Saint Benedict Parish sits at the corner of Main Street and Eggert Road in Amherst, New York, a short drive east of Buffalo. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Buffalo and gathers each week for Mass in its Eggert Road church, where a school, a busy music program, and dozens of lay ministries support the daily life of the Catholic community. Its motto is short and direct: "We accept the challenge to live the Gospel and love others as Christ loves us."
The Road to Renewal and a Parish That Stays Open
In March 2026, after a presentation by parish trustees Amy Bradley and Matthew Georger, Bishop Michael Fisher revoked the diocesan decree that would have merged Saint Benedict Parish into Saint Leo the Great Parish. In a letter to parishioners, pastor Fr. David Bellittiere announced that Saint Benedict Parish will remain open, while noting that the Diocese of Buffalo will continue to monitor each parish within "Family 16" of the Bread of Life Catholic Community. The parish now sits inside that broader pastoral grouping of neighboring Catholic parishes and is asked to keep working, alongside its neighbors, to strengthen every church in the community.
Mass, Reconciliation, and the Sacraments
Saint Benedict keeps a simple weekly rhythm centered on the Eucharist. The Sunday schedule is Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM and Sunday Masses at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Weekday Mass is celebrated at 7:00 AM every morning, Monday through Friday. Reconciliation is heard Saturday afternoons from 4:00 to 4:30 PM, with additional opportunities listed in the weekly bulletin. Anointing of the Sick is offered on the first Saturday of every month after the 5:00 PM Mass, and arrangements can always be made by calling the rectory in an emergency.
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are each given their own attention on the parish calendar. Baptism is celebrated at most weekend Masses, with Baptisms scheduled after Mass during Lent; parents meet with the Faith Formation Office for a pre-baptismal preparation class, and registered parishioners serving as godparents or sponsors can request a Letter of Recommendation from the pastor. First Reconciliation is prepared in second grade, First Eucharist in third grade under a "readiness model," and Confirmation is a two-year journey through grades nine and ten that culminates in a letter of intent read by the bishop. Couples wishing to marry are asked to have been worshipping with the parish community for at least three months and to notify the rectory at least six months in advance, followed by a required marriage preparation course.
Most Masses and services are live-streamed from the church for the benefit of parishioners who are homebound or sick. The parish is also quick to point out that it offers a searchable online Bible through its own pages, a small but useful resource for visitors and members alike.
Where to Park and How to Find the Church
For first-time visitors, the parish answers the practical questions up front. Saint Benedict's largest lot is at Main Street and Westfield Road, with a smaller lot off Eggert Road just past the rectory, closer to the church and the Eggert Road accessible entrance. Four reserved accessible parking spaces sit near the rectory garages off Eggert Road, close to the ramp into the church.
A Parish School, a Choir, and a Young Adult Ensemble
Saint Benedict School shares the parish campus and is closely tied to parish life. The school office can be reached at 716-835-2518, and an Extended Day Program serves younger children from age LE-3. Catholic school students receive daily faith formation within the school setting and participate in additional sacramental preparation when they approach Reconciliation, Eucharist, or Confirmation.
Music is taken seriously at Saint Benedict. The 10:00 AM Choir sings at the principal Sunday Mass from September through June and during Christmas and Holy Week. Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM, and the choir welcomes new singers; music reading and previous choral experience are helpful but not required. A Funeral Choir supports families during times of loss, and the Saint Benedict School Chorus leads music at the 10:00 AM Mass once a month for children in elementary and middle school grades.
The most distinctive piece of the music program is Cantate Omnes, a choir and music ensemble formed in 2018 and sponsored by Saint Benedict Parish. Its musicians are young adults active across Western New York as church musicians, music educators, and professional performers. Cantate Omnes - the Latin phrase "let us all sing" - holds concerts across the region that aim to bring faith and music together in fresh ways, and the ensemble is directed by parish Music Director Maria Chomicka.
Generations of Faith: Family-Centered Formation
Sacramental and ongoing formation for children and teens is organized around Generations of Faith, a Sunday program that gathers the whole family together. Each monthly session begins with Mass, continues with a shared meal (often Paula's Donuts), then splits into age-appropriate break-out sessions. Parents stay and participate; the program is not a drop-off experience. Catholic school students are not required to attend these general sessions but do join the separate sacramental preparation classes when they approach Reconciliation, Eucharist, or Confirmation.
Alongside the monthly gatherings, the program adds seasonal moments through the year: Trunk or Treat, an Our Lady of Victory pilgrimage, a December pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine for the Festival of Lights, a Living Rosary and Ice Cream Social, a winter movie night, and a spring potluck family picnic. Service is woven in at the same pace, with visits to Little Portion Friary in October, January, March, and May; a Thanksgiving dinner food drive; the Giving Tree in December; a Lenten Journey Drive; and Valentine's cards for nursing home residents. Sacramental preparation is led by Andrew Pitisi, the parish's Pastoral Associate of Evangelization and Catechesis.
Adult Faith Formation runs alongside the family program, with adult Bible studies, yearly Advent and Lenten retreats, Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent, and service and prayer experiences coordinated through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.
Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is a summer tradition that has grown quickly. The week-long morning program, held in early August, welcomes children from age four (toilet trained by December 1 of that year) through fifth grade. Older students in grades six through twelve, along with parents and other adults, are encouraged to help as volunteers. Recent themes have paired creative Bible-learning experiences with team-building games and music; the program is open to anyone, not just parishioners of Saint Benedict.
Young Adults, Middle School, and High School Ministry
Saint Benedict describes its young adult ministry as "one of the most active parish groups." The model is deliberately open: there is nothing formal to join, and anyone who shows up is part of the community. Monthly socials include trivia nights, cookouts, bonfires, and fireside dinners. The Young Adult Professionals group, or YAP, connects young Catholic adults with mentors in their fields and develops leadership skills. Service is built into the rhythm too, with shoreline cleanups, Thanksgiving meals through Saint Vincent de Paul, Christmas caroling at nursing homes, and volunteering at Vive La Casa and area soup kitchens. Prayer gatherings include nights of praise and worship, adoration, Reconciliation, and candlelight young adult Masses.
Middle schoolers are invited to attend the middle school Generations of Faith session, gather for after-school sessions on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM with the youth ministers, and serve as greeters, altar servers, and Vacation Bible School helpers. High school students attend their own Generations of Faith session, travel to the Annual Diocesan Youth Convention in downtown Buffalo each March, and pitch in with fundraisers and other special events throughout the year. Andrew Pitisi and a colleague named Chelsea lead these ministries.
Altar Servers, Lectors, and Eucharistic Ministers
The parish draws on a deep bench of lay liturgical ministers. Any child who has received First Holy Communion is welcome to become an altar server, with training offered whenever a small group is ready to begin. Lectors are trained individually by Ruth Scheda and scheduled on a six-month rotation, with readings provided well in advance so they can prepare. New lectors are always welcome, and Schelly Reidy coordinates interest.
The Special Ministers of Holy Communion, often referred to more simply as Eucharistic Ministers, assist with the distribution of Communion at every weekly Mass. On two Fridays each month they also bring Holy Communion to the sick and homebound, including those in nursing homes. The parish is especially eager to invite teenagers and young adults who have been confirmed into this ministry. The Diocese of Buffalo offers regular training sessions for new ministers, and the parish handles applications through the rectory.
Saint Vincent de Paul Society
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society at Saint Benedict follows the spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frederick Ozanam, working personally and one-on-one with neighbors in need. The parish conference meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Tobin Room of the school and welcomes new members.
Through its headquarters on Main Street in Snyder, the society distributes clothing, furniture, appliances, and food for the poor. The conference also supports a summer camp in Angola, donates to local food pantries, organizes clothing drives, cooks and delivers meals to a homeless shelter, and assists with utility bills, rent, or mortgage payments when funds allow. All assistance is confidential; those needing help or wishing to donate are asked to call Barbara Flynn at 716-517-0560.
Stephen Ministry: One-to-One Care
Saint Benedict is one of the parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo that runs a Stephen Ministry, a lay caring ministry built around confidential, one-to-one relationships. Stephen Ministers are trained members of the congregation who meet weekly for about an hour with a single care receiver, listening and walking alongside them through difficult seasons. Care receivers are matched with ministers of the same gender, and the relationship can last as long as the need does.
The kinds of difficulty Stephen Ministers walk with include grief, chronic or terminal illness, job loss or transition, divorce or separation, marriage struggles, relocation, the empty nest, spiritual struggle, caregiving for a family member, loneliness, and the challenges of miscarriage, infertility, birth, or adoption. There is no charge, and meetings can take place in person or by phone. Jen Pitisi coordinates the ministry and can be reached at 716-218-9294 (texting is welcome). The parish points to Galatians 6:2 as the verse that names the work: "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ."
The Bereavement Committee
The Bereavement Committee at Saint Benedict was founded in 1986 by a young widowed parishioner, Mary Lou Kaye, and funeral director Richard Wedekindt. Ever since, the committee has reached out to parishioners who are mourning the loss of a loved one with prepared food, sympathy cards, Spiritual Remembrance cards, and helpful literature. A rack of grief resources sits in the church vestibule year-round. In November the committee hosts a Memorial Mass with special remembrance for those who have died since the previous November, and at Christmastime a Memorial Tree in church invites parishioners to decorate it in honor of their loved ones. The committee is led by Elaine Wendel and always welcomes new members.
Respect Life and Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Respect Life Ministry works to build a culture of life through prayer, education, community outreach, and civic participation on a range of life questions: ethical stem cell research, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, disability rights awareness, and natural family planning. The group meets on the second Tuesday of each month and sponsors an October baby item collection that has become a notable success. A literature rack in the main foyer carries pamphlets from the Diocese of Buffalo and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The parish also offers a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of life. Each month a parish family takes the parish image of Our Lady of Guadalupe into their home and prays daily for all life issues. Those interested can contact Janelle Horn to sign up.
Holy Name Society and Rosary Altar Society
Two long-standing parish societies round out the social life of Saint Benedict. The Holy Name Society, with 235 paid members, gathers monthly for a tailgate, clam bake, sports breakfast, steak roast, and a Christmas party, and its members serve at the wakes of fellow parishioners. Dues are eight dollars a year, and new members are always welcome; Jim Byron serves as president and John Flynn as membership chairman.
The Rosary Altar Society brings together the women of the parish for spiritual fellowship, service to the parish, and an active social calendar that includes a potluck dinner, Christmas party, bake sale, spring luncheon, quilt raffle, and installation luncheon. The group meets on the second Monday of each month in the school's cafeteria. On the second Sunday of each month, the Rosary Altar Society and the Holy Name Society join together for Mass and an informal social after the 8:00 AM Mass, with coffee and pastries in the school cafeteria.
Children's Liturgy of the Word
Children from age five through fifth grade are invited to leave the assembly during the 10:00 AM Mass for Children's Liturgy of the Word, a 15 to 20-minute experience of the Liturgy of the Word designed to be easier for them to understand. Teenagers, young adults, parents, and grandparents are welcome to lead the sessions; preparation is light and includes reading the day's Scripture and a quick craft or project.
Joining Saint Benedict Parish
Those interested in becoming parishioners are asked to call the rectory at 716-834-1041 or to speak with Andrew Pitisi after Mass. Online and automatic giving is available through the parish's e-basket program, and a weekly bulletin published on Sundays carries announcements from the pastor and updates from across parish ministries. The parish also keeps an active email list, a YouTube channel, and Facebook and Instagram accounts for those who want to follow along between visits.
From its corner of Main and Eggert, Saint Benedict continues its work as a Eucharistic people proclaiming the Word of God, confident in the words of its founder and namesake: prayer is the practice of the presence of God, the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made.