Bishop Richard Malone has officially been introduced to Chautauqua County.
Parishioners were treated to a service led by Bishop Richard Malone on Sunday, the newly appointed Bishop of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese. The bishop was greeted outside of Ss. Peter and Paul Church by members of the Knights of Columbus Color Corp.
The Knights of Columbus, which were founded in the late 1800s, are the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. There were 11 members on hand at Sunday's service, representing three different ranks within the organization.
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Bishop Richard Malone of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo meets members of the Knights of Columbus Color Corp. before mass.
Bishop Malone presided over the service, along with Father Dennis Mende, leading the parishioners in prayer and hymns, as well as speaking about his time in the area.
"Shortly after I took over we decided that we would get started this very weekend, and I wanted to make sure that people knew that Chautauqua is important to me," Malone said. "Not only was the music during the service wonderful, but so I've also found that the community here is wonderful. It's warm and gracious and very involved in the mass. The participation was superb. Everything about this visit was very encouraging. As General Macarthur said, "I shall return.'"
When the service finished, a reception was held so that members of the parish could meet with Bishop Malone and introduce themselves to the new leader of the Buffalo Diocese.
Many of the people in attendance noted that it was very meaningful that Bishop Malone made Jamestown a priority on his list of places to visit.
"I think it's wonderful," said Susan Fiorella. "We're very blessed to have him come here. We're sort of the forgotten corner of the Earth anyways, so it was great that he made this his first stop."
Other parishioners were thankful Malone was so open to meeting them and visiting areas outside of Buffalo.
"I consider it a great blessing," said Theresa Moore, a parishioner from the Jamestown area. "Bishop Malone was a fantastic speaker and it was great to have him in Jamestown today. During the winter I live in Venice, Florida, which is the headquarters of the Catholic diocese there, so we see the Bishop very regulary. Here in Jamestown though, I don't think the last bishop ever came to visit. It was nice to see that this was a priority for Bishop Malone."
In addition to the mass at Ss. Peter and Paul, Malone visited the Catholic House at Chautauqua Institution and toured the institution grounds. That was followed by a trip to St. Mary of Lourdes Church in Mayville, where vicariate clergy met with Malone for vespers, a social and dinner.
For more information about the Buffalo Diocese and Bishop Richard Malone, visit www.buffalodiocese.org. For more information about the Holy Apostles Parish, visit www.holyapostleparishjamestown.org.