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The Parish Office will be closed for Indigenous People's Day, October 12, 2026. We'll see you at our regular times, Tuesday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Attached to this page is "A Catholic Response to AI: Report about the September 27th St. Catherine’s Adult Faith Enrichment panel and discussion about Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas (‘Magnificent Humanity’)" Please follow this link to read the full report.

Birthright of Ithaca is celebrating 45 years of service in Tompkins County and Cortland, Tioga, Seneca and Yates counties with a luncheon and silent auction to benefit families in our communities. The luncheon and silent auction will be held October 24, 2026 from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm in the Acropolis Room at Greek Peak in Virgil, NY, on the ski-side of the resort on the second floor. The cost of the luncheon is $50 and includes a delicious hot buffet. The silent auction includes gift cards, valuable items from well-known businesses in Tompkins and Cortland counties, intriguing gift baskets, collectors items such as a Campbell soup kit and stuffies, and hand made quilts from a St. Catherine of Siena parishioner. The program includes the story of Birthright by the Regional Consultant of New York Honey Jo Kelly, a history of Birthright of Ithaca by Director Beth Janowsky and a testimony from one of our grateful parents who found a friend in Birthright. Reservations are accepted until October 11, 2026. You can reach us by phone at 607.272.9070, email at [email protected] and our web site is Birthright.org/Ithaca. Birthright of Ithaca is located at 223 Elmira Road, Suite #1, Ithaca. New York. Birthright of Ithaca is a member of Birthright International. There are hundreds of Birthrights in almost every state in the United States and several countries throughout the world. Birthright of Ithaca has assisted families since 1981 through counseling, coordination with other service agencies, and supplies to families with children from newborns through age 5. We are funded primarily through donations of clothing, diapers and formula as well as grants and gifts from businesses and individuals. We are an interfaith community without a political agenda, and we serve every family who comes to us for advice and support.

Are you interested in praying and exercising on a regular basis? One of our parishioners is a certified Pietra Fitness instructor and is willing to lead classes in Mahler Hall on Tuesday and Fridays after Daily Mass. Pietra Fitness is designed to build the whole person, Body, Mind and Soul in the Catholic tradition. Pietra offers stretching, strengthening and balance exercises (Gentle, Intermediate, Advanced and Chair levels), utilizing rest periods for Scripture verse, bodily prayer postures, meditation, resolution. The "cost" of classes would be a donated can or food item, to be collected and added to St. Catherine's Food bin. In addition, there are 350+ online Classes and Meditation available 24/7 for a subscription fee. Check out a 14-day free trial of the online classes at www.pietrafitness.com. For more information, contact [email protected] .

Are you an Adult who is baptized but never received Confirmation and/or First Eucharist? The Order for Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is a program for people wanting to become Catholic or wanting to complete their sacraments. The OCIA program will begin this year on September 21 at Immaculate Conception Church. Please contact Deacon Rick Burgess at [email protected] for more information.

We want to alert everyone to an ongoing scam affecting parishes. Scammers are pretending to be priests or parish staff and contacting people by email or text asking for urgent help or gift cards. Please know that your priest or parish staff will never ask for gift cards or money in this way. If you receive a message like this, do not respond and please contact the parish office directly 607-257-2493. When in doubt, slow down and verify before taking any action.

Beginning Wednesday, January 28, we will be moving the time of Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. We will also add additional prayers and practices from the Church's long history of Eucharistic Adoration. On the first Wednesday of the month, we will pray the rosary. On the second Wednesday, we will pray Evening Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. On the third Wednesday, we will pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the fourth Wednesday will include a short selection from Scripture or one of the Fathers of the Church and a brief homily. If there is a fifth Wednesday in a month, the entire time will be given over to silence. We hope you will consider adding Adoration to your prayer routine—all are welcome!