Lent is a season to redirect our lives toward God who is full of graciousness, mercy, and kindness.  All our good acts undertaken during Lent bear fruit by building up right relationships.

As our heavenly Father “repays” us, so are we called to “repay” others.  Righteous deeds in themselves do not make us righteous.  Reaching out with the same care and compassion as God reaches out to us is what makes us righteous – in right relationship before God and others.  Whatever Lenten penance we undertake is always directed to renewal of life and growth in our relationships with others.  Lenten penance requires that we reach outside of ourselves toward others who, like us, are in need.  Righteous deeds for the sake of the other are an icon of our relationship to God and all that God had done for us.

True penance always requires dying to self.  Even a day can be long when doing serious penance, especially if we are not doing penance for the right reasons.  So, whether one day of penance or forty isn’t the issue.   The issue is losing oneself in the God who loves us, takes pity on us, and offers us salvation – which is for eternity.  Through the penitential practices of Lent, God calls us to a renewal of life.

Lent begins

Ash Wednesday,

February 22nd… 

and marks the beginning of the Journey of Forty days (not counting Sundays and ending on Holy Thursday) in preparation for Easter.  Ashes will be distributed that day at:

Immaculate Conception Church:    

       8:30 & 10 A.M.  Masses                       

       12:15 (Noon) Service only (no Mass)             

        6:30 P.M. Mass in church          6:30 P.M.  Service only in gym     

St. Jude Church:        

        7 P.M. Mass

Ash Wednesday is a day of abstinence from meat and limited to one full meal.  The Fridays of Lent are also days of abstinence from meat.  All those fourteen years of age are bound to the law of abstinence.  The law of fast binds all who are eighteen years old and not yet fifty-nine years old.

Let us come together and pray that this Lent will make a real difference in our lives.

Father Joe Piekarski

Pastor

IC Athletic Association Spring sports registration continues now through March 2nd or until the rosters are full.

Track & Field (co-ed) for grades 3-8 and Baseball for grades 6-8 are included. Both teams participate in the Diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry league.

We currently need a head coach and an assistant coach for Track & Field. Please contact Melinda Delia if you can help. Please see this page and related Athletic Association pages.

Ash Wednesday

February 22, 2012

Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day liturgical season of Lent, a time of prayer and fasting leading to Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Join our faith community as we celebrate the beginning of the Lenten season.

Immaculate Conception Church

Mass and distribution of ashes: 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM (school Mass), 6:30 PM
Liturgy of the Word and distribution of ashes: 12:15 PM

Saint Jude Church

Mass and distribution of ashes: 7:00 PM

ICS Gymnasium

Liturgy of the Word an distribution of ashes: 6:30 PM

All are welcome.

Have you been challenged about being Catholic?  Are you ready and able to share the Catholic story–your story–with friends and neighbors who do not understand it?

In a week and a half, Immaculate Conception Parish will begin an 11-week journey through the rich truth and beauty of the Catholic faith.  Join fellow parishioners in viewing and discussing Fr. Robert Barron’s epic, ten-part series, Catholicism.

The Catholicism series will be shown on Monday evenings (7-9 p.m.) and Tuesday mornings (9:15-11:15 a.m.) beginning January 9th.  The Tuesday sessions, which begin January 10th, are a repeat of the Monday evening session.  All meetings will occur in the ICC Parish Center library.

Registration is encouraged, but not required.  Registering will help us ensure that we have enough resources for everyone who attends.

Click here to download the registration form.  You can deliver this form to the parish office, or call the parish office (410-398-1100) with the information contained on the form.

Please pray that through this series many hearts will turn toward Jesus, falling more deeply in love with Him and his Bride, the Church.  Also, please help us by spreading the word and inviting your friends and family (Catholic and non-Catholic alike) to come!

ALL are most welcome, invited, and encouraged to attend.

Join Bishop Malooly and hundreds of youth and adults for the third annual Diocesan Pilgrimage on Saturday, March 31st.

See this link for more information, including the promo video and online registration.

Families with younger children are encouraged to register online as a family.

Youth in grades 7-12 and college-age young adults not registering as a family may email our youth ministry office to participate as part of our parish group. Parents who are “cleared adults” (background check) and would like to chaperone should also email our youth ministry office.

Don’t wait! Registration ends March 23, 2012. See the link above for all the details.

Come and join the fun, and be “Irish for a Night!” Our evening includes dinner, DJ, dancing, games, raffles, and a special guest. For dinner you have the choice of Shepherd’s Pie or Ham and Cabbage. Register by February 29th and receive a free drink ticket!

When: Saturday, March 17, 2012  6:30 – 10:30 PM
Where: Singerly Fire Hall, Route 279 in Elkton
Tickets: $25.00 a person, for sale only until March 5th.  No sales at the door.

Please contact the Parish Office at 410-398-1100 for more information. Click here to download the registration form.

Classes began on Sunday, January 22nd and will continue for eight consecutive weeks. Classes are as follows:

Sunday, 8:30-10:15 AM in the Parish Center.
Sunday, 10-11:45 AM in the Parish Center.
Sunday, 6:30-8:15 PM in the Parish Center.
Monday, 6:00-7:45 PM in the Parish Center.
Wednesday 6:30-8:15 PM at the Bacon residence, 255 Justice Way.

Please remember to attend an alternate class during the same week if you can not attend your regular class.

Candidates, please remember to turn in these items on time:

• Your Service Hour log is due now.
• Your Confirmation Name form is due when you attend class for Lesson #5, which is the week of February 19th.
• Your Sponsor Packet is due when you attend class for Lesson #6, which is the week of February 26th .
• Your Letter to the Pastor (instructions will be given in class) is due when you attend class for Lesson #7, which is the week of March 4th.

Our rehearsal is March 18th at 4:00 PM in IC Church. Confirmation is 2:00 PM on Sunday, March 25th. Candidates and Sponsors will meet with our Bishop in the ICS gym at 1:30 PM. Please arrive no later than 1:15 PM.

Click here for the dress code for Candidates and Sponsors.

If you have any questions regarding our Confirmation program, please email the youth ministry office. Than you.

If you are interested in attending Vacation Bible School this year, please click here and download the flyer/interest survey and return it to the Religion Office by Feb. 15, or you can email  re@iccparish.org to let us know you are interested. Thank you.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012. Please join us on Fridays during lent for Stations of the Cross at 7:00 PM at Immaculate Conception Church.

On two Fridays, March 2nd and March 23rd, our teens will perform Shadow Stations. If you’ve never seen Stations of the Cross done this way, please join us.

On the remaining Fridays we will have traditional Stations of the Cross.