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Mass Times:
Monday: 12:10 pm
Tuesday: 7:00 am
Wednesday: 7:00 am
Thursday: 12:10 pm
Friday: 7:00 am
Saturday 4:30 pm
Sunday: 8:30 am
Sunday: 10:30 am
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
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Welcome to Immaculate Conception Parish!
We are a Roman Catholic Church located at 113 N. Geneva Street in Ithaca, NY. Whether you are a long-time parishioner or a first time visitor, we’re glad you are here. This is where we gather to meet as brothers and sisters to share our Catholic faith, worship and encounter our Lord, Jesus Christ through the Eucharist. We strive to make our parish a community of God’s love, and communion of hearts. Please join us!
About us
Immaculate Conception Church is Open Daily from 6:00am – 5:30pm
Parish Center Hours
8:00 am – 4:00 pm (closed for lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm)
Monday thru Thursday
Phone: 607-273-6121
Email: [email protected]
*How to use our website*
Mass times
Monday 12:10pm
Tuesday 7:30am
Wednesday 7:30am
Thursday 12:10pm
Friday 7:30am
Saturday Vigil Mass 4:30pm
Sunday 8:30am and 10:30am
First Saturdays 9:00am
Pray and adore together
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The Prayer Chain involves a group of dedicated people who pray every day for special requests and individuals needing extra prayers. If you wish to add a request to the Prayer Chain, please contact the parish office either by phone (607-273-6121) or email: ([email protected]).
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Just a reminder that Monday Holy Hour Adoration will begin on Monday, October 12 at 6:00pm and be held weekly on Mondays. October 12 is a holiday, for Indigenous Day and the Office will be closed, however Adoration will still continue.
ADORATION OPPORTUNITIES
EVENTS
Monday Holy Hour
Weekly on Mondays from 6-7pm in church.
First Friday
Every 1st Friday of the month from 8am to 8pm. Concludes with Contemporary Song & Praise from 7-8pm.
Saturday
Every Saturday from 2-3:30pm. Coincides with Confessions
Daily Mass: on Monday and Thursday 12:10pm and Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 7:30am, the rosary is said after each Mass.
Rosary in Spanish every Monday at 5:00pm
Pope Leo XIV has declared the period of January 10, 2026 to the 10th of January 2027 the Jubilee of St. Francis, becoming models of holiness of life and constant witnesses of peace. A plenary indulgence is granted to those devoutly participating in this extraordinary jubilee. Pope Leo XIV has written the included prayer which may be said in private or public devotion throughout the year.
Prayer to Saint Francis for Peace
Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago went to meet Sister Death as a man at peace, intercede for us before the Lord.
You recognized true peace in the Crucifix of San Damiano, teach us to seek in Him the source of all reconciliation that breaks down every wall.
You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war and misunderstanding, give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries.
In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ.
Amen.
Pope Leo P.P. XIV
Visit the calendar webpage.
The Eucharistic Revival Team has asked me to share how I pray in the presence of Jesus during Adoration. Well, this is how I have prayed many times: I begin with deep gratitude for the gracious presence of the Lord who shows up for me in all His glory and for the world. He longs to be with me more than I long for him. After prayer of gratitude, which is often spontaneous, I pause for an extended silence, knowing He is there with me. Silence is not easy but necessary. This is followed by examination of conscience, repentance and resolution to be faithful. Before concluding my hour, I make prayer of petitions: for the sick, poor, the homeless, the elderly who are lonely, for our parish and for all parishioners, for the Church and for the mission of Christ in the world. My conclusion always contains words of more gratitude and renewed commitment to love the Lord deeply and to serve Him and His people with greater love.
Learn and grow together
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Enrollment for Faith Formation, Sacrament Preparation and High School Youth Group has begun. Our faith formation program is a K-7 Family Based Program that meets twice a month (generally every other week) where parents and kids attend sessions together. Sessions run from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in parish hall and snacks/food is provided. The week prior to sessions, Rich, Director of Faith Formation, sends out an online worksheet with brief teaching videos and a few questions to help introduce the topic for that coming weekend. Beth and Asia, our awesome faith formation teachers, design active and engaging lessons for families based on the topic for the week.
For children preparing for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, our diocesan policy states that sacrament preparation is “separate and distinct” from faith formation. This means that children preparing for these sacraments must be enrolled in the faith formation program AND also enrolled in separate classes designed to focus solely on preparing for those sacraments. Additionally, children must prepare for First Reconciliation prior to preparing for and celebrating First Eucharist. Preparation sessions for First Reconciliation will begin in October and First Eucharist sessions will begin in late February.
Confirmation is a two-year process that can begin in 8th grade with teens celebrating the sacrament no sooner than the end of their 9th grade year.
Registration forms can be found on this webpage. Questions? Email Rich at [email protected]
Are you interested in becoming Catholic? Are you an Adult who is baptized but never received Confirmation and/or First Eucharist? The Order for Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is a program for people wanting to become Catholic or wanting to complete their sacraments. The OCIA program will begin this year on September 21 at Immaculate Conception Church. Please contact Deacon George Kozak at [email protected] for more information.
The Bible Study group which meets every Wednesday at 1 pm in the Parish Hall is beginning a new series from a book by John Begsma titled “Bible Basics for Catholics”. Everyone is welcome.
*The October 8 meeting will be held close to downtown, but not in the parish hall. Email [email protected] for directions.
The Immaculate Conception Book Club holds meetings on the second Thursday of every month at 7:30pm in the parish hall, all readers welcome. We read a mix of fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary, secular or spiritual-with-a-Catholic-bent. There’s no long-term commitment. Participate in as many or as few discussions as you like.
For more information or to get on the mailing list, please contact David Guaspari at [email protected]
The schedule for 2026 is:
January 8:
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel
by James McBride
February 12:
That We May Be One: Christian Non-Duality
by Father Thomas Keating
March 12:
The Control of Nature
by John McPhee
April 9:
Pnin, by Vladimir Nabokov
May 14:
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, by Patrick Radden Keefe
June 11:
A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories, by Flannery O’Connor
July 9: (canceled)
The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis
August 13:
Selected Poems of Philip Larkin (ed. By Martin Amis)
September 10:
The Soul of an Octopus, by Sy Montgomery
October 8:
The Apology, by Plato / The Clouds, by Aristophanes
The recommended translation, which includes both, is The Trials of Socrates, Six Classic Texts
by C.D.C. Reeve
November 12:
The Life You Save May Be Your Own, by Paul Elie
December 10:
This is Happiness, by Niall Williams
ENDOW Women’s Group Immaculate conception parish’s ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) group is beginning its new study on Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical: Mulieris Dignitatem-on the Dignity and Vocation of Women, on Oct. 14. Please join us in the Parish Hall from 6:30-8pm. This year we will be meeting two Wednesdays per month, rather than weekly. Per the Endow website “His timeless 1988 letter reflects on the divine purpose of men and women and calls us to emulate Our Blessed Mother, Mary. Through Christ’s interactions with women in the Gospels, the Pope illuminates the sacred vocations of spiritual and physical motherhood. By the study’s end, you’ll gain an appreciation for the Church’s unwavering support for women, empowering you to become a joyful, faith-filled evangelizer in words and actions. Contact Trish at [email protected] for info.
Do you want to deepen your faith and progress on your journey to sainthood with a small group of faithful Catholics? If so, consider joining us to follow the path of Divine Mercy as taught by Saint Faustina and instituted by St. John Paul II. We will study the Diary of St. Faustina, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and scripture to enrich our faith and prayer life and to reflect on the meaning and impact of divine mercy in our lives. We follow a created curriculum and do a small amount of reading to prepare for our meetings. We meet every 1st and 3rd Tueday at 5:30pm in the Parish Center. For more information, including materials about Divine Mercy, send an email to [email protected] or text 607-227-3884.
The Wisdom of the Church group meets bi-monthly to read and discuss church writings on Catholic Social
Teaching. We’re currently reading Pope Leo’s first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You). It is by walking
with the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized, that we
can “see revealed the very heart of Christ.” Please join us in the rectory after the 10:30 mass on Sunday.
Need to know
News
Beyond our parish
First time visitor?
If you are NEW to our parish we warmly welcome you. Kindly introduce yourself to us by calling the parish office or by talking with any of our parish staff at any time. Let us know how we can help you in your faith journey. Check the parish website for ministry opportunities to participate in the life of our parish.
As you will notice, our bulletin has a new look. Because the format we used to use for our bulletin is no longer available, we have changed to this new format created by our bulletin publisher. Please bear with us as we are still learning about how to use this new format.
Many, many thanks to everyone who assists in our Funeral Ministry. From the Cantors and singers in the choir who provide such beautiful music, and the Altar Servers who provide essential assistance and support to the Presider and the Assistant or Emcee who helps keep things in order and running smoothly and the Hospitality Team for providing a wonderful spread for the receptions. There are so many involved here who make our Funeral Liturgies so very special for the deceased and their families. We’ve had quite a few recently and all these wonderful volunteers continue to step up.
The CMA information for 2026-27 is forthcoming and everyone should be receiving a mailing from the Diocese for you to participate soon. We look forward to your support as you have done in the past. Participation by all is key to reaching our goal. You will be updated accordingly to our goal and the Theme for this campaign. Thank you for your support.
There are many ways to give to the CMA:
Mail in through specific envelopes.
Donate online.
Make an anonymous gift.
Use as an investment. All monies raised in the CMA are only used for the programs, services and ministries for which they are designated. The Diocese of Rochester does not collect a cathedraticum. When you give to the Catholic Ministries Appeal your gift is joined with thousands of others to enable our diocesan community of faith to:
Support ministries that reach out with the hands and heart of Christ to the aged, the sick, and the imprisoned.
Ensure we can help struggling families find their way through economic crisis and back to stability.
Help fund the crucial work of Catholic Charities, which serves more than 250,000 people annually.
Fund ministries that nurture children and teenagers in the Catholic faith and teach values they’ll carry into adulthood.
Help pay for the education of our seminarians on the road to priestly ordination.
Prepare engaged couples for God-centered marriages rooted in the Catholic Church Educate and prepare those who wish to become Catholic for the fullness of life in the Church through RCIA.
Enable us to promote Catholic values about the sanctity of all life and make our voice heard in society.
Fund programs that give young adults on college campuses a connection to the Church.
Provide important services to your parish that it would find difficult to afford on its own.
Our Pastoral Council Members
Claire McNally-Co-Chair Claire Nicholson-Co-Chair
Denise Robinson-Trustee Rick Kuhar-Trustee
Judy Briggs, Dan Matychak, Jan Nye, Victor Besse, Rob Gibbons, Laurie Konwinski, Robert Chapman, Luke Dumouchel, Julia Conklyn, Robert Levine, Mary Jo Clark, Jacob Gelb
We welcome our new members and look forward to their thoughts and ideas. If you have anything you’d like to discuss, please seek out any of these Pastoral Council Members. A photo visual with all our Pastoral Council Members is available in the Vestibule.
Harvest Bag Program 2026
This fall the Service Team will once again sponsor the Harvest Bag Program for the residents of Titus Towers. This will be our 10th year providing these residents with fresh fruits and vegetables during the holiday season.
Look for us after Masses the weekends of September 26/27 and October 3/4 when we will be collecting monetary donations. Any dollar amount is appreciated. There will also be a donation button on the parish website for your convenience. It is through your generosity and support that we are able to continue with this ministry.
Please see the bulletin for more information.
You’re invited to Catholic Charities 14th annual Neighbors helping Neighbors dinner! The dinner will be held on Friday, October 2nd from 5-7 at St. Catherine. Dinner is free, but donations are requested. All proceeds benefit our services. Please RSVP Seph. [email protected] by Sept.21.
For the Feast of St. Francis and in company with the Knights of Columbus, we will be having the “Blessing of Animals” again this year on Saturday, October 3rd from 12-2pm in the parking lot. Dogs, cats, birds, lizards, whatever you have as long as it’s on a leash or in a cage. If you don’t have an animal, or can’t bring it, either a photo or a stuffed animal will suffice as well. Rain or shine! Due to this event, parking will not be permitted in the parking lot during this time. Please use the metered spaces along the street.
THE CHOSEN
FREE SERIES
Parish Movie Night and the Knights of Columbus will be showing Episode 1 of Season 6 of “The Chosen” in the Parish Hall on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7pm. The show will run about 1 hour. Season 6 will begin showing in theaters in late November, and the distributors have made Episode 1 available for churches and parishes prior to the theater showings. We’ll have popcorn and drinks available. Our church has signed up to receive the free showings which will be handled through the Knights.
The Knights of Columbus will be hosting coffee hour on October 10 and 11, including after the 4:30pm Mass on Saturday. We will be offering apple cider and donuts from Hectors in Virgil and sharing info about the Knights, their history and connection to Christopher Columbus. We invite all men over 18 to consider joining us in our mission to bring others closer to Christ.
Bishop Bonnici will celebrate Mass with us on November 4th in honor of the Canonization of Bishop Sheen with relics. Plan on being there. It will be a celebration for the whole deanery. Let’s pray that the Canonization of Bishop Fulton Sheen will inspire deeper faith and vocations in our Diocese.
The Newsletter is back! Members from our Communications Team have been very busy working on bringing back the Immaculate Connection Newsletter. If you have not received yours by mail, additional copies are available in the Narthex. Be sure to check it out!
We want to alert everyone to an ongoing scam affecting parishes. Scammers are pretending to be priests or parish staff and contacting people by email or text asking for urgent help or gift cards. Please know that your priest or parish staff will never ask for gift cards or money in this way. If you receive a message like this, do not respond & contact the parish office directly.
If you have retirement accounts and you must begin or are already taking taxable required minimum distributions, you can bypass a portion of the taxable income by making gifts to charitable organizations such as our parish. You can arrange
for these gifts to be made through your account custodian as a one time gift or periodic payments. If you have not taken your 2026 distribution yet, please consider designating a gift to the CMA so we can meet our goal this year, to Immaculate Conception Church, or to our Cemetery. A sincere thank you to all parishioners who support the church and its mission.
The St. Joseph and Sacred Heart Candles still have many openings for intentions coming up. They burn for a week, and a requested donation is $10. Please call the parish office to sign up for Intention dates. Deceased and/or living.
Immaculate Conception Church has its own app for iPhone and Android smart phones. The My Parish App allows us to better communicate with you throughout the week and bring you relevant parish news and updates. The app is very well designed and very intuitive. It is a great resource for parishioners by providing daily Mass readings, Catholic news and prayers, convenient prayer and Confession reminders, our bulletins and more. Download the app from your app store on your cell phone
We do have Low-Gluten Hosts available for anyone needing them during Mass. Please come to the ciborium which has a drop-down handle as this contains the low gluten hosts. If unsure, just ask the Communion Minister to point you in the right direction. Just note that these are low gluten, not non-gluten.
Your voice matters. If you have a suggestion, good idea around the pastoral goals of the parish; spiritual opportunities, outreach/community building, youth and family, buildings/grounds, cemetery and financial matters, kindly stop by the pastoral council meetings that occur every first Thursday of each month. You will be listened to because you love your parish.
Confessions are heard every Saturday from 2:00pm-3:30pm in the Church.
Call 607-273-6121 to receive this Sacrament or if your loved one is in the hospital.
For Baptism, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation email Rich at [email protected] for information or to register.
Call 607-273-6121 at least 6 months in advance of your wedding date.
Lakeside Day Retreats: Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Centers, Inc. invites you for a day of rest and renewal at our Seneca Lake property.
For more information visit the Branches Christian Rest and Renewal Centers, Inc. website, call/text: (716) 901-4313, or email: [email protected].
Looking for a great retreat opportunity? Visit the ND Retreat House Website for retreat options.
Are you a local business owner who’d like to gain more customers while supporting our diocese? Catholic Courier ad revenue stays within our diocese, and its ads reach 175,000+ print readers and 40,000+ unique monthly website visitors. If you’d like to learn more, please contact parishioner April Krueger at 607-216-5853 or [email protected].
Save the Date
Birthright of Ithaca is celebrating 45 years of service in Tompkins and surrounding counties! We will be celebrating with a luncheon and silent auction at Greek Peak on October 24th, 2026 at 11:30AM-3:00PM.
Be on the lookout for further information; visit our website for updates: Birthright.org/lthaca.
Current parishioner?
Mission and goals spotlight
Rev. Augustine Chumo
Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish
Your presence in our congregation is a true blessing. As we welcome your ideas and presence, may our love and faith in Christ increase during our time together. Subscribe to our Facebook page or Parish app. Contact the parish office for all your spiritual needs.
This week's message
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The first reading and the gospel use the image of a vineyard. According to prophet Isaiah, Israel is the vineyard that the Lord loved but only yielded sour grapes. Jesus takes up this same image but with a difference: Isaiah says that vineyard will be destroyed, but Jesus says that the tenants will be replaced and the vineyard will be kept. These two, taken together, complement each other.
The second reading from St. Paul to the Philippians can be connected to the theme of this Sunday. St. Paul insists on the concrete aspects of Christian life. The mark of authenticity of faith are the works of love, fruits that all appreciate.
Abundant spiritual opportunities
Find Mass Times, Daily Scripture Readings, the Responsorial Psalm for the weekend, along with current listings of Prayer and Adoration times, special services, guest speakers, Bible Studies, and links to resources on the web.
Diverse youth & family ministry
Community outreach
Financial transparency | stewardship
We have an intentional focus on the prudent use of our parish resources and transparent communication of our financial health. Learn more about our Finance Council and access, online Giving or volunteer opportunities.
Meet our staff
Testimonials
Striving to be a community of God's love and service!
Other reasons to join our parish
Eucharist focused
In receiving the body of Christ we are strengthened to be the body of Christ in the world.
Distinctly marian
The Blessed Mother, Mary. is our parish patroness and the true model of faith. We honor her through prayers of intercession.
Service to the greatest in need
Our mission includes striving to be a community of God's love and service in our community and the world.
Healing confessions
Father Chumo hears confessions each Saturday from 2:00pm - 3:30 pm. This is a healing sacrament enjoyed by many, so come early!
Beautiful architecture
21 beautiful stained glass windows of the Saints are visible around our church building.
Supportive of new ideas for ministry
You'll find a vibrant faith community where ideas are welcome and many hands help to bring them to fruition.
Our parish in pictures
Advent 2023
Advent wreath in refurbished church.
Advent 2023
Advent wreath and creche awaiting Jesus, in refurbished church.
Advent 2023
Sanctuary on fourth week of Advent.
Columbarium
Columbarium Blessing and Dedication, November 2, 2023.
Columbarium
Columbarium Blessing and Dedication, November 2, 2023.
Mary Shrine
Mary Shrine and Prayer Garden July 15, 2023.
Photos courtesy of Claudia Ariza-Nieto, the Brooks family, the Rasmussen family, Erik West, and Anne Woodard