Immaculate Conception  & 

Assumption of Our Lady 

Thank you for supporting our Bonanza Lottery. It is one of the most important fundraisers of our year, and it’s about to kick off with our first drawing. 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.

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.

From Fr. Sorgie:

"Back in February 2015, Timothy Cardinal Dolan gave me a tremendous gift: he asked me to consider traveling and participating in a three-month program at the Vatican for priests. It is a sabbatical program called the the Institute for Continuing Theological Education (ICTE), using the campus of the Pontifical North American College.

It has taken me six years to get the Parish in a certain order and my staff supported to take advantage of this gift. Therefore, I will be on sabbatical in Rome from Monday, January 17 – Wednesday, April 20, 2022. I will live with 25-30 priests from all over the United States. My weeks will be filled with classes and lectures by professors at the Pontifical Universities in Rome in all fields of theology. There will be travel related to sacred art and music, and we will have opportunities for retreats in some of the most important Monasteries of our Church.

The Institute was created and supported by the Bishops of the United Sates following this wise teaching: 'Ongoing formation is an indispensable requirement in the life of every priest and in his exercise of the priestly ministry' (The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, IV.56).

I consider it an honor as your Pastor to be spiritually and intellectually prepared to shepherd our Parish through my second term. This sabbatical will recharge both of those batteries in the very heart of Christendom."

Updated Pandemic Protocols
Beginning December 13, 2021

Here is the latest guidance from the New York State Department of Health that was released on December 10 related to the statewide vaccine/mask mandate announced by Governor Kathy Hochul. Essentially, masking will be required in any public space unless a place of business has a proof of vaccination requirement for entry. 

• Beginning Monday, December 13, 2021, all parishioners are asked to wear masks while in church.

• Priests, deacons, and extraordinary ministers will wear masks at the time of the distribution of Holy Communion; and when in close proximity with one another.

• There will be no entrance procession or recessional procession.  The gifts will not be brought to the Altar at offertory time.

• We will not invite the faithful to exchange the sign of peace to avoid any physical contact.

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

• Communicants are strongly 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.

• Holy water stoups and baptismal fonts will still remain empty of Holy Water. 

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

As we enter the season of Advent and prepare for the Birth of Our Lord, Fr. André recommends the book Bringing Forth Christ: Five Feasts of the Child Jesus by St. Bonaventure.

The book can be ordered from Tau Publishing in Phoenix, AZ. It can be purchased online HERE or by contacting:

Tau Publishing
PO Box 20804
Phoenix, AZ 85036

Due to the lack of volunteers for the positions of Catechists, Aides, and Monitors, ICA’s 2021-2022 Religious Education Program has been modified to combine at-home study for non-Sacramental grades & in-person classes for Sacramental grades.

Sacramental Grades

Grades 1 & 2 (required preparation grades for First Holy Communion) and Grades 7 & 8 (required preparation grades for Confirmation) will return to in-person classes in the school building. There is no remote option for these Sacramental grades.

Three Sessions Available

Non-Sacramental Grades

Grades 3, 4, 5, & 6 will participate in a Family Home Faith Formation program. This involves both home study & participation of children & parents in occasional Zoom sessions with the Director of Religious Education. There is no in-person option for these grades.

PREP Office: (914) 961-1076
Email the PREP Office HERE

Please visit the PREP Webpage for more information.

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.

Please join us for Hospitality Sunday in Fr. Fata Hall on Sunday, February 6 after the 9 AM Italian Mass at Assumption Church.

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

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).

Follow the construction of the New Holy Mount Terraced Gardens and Columbarium with pictures and regular updates from the construction team:
HERE

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.

Due to the construction of the New Columbarium at Holy Mount Cemetery, the cemetery will be closed periodically to allow the construction equipment to be operated safely. These periodic closures will only be temporary. For updates, please call the parish office or check here.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.