Immaculate Conception  & 

Assumption of Our Lady 

Please join us for Hospitality Sunday in Fr. Fata Hall on Sunday, May 1 after the 9 AM Italian Mass at Assumption Church.

Enjoy some light refreshments and the company of your fellow parishioners.

The Church, motivated by an ardent desire to foster in Christians this devotion to Divine Mercy as much as possible in the hope of offering great spiritual fruit to the faithful, granted the following Indulgences:

Plenary Indulgence

A Plenary Indulgence is granted under the following conditions:

• Receive Sacramental Confession (within 20 days before or after the feast)
• Receive Holy Communion (within 8 days before or after the feast)
• Pray for the intentions of the Pope

Note: One Sacramental Confession suffices for several indulgences, but a separate Holy Communion and a separate prayer for the Holy Father’s intentions are required for each indulgence. Indulgences can be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.

On Friday, March 25, at Noon (EDT), Pope Francis celebrated an Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our parish joined the Pope in prayer during the Noon Mass on Friday. You can view the recorded Mass HERE or view the Pope pray the Act of Consecration HERE. You can view the entire service from Rome HERE.

The text for the Act of Consecration can be found below.

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Pandemic Protocols

• Mask-wearing in church is optional. Please use one's discretion based on one's health and comfort.

• The Precious Blood will not be offered to the faithful.

• Communicants are encouraged to receive Communion in the open hand rather than on the tongue.

• The use of hand sanitizer before and after the distribution of Holy Communion is a prudent practice.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we navigate this next step in the journey.

The Bishop of Portsmouth (in the Province of Southwark, England) has written a letter calling us to mount a spiritual campaign for Ukraine. Below is an excerpt from the letter:

"Lent is an annual spiritual campaign, a time of renewal and conversion, a time to do battle against evil in ourselves and in others. [...] The weapons we deploy are threefold: prayer, self-denial and charity (almsgiving). So this year, let’s offer up, in union with Christ’s self-sacrifice in the Mass, our Lenten works of prayer, self-denial, and charity for the peoples of Ukraine and for peace. [...]

But as Catholics, above all we can mount what Pius V did, a massive spiritual campaign, offering up to God our Lenten works as a plea for help.

Let’s go back to World War One. In 1917, when the Blessed Virgin reportedly appeared in Fatima, what was Her message? She called on everyone to take up spiritual weapons to re-establish peace in the world. She asked us every day to pray the Rosary, a most powerful prayer that unites us with Christ Her Son. And She invited us to undertake a deep, personal renewal in faith and conversion of our lives. God always hears our prayers, so let us bombard heaven with petitions for peace, offering up our Lenten penance. [...]

So let’s mount a massive spiritual campaign. Let’s make this Lent not just about me, but about others. If you are tempted to slacken your penances or to give into temptations, recall our common purpose: to pray for peace. Let’s make our fasting not just about the odd beer or snack, but something substantial to
implore the Lord’s help. And let’s undertake works of almsgiving and advocacy that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will change the course of human history."

Read the Full Letter

Finally, after a one-year delay caused by the turmoil of new governance in Albany and the COVID-19 pandemic, I received wonderful news while I am here in Rome. I decided to check in with the CEO of ArchCare, who is managing the restoration and conversion of our spectacular Convent on the Immaculate Conception Campus into a dozen apartments for young adults with high-functioning autism. These young adults must be able to live independently but with a director. This has been a dream of so many in our Archdiocese: to build places for this underserved population which is growing in our communities.

Thanks to His Eminence Cardinal Dolan getting involved in the lobbying for our project, coupled with the finishing of items for the Eastchester Permit Department, I received this long-awaited response from Mr. Scott LoRue, CEO of ArchCare:

"Good afternoon, Fr. Sorgie.
Our project is fully approved and moving forward!”

Thank you for supporting our Bonanza Lottery. It is one of the most important fundraisers of our year. Get tickets — or additional tickets — today.

How our Bonanza Lottery Works

From Monday, January 31, until Saturday, June 25, two tickets will be drawn each week awarding two $200 prizes. Those winning tickets will be reentered for all subsequent drawings. There are three big drawings of $2,000 each throughout the year. $13,200 in prizes will be awarded to 45 lucky winners in total.

Tickets are $50 each and can be picked up at the Parish Office, in the Sacristies, or in the ICS or PREP Offices. Return tickets by putting them in the collection at Mass, mailing them, or dropping them at the Parish Office.

Mass intentions are recorded for the living and deceased for all of our Masses, and some in 2022 are still available. Please call the Parish Office for availability.

The 2023 Mass Book is now ready and will record all Mass Intentions in 2023. Daily Mass Intentions, which appear in the bulletin, are $20, and Unannounced Mass Intentions are $15. Please note: At any given time, no more than five Mass intentions will be taken.

To arrange for and donate flowers for either church in honor of a loved one, call the Parish Secretary at the number below for details. Information for all memorials can be obtained by calling the Parish Office: (914) 961-3643

Beginner Italian classes will be offered by the Italian language teacher of ICS, Mara Persampieri. Class will be held Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM, beginning Thursday, January 13, in the lower level of Fr. Fata Hall. The 10-week course will meet weekly for one hour and cover the basics of the Italian language, with the distribution of all materials and the option to continue upon completion of the 10 weeks.

Fee is $250 for the 10-week course.

Registration is now open and space is limited. To register, contact Ms. Persampieri directly at:
(914) 645-0784
or
marapersam@yahoo.com.

You are invited to join Fr. Sorgie on the rescheduled pilgrimage to the Passion Play in Oberammergau. The itinerary is the same as the 2020 program. The pilgrimage will begin on September 14, 2022, and conclude on September 23, 2022. Please click HERE for the full brochure of information.

It has come to our attention that the names of the pastors of our three local parishes (IHM, St. Joseph's, and ICA) are being used in an email scam. We would like to officially state that Fr. Sorgie would NEVER ask for gift cards or anything of the sort through email. If you have any doubts about the veracity of an email, please call the parish office - (914) 961-3643 - and speak to a staff member before responding.

If Fr. Sorgie were to ask for assistance, he would reach out through more personal means, such as a phone call or speaking in person. Thank you for your assistance in stopping this cyber-crime.

The image below provides an example of where to find the information detailed underneath. It is not an actual Scam email.

• When receiving an email of uncertain origin, look at the sender's email address (black arrow in image above) at the top of the email.
  • Our parish emails will always have an "@icaparish.org" or "@flocknote.com" address.
• If you receive a scam email, please report it, within your email provider, as "phishing," "spam," or a similar type of description (blue arrow in image above) so that these thieves cannot take advantage of anyone.
  • Within Gmail, the menu to report an email can be found by clicking the vertical ellipsis (blue star in image above).

The opening of our long-awaited, new Parish Center began with the move of all Parish Offices out of the Rectory. The Parish Center can be entered from the original entrance to the school building. There is a handicap ramp between the Church and School and a new sign to lead you directly to the new center.

For all Parish business, please visit our new offices and see the center as we prepare for its complete opening.