Abundant Spiritual Opportunities

Join us in our newly refurbished church!

A group of people stand on the steps of the church.

A smiling woman stands at the bottom of stone steps leading up to a church

A couple stands at the bottom of the church steps

A woman stands at the bottom of the steps to the church.

A Priest and Deacon stand with 2 women on the church steps.

A man stands at the bottom of church steps

2 women and 2 men stand at the bottom of the church steps

3 people stand talking at the bottom of the church steps.

A Priest stands with a couple holding a baby.

An older man and woman stand beside a younger woman holding a baby

Two men and a woman stand at the bottom of the church steps

Woman standing in front of church with stone wall

A Priest stands with a woman and a couple

a priest and deacon walk out the church door

Woman greeter stands at the doorway of the church

Sanctuary architecture with stained glass windows of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and light illuminating the painted dove.

A woman is walking down the aisle toward the door with stained glass windows and lights illuminating the path

Photos courtesy of Claudia Ariza-Nieto

Our Mass Schedule

Daily Masses

Monday and Thursday at 12:10pm

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:30am

Weekend Masses

Saturday at 4:30pm

Sunday at 8:30am

Sunday at 10:30am

Marian Mass

First Saturdays of each month at 9:00am

Reconciliation

Saturdays: 2:00pm-3:30pm (in the Church Nursery until the Confessionals are completed)

Adoration

First Fridays of each month: 4:00pm-7:00pm

Holy Hour

First Saturdays of each month: 2:00pm-3:30pm

This Weekend's Responsorial Psalm

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (10/01)

Remember your mercies, O Lord.

~ Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Music Ministry

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.”

~ Psalm 98:4

Special Events

Movie Night
The Knights of Columbus Ithaca Council will present its next Movie Knight on Friday, September 15th in the Parish Hall. The movie selection is Therese, a 1986 French film by Director Alain Cavalier depicting St. Therese of Lisieux difficult life and the quiet joy found in the contemplative life. The movie is highly regarded by critics and audiences worldwide and runs about 90 minutes. Please join us at 6 PM for movie and light refreshments.

Eucharistic Miracles
A repeat showing of the first 80 of the 160 Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit will be held the weekend of September 16-17 from 9am to 4pm on Saturday and 11:30 to 5pm on Sunday in the Parish Hall. If you missed the first showing, here is your opportunity to view this beautiful National Exhibit.

Nightsong
An ecumenical Nightsong (Compline) service will be offered at Immaculate Conception at 8:30pm on Thursday, September 21st and 28th. This fully sung/chanted service is about 25 minutes in length and provides a moment of time to relax and center oneself at the close of the day—to allow the stress of the week to be put on hold in a contemplative moment of prayer and song. Nightsong, also known as Night Prayer, is the ancient order of prayer based on the Liturgy of the Hours (sometimes called the Divine Office). Those attending are welcome to sit in the candlelight and reflect, pray, or just “be”.

Thomistic Institute
The Cornell chapter of the Thomistic Institute is delighted to announce
their fall lectures! Their public lectures will be held on Cornell’s campus and are open to all. On Tuesday, September 26th at 6pm in Room 120 of the Physical Sciences Building, Dr. Jonathan Buttaci of the Catholic University of America will be joining us to speak on the nature of modern science in a lecture titled “Can we have Faith in Science?” Join us for this great opportunity to learn from top Catholic intellectuals. For questions please contact Zach Huber [email protected]

Adult Faith Formation Opportunities

Small Catholic
Communities

Divine Mercy Cenacle: contact the Parish Office

Endow: contact Trish Burgess

Prayer Shawl Ministry: contact Chris Wells or Mary Edsall-Golway

Seven Sisters Apostolate: contact Jan Nye

St Joseph Prayer Group: contact Liz Burns

St Paul Street Evangelization: contact Darren Pereira

Endow Fall 2023
Are you interested in growing in your faith through an encounter with one of our modern female Saints who is also a Doctor of the Church? This fall the parish’s Endow group will be studying the life and teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux. As stated on the Endow website: “Unlike the almost universal contemporary feminine voice, both inside and outside of the Church, Therese offers the modern woman a fresh perspective on happiness, discipleship and sainthood.” Please join us on Wednesday evenings
beginning September 27th from 7-9 p.m. in the Parish Hall. All women ages 18 and up are welcome. Thank you! For more information, please contact Trish at [email protected].

Scripture Studies
Archive

External Resources
Local

External Resources
Global

Catholicism

Seven Habits of a Practicing Catholic

1. Morning Offering

As soon as you arise from sleep, offer everything you do in your day to God. Here is one example of a Morning Offering prayer that places us in union with Jesus and Mary and covers a complete list of needs and intentions. See if this Morning Offering works for you, or share your version of this prayer with others:

O My God, I offer You all my prayers, works, joys, sacrifices and sufferings in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for :

1) the Intentions in which You plead and offer Yourself in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,

2) in thanksgiving for Your favors,

3) in reparation for our offenses,
4) in humble supplication for our temporal and eternal welfare,

5) for the needs of Holy Mother the Church,

6) for the conversion of sinners, and

7) for the relief of the poor souls in Purgatory.

I wish to gain all the indulgences I can from the good works I perform today. Amen.

2. The Angelus

Follow your Morning Offering with the recitation of The Angelus. The Angelus is typically prayed at rising, noontime and at the end of your day. At times God may seem light years away, but Jesus is truly present here with us, in the messes of each day. When pondered carefully The Angelus can bring you closer to the Mystery of the Incarnation, how our Lord “put some skin into the game” and how you can do the same for God! Thanks to His Incarnation and His suffering on our behalf, we may someday be brought to Eternal Life.

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, Hail Mary….
Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Your Word. Hail Mary…
And the Word was made Flesh. And dwelt among us. Hail Mary…
Pour forth we beseech Thee O Lord Thy Grace into our hearts, that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of the Angel, may we by His Passion of the Cross be brought to the Glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord, Amen.

3. Biblical, Scriptural Reading, and/or uplifting Spiritual writings

For a Catholic, the choices are abundant, but when in doubt, it’s best to check that the sources you read are in conformity with Catholic teaching. Your Bible for instance will note on the first pages the phrase, Nebi/ Obstat, indicating that a Catholic theologian has examined the book and finds nothing objectionable. The word “Imprimatur” tells you a Catholic bishop has given his ’stamp of approval’. If you carefully listen to the Word of God at Mass, to the daily/weekly Lectionary (Readings, Psalms, the Gospels over a 3-year period), you will be well grounded in Scripture. However, there are still plenty of books in the Bible to explore not covered by the Lectionary. From Genesis to the Book of Revelations, the Bible is a “library’, a collection of books inspired by the Holy Spirit. But just as you wouldn’t try to read all the books of a physical library from one shelf to the next, it is best to ‘break open’ the particular book you have chosen by taking into account the context, history and other aspects. Following a Bible-in-a-Year program can be helpful. Journaling what your have read can also be very useful. If you wish to begin simply however, take up a chapter of the Proverbs each day in a month of 31 days. At the end of the month you will have completed the Book of Proverbs!

Aside from Sacred Scripture, or following the 3-Year Lectionary, there is an inexhaustible collection of Catholic writings, Encyclicals, Lives of the Saints stories, etc. that are inspirational and written at many levels of understanding. You also don’t have to limit your experience to only reading, since there are many great Catholic audio books/podcasts and Catholic movies to learn more about your Faith. With our parish subscription to FORMED.org you can choose various topics such as the Sacraments, Eucharistic Revival, Children and Youth programs, feature movies of Saints, Te Chosen and more. Finally, know that in a very real sense, “you are what you read” and remember the expression, “the eyes are the windows to the Soul”. Make every attempt to nourish yourself with a solid Catholic understanding of our Faith, not only to sustain yourself, but to provide enlightenment to everyone with whom you meet in your day.

4. Silent Prayer and Meditation on Scriptural Reading

There is an abundance of methods to choose in the Catholic tradition regarding Silent Prayer and Meditation. Within the Mass itself, you should search for quiet moments, particularly after the reception of the Eucharist where our silent prayer is most powerful since we are so close to Our Lord at this time. Stay a few moment in silence even after Mass has been dismissed, and speak directly to Jesus, Whom you have just received. If you attend a daily Mass you will quickly notice a deeper sense of quiet in the daily Liturgy, compared to weekend Masses. Spend as much time as you can in the Presence of the Lord in sight of the Tabernacle. For as much as he accomplished in a day, St. Teresa of Calcutta was known to spend an hour of Adoration after morning Mass before she would begin her busy schedule and many revered saints also maintained this same practice.

If it is not possible to attend daily Mass ot be in the Presence of Our Lord, set aside a time or place in your home, at your desk, in front of a Crucifix, with a Rosary or some other blessed Sacramental in hand to help calm your mind, body and spirit. Pause and read a line of Scripture that calls to you and listen to what Our Lord Jesus has to say through the Scripture, rather than start right away with your list of prayer needs. Say instead to Our Lord:”What would You want of me Jesus?”

5. Vocal, Communal Prayer

Here again, the list of possibilities abound for Catholics, starting with the Sacrifice of Mass. Throughout the Mass there are call back and response prayers, which encourage participation between the priest, lector, cantor, Eucharistic minister and the laity, whether it be during the Liturgy of the Word (eg. Psalm verses and responses) or the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Memorial Acclamation, the “Great Amen” for example). Most people might agree that the ultimate communal prayer is there citation of the Lord’s Prayer. What is your favorite communal prayers aid during the Mass? Apart from Mass, Catholics have many other vocal prayers such as the Rosary, the Divine Chaplet or other Chaplet prayers, Litanies, Novenas just to name a few.
Aside from these more structured forms of worship, don’t forget simple and spontaneous prayers lifted up to God, such as “God Bless you’, “Help me Jesus!” “Thanks be to God”. Keep such short and simple expressions and others in your ‘prayer toolbox’ throughout the day and use them frequently, whether spoken or in silence. can be practiced in solitude and/or in community. Challenge yourself this week to pray silently and vocally, at Mass, or outside.

6. Daily/Regular Reception of the Eucharist

Our discussion regarding Communion can be two-fold: 1) The reception of Communion, also known as The Eucharist, is crucial to a Catholic’s spiritual nourishment. It is a Sacrament that should be received on a regular basis throughout one’s life, daily, or as often as is possible, provided we are in a proper state of Grace to receive. We will talk about being in this proper state at the next opportunity. Simply and profoundly stated, The Eucharist IS the Real Presence of Our Lord.

When Catholics receive the Eucharist, the bread and wine offered up at Mass is transfigured into the Body and Blood of Jesus. We become what we receive, to quote a popular hymn, hence must receive Jesus in our most reverent manner. Daily reception of the Eucharist might not be always possible, but weekly reception at Vigil of Sunday (“the Sabbath” Masses) is a habit to maintain throughout one’s life. For the homebound, it might not be possible to receive on a such a regular basis. That is why the ministry of visiting the sick and to those confined at home is so crucial, offering the Eucharist to willing recipients.

2) In a second context, Frequent Communion refers to living together in harmony, “in communion” and is to be encouraged, both in terms of the family and in larger societal structures. In the second chapter of Genesis, God first created humankind in a state known as Original Solitude. Solitude is a gift to be appreciated. It is the ability to realize one’s own self-worth and autonomy. But solitude is not to be equated with selfish independence, which can lead to loneliness. When God said, “It is not good for man (humankind) to be alone”, God wanted us to live in communion with each other. Jesus re-iterated what His Father said when He sent out the disciples ‘two by two’ and promised that “where two or more are gathered, there am I’. Please reflect on the importance of the sixth good Habit of a practicing Catholic (Frequent Communion) and the impact of receiving the Eucharist in your life, that you may be a faithful witness to others.

7. Examination of Conscience and Act of Contrition

The last Good Habit in this series is a nightly Examen, followed by an Act of Contrition. An Examen helps us focus on a particular feature or defect in our behavior. Our souls grow in the state of Grace if we take time to review how we ‘missed the mark’ during the day.

As you think back of the events of your day be aware of God’s presence and review your day with gratitude. Pay attention to your emotions experienced and pray about what was happening at that time. Finally, always look forward to tomorrow to begin again. These steps help us form an Examination of Conscience, which is used in preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. An Act of Contrition prayer should conclude our Examen. This prayer can also be used for the Sacrament of Reconciliation:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You and I detest all my sins, because of Your just punishment. But most of all, because I have offended You, who is worthy of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your Grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen