News and upcoming events

A shout of Thanks and acknowledgement to the behind-the-scenes decorators who keep our Church looking so festive and in touch with the Liturgical Seasons. We have changed to purple for Advent and will soon be filling the church for Christmas. Thank you to our “Elves”.

WINTER WEATHER GUIDELINES

If there is a Winter Weather Warning, or the Ithaca City Schools close, the office will be CLOSED. 7:30am Masses will be cancelled, but 12:10pm Masses will still be held. Check the MyParish app as all updates will be listed. You can download the parish app by going to the app store on your cell phone and search for MyParish App. Once it is loaded, search for Immaculate Conception Church, Ithaca. Click on the parish and you are all set.

Looking for a quiet time to pray during Advent? Time available for Adoration without Benediction, just Exposition and quiet prayer on Thursdays of Advent, beginning December 4, 2025 from 11am to 12pm, followed by the 12:10pm Mass.

Recent contributor reports for our parish indicate 62 households out of the 900 registered have pledged or donated to this year’s Catholic Ministries Appeal. Father wants to thank those donors who have so generously contributed toward our goal and let them know how much their support is appreciated. Full participation is key to reaching our required goal. It is not just reaching our monetary goal that is important. Reaching a full participation rate is also an important measure of the health and growth of our parish and its long-term viability. There are numerous ways of contributing that make it easy for all of us to join in. There are plenty of envelopes at the entrances of church with information on how to make a donation. Modest contributions by many households add up. See these options:

Visit the Secured Donation Portal or scan the QR code on the envelopes. Text GIVECMA to 585-502-9124 to donate from your phone or just call the number and select ext. 1298. Send a check made payable to CMA using the available envelopes.

If you prefer to make an anonymous donation, make your checks payable to Immaculate Conception, designate it for the CMA and the funds will be forwarded to the CMA as anonymous. Consider using part of any mandatory distributions from retirement funds to support the CMA for a tax benefit.

Please consider all the ways God has blessed you and your family and how the church has brought goodness into the lives of many. Pray for the success of and join our appeal to give back what you can so that we remain strong and able to do God’s work.

CMA Goal: $68,000
Current Status
Donors: 62
Percentage: 31.11%
Amount: $21,153.00

About the CMA

The Catholic Ministries Appeal does important work in our diocese. Remember we are part of a bigger church and that we are citizens of the kingdom of God and what it means to practice Catholic stewardship. What benefits the greater church benefits us individually and as a parish. The budget allocations for the 2025/26 campaign are as follows: 9%. Serving the needy through Catholic Chari es which helps people meet basic needs, advance economic security, and strengthen their families. Our local Catholic Charities office helps the needy in many ways some of which are the free clothing closet, providing personal care items and emergency financial assistance.

32% Providing diocesan wide services to our parishes and related institutions through liturgical, urban, rural, and multicultural programs and ministries; hospital, nursing home and jail chaplaincies, and pro-life ministries to name a few.

6%. Support training of seminarians, deacons, and pastoral leaders. Rick Burgess one of our parishioners, was ordained a deacon in June of this year. He is now serving in Ithaca.

35%. Fund the operation, maintenance and capital improvements associated with the Pastoral Center which houses diocesan offices and ministries and computer support services.

4%. Educating our youth to fulfilling and faith centered lives through Catholic schools, campus ministries, sacramental preparation, and other programs. In the last few years two of our Cornell grad students who were active parishioners are now Brother Cassian (Dante Iozzo) and Brother Paul (Zack Huber) and are studying for the priesthood.

4%. Administration of the CMA campaign including professional expertise, gift and data processing, promotional materials, and postage.

CMA Challenge

The 2025/26 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) is offering a participation challenge, featuring three ways for parishes to earn financial rewards:

Grand Prize $5,000

For the parish with the greatest percentage increase in number of donors over CMA 24-25

$2,500

For 4 parishes with the greatest percentage increase in number of donors over CMA 24-25-in their size category. – Size categories are: – Up to 450 households – 451-750 households – 751 to 1,500 households – 1,501+ households

$1,000

For every parish that increases the number of donors by 10% over CMA 24-25 Every donor family counts! If you did not participate in last year’s CMA, please consider doing so this year, which will help our parish in possibly more than one way.

If you wish to contribute ($10) toward the purchase of Christmas Flowers & Decorations, please contact the Parish Office, 273-6121, or fill out and return the special marked envelope now available at the entrances of church. These do not automatically renew, so you must contact the office if you wish to have your prior intention included. Deadline: December 17, 2025

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.

Kindly visit the lost and found basket in the northern corner of the front entrance of the church and check it out. 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 cbgracem@gmail.com…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 rich.rasmussen@dor.org for information or to register.

Call 607-273-6121 at least 6 months in advance of your wedding date.