communications Committee is a small but dedicated group with different areas of expertise to broadcast what Calvary is doing within the parish and the wider community.

Interested? Your perspective is welcome! The Communications Committee will meet Monday, November 2 from 4-5 p.m. Come in person or join by Zoom using this link or call 646-558-8656 using Meeting ID 812 6692 1727 and Passcode 901392

Great Music: Such Glorious Gifts

Great Music at Calvary presents Such Glorious Gifts on Sunday, November 8 at 4 p.m., featuring vocal and instrumental works by Robin Milford, Gerald Finzi, Roland Martin and more, concluding with pieces to commemorate Veteran's Day. Performers include Tyler Huk (tenor soloist), Anna Mattix (oboe), The Calvary Church Choir directed by Roland E. Martin, and the Buffalo Chamber Players.

Churchyard Flags for Veteran's Day

To honor those who bravely served their country, flags will be placed in Calvary's churchyard at the gravesites of all veterans in time for Veteran's Day. If your loved one buried in the churchyard was a veteran (regardless of nationality) and has not had a flag in past years, please contact Linda McKenna at linm1210@gmail.com or (716) 479-2029 by November 6 to include the veteran's name and branch of service in Calvary's records.

Nominations for 2027 Parish Election

Calvary's Vestry has approved the following people to serve on the Nominating Committee: Dennis McCoy (Chair), Helen Cochran, Bruce Davidson, George Faeth, Samantha Maciejewski, and Emily Sityar. The committee is seeking to fill positions of those rotating off the Vestry.

Please help Calvary recruit good leaders by submitting names of potential candidates to run as Warden or Vestrypersons in the 2027 Parish Election. Download a nomination form, fill it out, and drop it off in Nominations Box in the Reception Room. The deadline for nominations is Sunday, November 15.

Attention All Knitters!

It is the season for giving warm hats, mittens and scarves to refugees. Journey's End is always in need of men's, women's and children's sets. Individual pieces are also welcome. Many thanks to our knitters and crocheters who are members of Calvary's Hands to Hearts Group for taking on this project. Should there be other parishioners who would like to contribute hand-made items please contact Betsy Greno at 716-864-4817 elizabethgreno@gmail.com.

The deadline for contributions is Sunday November 22.

2027 Stewardship Campaign

Our Church continues to thrive as a place of worship, Christian hospitality, and witness because of your faith, your generosity, and your commitment to our shared ministry. There is so much life and light in our parish. At the heart of it all is you--the people of Calvary--faithfully and compassionately living out your baptismal promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Click here if you wish to fill out a 2027 Calvary pledge card online. Calvary's Giving website has further information about ways to make a gift to Calvary.

Please send in your pledge card by October 31. All pledges will be blessed on November 22, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. As of Tuesday, 120 households have pledged $388,808 in support of Calvary in 2027. Thank you to those who have pledged.

Pet Blessing Donations Delivered

Last week the Pet Ministry delivered many cans of cat and dog food, packages of treats, toys, piddle pads, a small crate, and a check for $278 collected at the Blessing of the Animals and from the listing of pet names in the eNews to the Pet Food Cupboard at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Alden. The volunteers there were thrilled to receive this help and expressed their sincere gratitude for our support. Thank you to all who participated in this annual event!

Ashby Church Calendars

Calvary is taking orders for 2027 Ashby church calendars. These Episcopal calendars list the lectionary readings for Sundays and major feasts. Each day lists the liturgical color and saints commemorated. The $5 calendars are for reference; the boxes are too small in which to write personal schedules. Let the office know if you would like one before the church places its order on November 12.

2026 Areas of Ministry & Vestry Liaisons

Each area of ministry at Calvary is assigned a Vestry member liaison. The liaison serves as an intermediary between the committee and the whole Vestry. These are the liaison assignments for 2026:

• Worship & Music - Janet Newall and Fr. Robert Harvey
• Christian Formation -
• Adult Education - Ryan Fleming
• Children's Education - Ted Andrews
• Fellowship - Howard Craig
• Pastoral Care - Karen Davidson
• Outreach - Karen Davidson
• Communications - Helen Cochran and Laurie Kaiser
• Property - Bryan Gorney
• Giving/Development - Dennis McCoy and Janet Metcalfe
• Finance - Guy Whalen

A Prayer for our Bishop Search

Gracious God, we give thanks for your loving care for the people of the Diocese of Western New York and the members of the Bishop’s Search and Transition Committees. Give us wisdom and understanding as we discern your will. We ask for the gifts of honesty, to speak the truth in love; openness to the gifts and ideas of others and to the Holy Spirit; and willingness, to see your Light shining among us and on the path ahead. Prepare for our Diocese a bishop who will be a faithful pastor, and equip us for the ministries to which we are called in these changing times. Help us to love and serve your world and one another in the Spirit of Christ, trusting in you to be our steadfast helper and guide. Amen.

Election Night Compline

The Episcopal Church's Division of Public Policy, Partnership, and Witness in collaboration with the Mission Program team will host a prayerful service of compline on Election Night, Tuesday, November 3 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Rev. Sarah Shipman, director of the church’s Migration Ministries, will officiate. Prayers and readings will be offered in a variety of languages, and participants will be invited to share personal prayers in the chat. Click here to register.

Diocesan and Church News



• For more news about the Diocese of WNY and to sign up for emailed newsletters, go here.
• The Episcopal Church website offers resources for individuals, congregations, and various ministries. 

Worship at Calvary

In-person worship

• Sunday 8 a.m. Holy Communion
• Sunday 10 a.m. Holy Communion. This worship service is also live streamed.
• Saturday, 4 p.m. Holy Communion
• Wednesday, 7 a.m. Holy Communion

Online worship

• Sunday 10 a.m. Holy Communion is also live streamed. The link to Calvary's 10 a.m. service can be found on the Calvary website or streamed on Facebook and YouTube. All three places will have the recording to watch later.

Attendance

On October 25, online viewers for the 10 a.m. service came from NY and MA.

For an Election

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

from The Book of Common Prayer, p 822.