Visit the People of Hope Traveling Museum | May 9 & 10
Saturday May 9 | 11:00am – 4:30pm And Sunday May 10 | 10:00am – 4:00pm
Discover the Power of Hope
On May 9 and 10, Catholic Charities of Buffalo will host People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nationwide, traveling storytelling museum designed to amplify the profound impact of Christian service.
The People of Hope Museum is an immersive experience that brings to life more than 40 professionally produced video stories featuring staff and volunteers of Catholic Charities agencies across the country sharing their meaningful, memorable encounters with families and individuals in need. Staff and volunteers from Catholic Charities of Buffalo will be present to share local stories of HOPE.
Housed in a retrofitted tractor-trailer, the People of Hope Museum is an immersive experience that will tour the United States for two-and-a-half years. Produced by Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization for 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country, and made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the museum seeks to inspire visitors to engage in their local communities; deepen their understanding of the awe of encountering others at their most vulnerable; and experience the transformation that occurs when we live out our faith through service.
See Stories of Hope
The Museum is FREE of charge and features
Powerful, professionally recorded stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers, each reflecting on a service encounter that deeply impacted them
An Iconic Setting
Our Lady of Victory Campus
You can visit the People of Hope Museum on the campus complex of Our Lady of Victory at the corner of South Park Ave. and Baker Alley. The Museum will be parked just a block from The Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna, NY. One of the most remarkable religious landmarks in Western New York, the basilica is renowned both for its spiritual importance and for its impressive architecture.
A Legacy of Father Baker
The basilica is almost synonymous with its founder, the Venerable Father Nelson Baker, a Buffalo-born priest widely remembered for his humanitarian work. He established institutions such as orphanages, a boys’ protectory, a maternity home, and a hospital to care for the poor and vulnerable. In 1923, it was Fr. Baker who signed the articles of incorporation for Catholic Charities of Buffalo. Fr. Baker led these charitable institutions until his death in 1936, and his cause for sainthood is currently under consideration by the Catholic Church; he has been declared Venerable for his life of heroic virtue.
Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
Located just across South Park Ave. is another well-known cultural attraction, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1900, the gardens feature a historic Victorian glass conservatory designed by the firm Lord & Burnham and inspired by famous European structures such as London’s Crystal Palace. The gardens were part of the park system envisioned by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, and today they occupy more than 11 acres within South Park.
Together, the basilica and the botanical gardens reflect the rich cultural and historical heritage of the area—one rooted in faith, philanthropy, architecture, and the perfect setting to discover a People of Hope.
