News and Events

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.

All flowerpots and other items must be removed from Calvary cemetery no later than Friday, November 7, 2025, to allow for winter upkeep of the grounds. Anything left afterwards will be discarded.  Thank you.

Mass of Remembrance  –  With All Souls’ Day approaching, we will have a special Mass of Remembrance for those who have died this past year. It will be celebrated on Saturday, November 8th, at 10:30am followed by a reception in the Parish Hall. If you would like to submit the name of a family member who died (in or out of town) this past year, call the parish office (607- 273-6121) no later than Tuesday, November 4th.

The Knights of Columbus Council 277 will speak at all Masses on November 8 & 9 for Veterans Day remembrance. We will pray for peace, bless veterans, and honor the fallen. All veterans are warmly encouraged to proudly wear their uniform.

ALL YOU CAN EAT PANCAKE BREAKFAST TO SUPPORT YOUTH PILGRIMAGE TO NCYC 11/9

 Join us in Parish Hall on Sunday, November 9th from 9am-Noon(ish) for an All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast fundraiser to support our small group of teens and chaperones as they journey to the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. Proceeds go to help offset the cost of their pilgrimage. Cost: $10 per adult, MAX $40 per family, children 3 yrs.. and under free. Menu: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, juice, milk We hope you can join us. Thank you in advance for your support!

 There will be a Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony at the Calvary Cemetery Queen of Peace Mausoleum on Tuesday, November 11,2025 at 9:00am. All are welcome. 

2026 EARLY BIRD MASS INTENTION SIGNUP

Our “Early Bird” Mass scheduling for 2026 is on Wednesday, November
12 and Thursday, November 13th.from 9-11am in the Parish Hall. Please
contact the Parish Office at 607-273-6121 to schedule your appointment
time. You are allowed 3 Masses for the year: 1 on Saturday or Sunday, 1
for 12:10pm, and 1 for a 7:30am Mass. Requested donation of $10.
The Sanctuary Lamp for 2026 is also available. Donation is $20 and will
run from Sunday through the following Saturday.

We are happy to bring back the Thanksgiving Dinner in honor of our parishioners who are Senior Citizens. The dinner will be held in the Parish Hall on Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 following the 4:30pm Mass. Please call the Parish Office (607-273-6121) to reserve your spot by Tuesday, November 18th.

We are in need of volunteers to join the teams who count our collections on Mondays, or Wednesdays, if there is a Monday holiday. Teams meet every other week in the mornings at St. Catherine to count the weekend collections. Time commitment might be 2-3 hours every other week. If you are able to assist, please contact the Parish Office.

The 2025/26 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) theme is “Together We Bring Hope and Hope does not Disappoint!” Last year, Immaculate Conception’s 215 donors made it possible to exceed our goal and receive $1,273.25 back for use by the parish. Fr. Chumo is so grateful for the generosity of our parishioners for meeting the needs of the parish, the cemetery and the CMA.

This year our goal is $68,000. One of the most important aspects is participation. If we can increase the number of participants, we can easily reach our goal. Our hope is that we can do this by Christmas. If we can increase participation by 10% or 22 people/families we can earn a $1,000 bonus. Plus, the parish receives half of the donations that exceed our goal. The funds raised by the CMA are used to fund specific programs, services, and ministries that meet the real needs of the Diocese: serving people through Catholic Charities, supporting seminarian, deacon, and pastoral leader education.  In addition, their outreach assisted development and education for our youth and more.

 If you did not get a pledge card in the mail, there are extra forms available at the entrances to church. Watch our charts and the bulletin to track our progress and hear more about how the CMA benefits the parish. Please pray for another successful year.    

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.

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.

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.

Kindly visit the lost and found basket in the northern corner of the front entrance of the church and check it out. Items not removed will be donated to the Samaritan Center.

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.