Catholic Charities officials announced that Appeal 2009 in support of Catholic Charities of Buffalo and the Bishop’s Fund for the Faith achieved 94.7 percent of its goal, for a total of $10,413,749.88 collected in cash and pledges. The goal was $11 million.

Monsignor Nelson H. Baker, more commonly known to Western New Yorkers as Father Baker, was a strong advocate for the rights of the disadvantaged. This group included the poor, homeless children, unwed mothers and the sick. Now, a documentary has been produced by Daybreak TV Productions of the Diocese of Buffalo’s Office of Communications so that young and old alike, Western New Yorkers and those outside the area and even outside the country, can learn more about the man who one day may become the first American-born male saint.