We extend a most heart-felt THANK YOU to Fr. Dan McMullin, Fr. Orenge, and Fr. Karris, our missionary priest from Food for the Poor for filling in over these past weeks for Fr. Chumo while he was visiting family in Kenya. We truly appreciate their filling in and celebrating Masses with us. We pray that God will continue to bless them in their Vocation.

On July 3, the storm that swept through the area caused extensive damage to the trees at the Cemetery. Countless trees were toppled by the high winds. While we do have insurance at the Cemetery, it is not enough to cover all the damage costs. The Cemetery is sponsoring a fundraiser with Doug’s Fish Fry on Tuesday, August 19 at Triphammer Mall. Please come get some good food and help sponsor the Cemetery.

A memorial service for newly deceased John McNally is  planned for August 20th at 11:00am at Immaculate Conception.  All friends and family are welcome.

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.

A collection box for Rosary donations is still available by the front doors to the church. We gave away all our Rosaries during the past Ithaca Festival, which is a good thing. Please help us replenish by donating a rosary.

Monday Holy Hour to resume in September. Kindly note that the weekly Holy Hour will resume on Monday September 1st at 6.30 — 7.30 PM.

I know summer has only begun but we are already looking forward to the coming year in faith formation, sacrament preparation, and youth ministry. It promises to be another busy year, and we are looking forward to a few changes, especially with Confirmation preparation and high school youth group. Please keep Sunday, September 7th in mind as that will be our registration weekend for faith formation/youth ministry registration weekend. We will also hold a sacrament preparation meeting for parents on Sunday, September 21st at 10:00 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. This will be a combined session for parents from both parishes. Rich will send a newsletter update to families on his distribution list in the weeks to come and more will be coming in future bulletins. Praying you all have a restful and enjoyable summer.

New members are welcomed into the Catholic Church through a process of prayer, study, discussion, and a series of ceremonial steps known as the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). All people who are open to learning more about the Catholic Church are welcome to begin the OCIA process. The process begins in September and ends at the Easter Vigil (the night before Easter).

Those who have never been baptized will prepare to receive Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion. Those who were baptized in another Christian denomination and wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church will prepare to receive Confirmation and First Holy Communion.

 Those who were baptized Catholic as infants but did not complete the Sacraments of Initiation will prepare to receive Confirmation and (if they had not already done so), First Penance and First Holy Communion.

 The OCIA program will begin on September 22 at 6:30pm in the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall (basement of the Church). Deacon Dan Hurley ([email protected] 585-319 8205) and Deacon George Kozak ([email protected] 607-351-3642) will be leading the program. Please contact us if you have any questions or for further information.

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL GRADES 7-12
Come experience the Notre Dame difference! Notre Dame High School provides a comprehensive and challenging educational experience while also supporting student growth through leadership & service opportunities, extensive cocurricular activities, the performing & visual arts and athletic programs. Tours and shadowing opportunities are highly encouraged. Prospective students can choose to spend a half or full day shadowing a student at Notre Dame attending
classes, making new friends, touring the school and enjoying
lunch. For more information or to schedule a tour or shadowing visit please contact Nick Weiermiller at 607-734-2267 option 3. Notre Dame High School is located at: 1400 Maple Avenue, Elmira, NY 14904. A fee for bus service is
available for students residing in Ithaca and the surrounding
areas. Notre Dame High School
is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year. Apply online at: notredamehighschool.com. Financial aid is available. We hope to see you soon!

Kindly visit the lost and found basket in the northern corner of the front entrance of the church and check it out. There are some precious items in the basket. The basket is pretty full, and it needs to be emptied. Thank you! Items not removed will be donated to the homeless shelter.

The Care and Concern Committee of the Church sends cards to church members in nursing homes. However, often people in our congregation are in the hospital, healing at home or are at rehabilitation centers to gain strength. We want to be sure that our church family knows that we’re thinking of them and praying for them. If someone you know would be blessed by receiving a card, please send the contact information (name and address) to [email protected]…so the Holy Spirit can touch lives one card at a time.

Is there someone you know who could use a warm, cozy shawl that comes with a prayer to help brighten their day? We have Prayer Shawls available for people to hand out. These shawls have been knitted by members of the parish with love and hope that they can help make a difference in someone’s life. Please contact the Caring Team or Parish Office  607/273-6121 if you would like one.

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 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.