Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
My dear friends,
As we celebrate this Christmas Octave, may you enjoy the joy and peace of the newborn Christ. May His blessings be with you as we honor the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and welcome the New Year 2025!
Our heartfelt thanks to all who made our Christmas liturgies so beautiful—from musicians and decorators to our volunteers and ministers who created a warm and welcoming environment for parishioners, visitors, and returning family. Your dedication made this season truly special. We are also deeply grateful for your thoughtful cards, gifts, and goodies — thank you for your kindness!
Our heartfelt thanks to all who made our Christmas liturgies so beautiful—from musicians and decorators to our volunteers and ministers who created a warm and welcoming environment for parishioners, visitors, and returning family. Your dedication made this season truly special. We are also deeply grateful for your thoughtful cards, gifts, and goodies — thank you for your kindness!
Happy birthday today to Sister Rose - 92 years young! And on January 3rd to Father Thumma!!
Now begins the Jubilee Year of 2025, marked by the opening of the Holy Doors in Rome. Here in the Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal Dolan will inaugurate the Jubilee this Sunday, on the Feast of the Holy Family. May this Jubilee be a time of grace and renewal for us all.
Congratulations to Thomas Russo for his Wheel of Fortune win on December 23rd and to Joseph Vericker for his inspiring EWTN interview on photographing three popes. We are proud of you both!
Please see below for the updated schedule of Masses, Adoration, and office hours.
Now begins the Jubilee Year of 2025, marked by the opening of the Holy Doors in Rome. Here in the Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal Dolan will inaugurate the Jubilee this Sunday, on the Feast of the Holy Family. May this Jubilee be a time of grace and renewal for us all.
Congratulations to Thomas Russo for his Wheel of Fortune win on December 23rd and to Joseph Vericker for his inspiring EWTN interview on photographing three popes. We are proud of you both!
Please see below for the updated schedule of Masses, Adoration, and office hours.
Wishing you all continued Christmas blessings and a Happy New Year!
Next Meetings: Monday, January 13, 2025
and February 10, March 24, May 12 and June 9
Next Coffee and Donuts: Sunday, January 12, 2025 (interested in assisting? Reach out to the volunteers to assist the PC. Members are most welcome by clicking here)
Tentative dates - February TBD, March 16, April 6, May 18, June 29
What is the Parish Council?
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Council serves as a consultative body of the parish whose responsibility is to advise and assist the pastor in matters relating to the parish. This includes promoting lay participation in the activities of the parish, evaluating the goals and needs of the parish, developing and recommending ways to address those needs, and finally developing and maintaining a two-way communication between the Council and the larger Parish community. Council members will also be expected to take a leadership role in the various Parish Council events as well as in the particular area of Parish life they are interested in or involved in already.
If you have any questions, please email IHMPC@ihmscarsdale.org.
In this Edition:
- IHM Church Schedule
- Feast of the Holy Family (December 29th)
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1st)
- Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family
- 2025 Mass Intentions
- From the Rectory: Christmas 2024 Collection - submit by Sunday, 1/5/25
- Christmas Flower Memorials
- Nativity at IHM
- Article from Catholic News Agency: Pope Francis declares French Martyrs of Compiègne saints via equipollent canonization
- IHM Upcoming Events
- IHM HSOR
- Next weekends (Jan 4/5) second collection for the Catholic Communications Campaign & Catholic University of America
- There will be no HOPE Soup Kitchen drop off on January 31st
- IHM Parish Library Update
- IHM Continuing Events:
- Eucharistic Exposition at IHM
- Eucharistic Exposition at IHM
- Young Adult Pilgrimage to Italy - Jubilee 2025 Pilgrimages of Hope
- Community News
Sunday, December 29th
Feast of the Holy Family
5:30PM - Vigil
7:30AM
9:00AM
10:30AM
12:00Noon
Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation)
5:30PM Vigil (Tuesday, December 31st)
9:00AM
12:30PM
(No 7:30AM Mass | Eucharistic Adoration from 9:45AM until 12:15M)
For up-to-date information, please visit the Parish website, www.IHM-Parish.org or call the Rectory (914) 723-0281
- IHM Christmas Offering Envelopes are available at the doors of the Church
- The Parish Office will close at 3pm un New Year's Eve and be closed on Wednesday, January 1st for the Solemnity of Mary and in observance of New Year's Day.
- Eucharistic Exposition will be regular schedule 7:15am to 9:00pm with Rosary and Confession as usual on Monday and 7:15am to 2pm on Tuesday. Wednesday will be 9:45 to 12:15pm only. Thursday will resume regular schedule. +
- IHM School and Religious Education offices will be closed through Wednesday, January 1st, 2025
- Please join us in wishing our Fr. Thumma a Happy Birthday on Friday, January 3rd!
Holiday travel is up this year, and we want to help you celebrate the sacraments this season - everywhere you go!
FindAMass.org allows us to find local Mass, Adoration, and Confession times wherever we travel. Now, you can stay connected to the sacraments while on the road!
Sunday, December 29, 2024 | Feast of the Holy Family | Luke 2:41–52
Friends, today’s Gospel tells the familiar story of Mary and Joseph finding twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple. When they find him, they—with understandable exasperation—upbraid him: “Son, why have you done this to us?” But Jesus responds, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
The story conveys a truth that runs sharply counter to our sensibilities: even the most powerful familial emotions must, in the end, give way to mission. Though she felt an enormous pull in the opposite direction, Mary let her son go, allowing him to find his vocation in the temple. Legitimate sentiment devolves into sentimentality precisely when it comes to supersede the call of God.
On a biblical reading, the family is, above all, the forum in which both parents and children are able to discern their missions. It is perfectly good, of course, if deep bonds and rich emotions are cultivated within the family, but those relationships and passions must cede to something that is more fundamental, more enduring, more spiritually focused.
The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God’s call for one another, the family becomes more loving and peaceful.
The story conveys a truth that runs sharply counter to our sensibilities: even the most powerful familial emotions must, in the end, give way to mission. Though she felt an enormous pull in the opposite direction, Mary let her son go, allowing him to find his vocation in the temple. Legitimate sentiment devolves into sentimentality precisely when it comes to supersede the call of God.
On a biblical reading, the family is, above all, the forum in which both parents and children are able to discern their missions. It is perfectly good, of course, if deep bonds and rich emotions are cultivated within the family, but those relationships and passions must cede to something that is more fundamental, more enduring, more spiritually focused.
The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God’s call for one another, the family becomes more loving and peaceful.
Bishop Robert Barron
Celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family
Jesus, Mary, & Joseph: Pray for us!
Why does family matter?
God could have entered our world any way that he wished. So why did he choose to enter as a baby into a human family?"
The Christian family is a communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2205). If we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we are made in the design of and meant for family. We can't escape it.
All the best movies and stories involve, at some level, a family. We know the pain, too, when family is dysfunctional or how it can be a wounding environment, but God is always desiring to pour out his healing mercies and grace when we ask for his aid.
Today we honor and ask for the intercession of the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and ask that we can ground our own families in God's grace and peace.
Consider watching this video from Bishop Barron about the mystery of the Trinity in which every family takes its mold and finds its calling:
"May Christ the Lord, the Universal King, the King of Families, be present in every Christian home as he was at Cana, bestowing light, joy, serenity, and strength.”
2025 Mass Intentions
IHM's 2025 Mass Intention Book has fully booked all available Masses.
Please be aware that at the 8:30AM daily Mass on the First Saturday of each month, the intention is by name for all the deceased whose funerals were celebrated by IHM the previous month.
If you would like a name added to this First Saturday list, please notify the rectory by the Wednesday before First Saturday (914-723-0276).
From the Rectory: Christmas 2024 Collection
Please submit your Christmas Collection envelopes and checks by Sunday, January 5, 2025. All Christmas envelopes and checks received after that date will be credited to Christmas 2025. Thank you!
Click the below button to give to the IHM Christmas Collection through WeShare.
Christmas Flower Memorials
Please use the envelope provided in your envelope packets for donations for our Christmas flowers. Your donation can be made in memory of a deceased loved one. Please print clearly. Additional envelopes are available at the doors of the Church or the rectory and should be returned before December 24th.
Click the button below to give through WeShare!
After purchasing the basic elements of a bigger Nativity scene for last Christmas, IHM was able to acquire the full set including all the shepherds, the magi and their entourage. The whole Nativity is already set up (the three kings and their entourage will be rotated up for the Epiphany!) in the church for all to view. If any one or any family is interested in a figure or a group of them in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone, please reach out to our IHM Business Manager, Liz Reyes, at the Rectory (914-723-0276) or speak with Msgr. Sweeney after Mass.
Pope Francis declares French Martyrs of
Compiègne saints via equipollent canonization
By Courtney Mares
Pope Francis has officially declared the 16 Discalced Carmelite nuns of Compiègne, executed during the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution, as saints through the rare procedure of “equipollent canonization.”
Mother Teresa of St. Augustine and her 15 companions, who were guillotined in Paris as they sang hymns of praise, can immediately be venerated worldwide as saints in the Catholic Church.
The equipollent, or “equivalent” canonization, announced by the Vatican on Wednesday, recognizes the long-standing veneration of the Carmelite martyrs, who met their deaths with unwavering faith on July 17, 1794.
Their final act of courage and faith inspired Francis Poulenc’s well-known 1957 opera “Dialogue of the Carmelites,” based on the book of the same name written by famous Catholic novelist and essayist Georges Bernanos.
Like the usual canonization process, equipollent canonization is an invocation of papal infallibility in which the pope declares that a person is among the saints in heaven. It avoids the formal process of canonization as well as the ceremony, since it occurs by the publication of a papal bull.
Longtime veneration of the saint and demonstrated heroic virtue are still required, and though no modern miracle is necessary, the fame of miracles that occurred before or after a saint’s death are also taken into account after a study is made by the historical section of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
Though the process is rare, Pope Francis has declared others saints through equipollent canonization, such as St. Peter Faber and St. Margaret of Costello, something that Pope Benedict XVI also did for St. Hildegard of Bingen and which Pope Pius XI granted for St. Albert the Great.
CLICK HERE to continue reading this article from the Catholic News Agency.
The IHM High School of Religion (HSOR) welcomes all high school students every Wednesday from 7:30-9:00PM in the Lower Church Hall.
HSOR offers a fun and relaxing faith community with service projects, Prayer & Pizza, Game Nights, Christmas party, sacraments, Tee Shirt Giveaway, lively discussions, interesting speakers, Open Gym, Faith on Film, pizza and delicious donuts. Come see why our students say HSOR “is a night out in the middle of the week!”
For more information, please contact Nancy Vericker at nancy@nancyvericker.com.
The Second Collection next weekend is The Catholic Communications Campaign & Catholic University of America (Combined). This combined collection will be taken up in our parish next Sunday, January 5th, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. To learn more, visit these two websites https://engage.catholic.edu/giving/how-give/national-collection and https://www.usccb.org/committees/catholic-communication-campaign.
Please note - there will be NO Hope Soup Kitchen Drop off scheduled at IHM for January 31st. Thank you for all you do!
Library Update
Now that the Parish Library has been catalogued, it is much easier to access and borrow books, DVD’s and other resources. The library also has an extensive Children’s section, that many parishioners may access as well.
The next step is to have access to the library open at convenient times to allow browsing to borrow the available volumes. The plan is to have the library open on Sunday morning from 9 to noon, on one or two days during the week after the 9 AM Mass to 11 AM, and perhaps one evening. Currently, there are volunteers for the
Sunday time slot. The staff is looking for volunteers for the other times as well. If you are interested in participating in this endeavor, please email the library at ihmllibrary@ihmscarsdale.org. Thank you for your interest!
IHM CONTINUING EVENTS
EUCHARISTIC EXPOSITION AT IHM
located in the Marian Chapel
Mondays and Wednesdays 7:15AM - 9:00PM
Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:15AM - 2:00PM
Fridays 7:15AM - 8:00PM
Young Adult Pilgrimage to Italy - Jubilee 2025 Pilgrims of Hope
For Young Adults 18-35 years old
For questions about the pilgrimage, please email Pjetër Nilaj, Coordinator of the Office of Youth Ministry & Young Adult Ministry & the University Apostolate at Pjeter.Nilaj@archny.org.
Young Members:
- IHM High School of Religion (HSOR): HSOR meets on Wednesdays (will resume in January 2025!) at 7:30PM the lower church until 9:00PM! We offer a fun and relaxing faith community of service projects, Prayer & Pizza, Game Nights, sacraments, lively discussions and Open Gym. Come see why our students say HSOR “is a night out in the middle of the week!” High school students grades 9-12 are welcome. For more information, please contact Nancy Vericker at nancy@nancyvericker.com.
- IHM College & Young Adult Group for those age 18-25: Thank you for assisting with the Giving Tree and the Toy Drive! Click here to reach out to participate and for more information.
- Scouting:
- IHM Troop 2 (Boy Scouts): Welcomes 5th through 8th grade boys interested in outdoor adventure. If hiking, camping, white water rafting and first aid skills interest your child, consider joining! For more information, email info@troop2scarsdale.org or visit www.facebook.com/Troop-2-Scarsdale.
- The IHM troops are Scarsdale/Edgemont Girl Scouts. Click here for more information.
Prayer Groups:
- IHM Centering Prayer Group: The Centering Prayer Group meets on Wednesdays at 10:00AM in the Church Library. Newcomers are always welcome. Meetings last around 45-60 minutes. The format includes: 20 minutes of Centering Prayer (a silent prayer form in the Christian contemplative tradition in which we seek to open our minds and hearts to the Divine Life within), Lectio Divina (a prayerful reading of Scripture) and a brief discussion. For more information, contact Elise Kuhn at 914-725-4728.
- Charismatic Morning of Renewal Meeting at the House of Prayer: This group meets on Thursdays after the 9:00AM parish Mass - Morning Prayer, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Intercessory Prayer and a discussion of the Scripture Readings for the coming Sunday.
- IHM Women's Prayer Group: The Prayer Group holds weekly prayer gatherings for women Thursdays from 7:00-8:00PM in the Church Library. For more information, please contact the Rectory (914-723-0276 or ihmchurch@ihmscarsdale.org).
Adult Faith Formation:
- IHM Bible Discussion Group: The IHM Bible Discussion Group continues its study of the Old Testament Book of Exodus Tuesday evenings at 7:00PM in the lower church, ending at 8:30PM. We will continue most Tuesdays until late Spring 2025 discussing one or two chapters an evening depending on their length. Refreshments are served for the convenience of the participants. CLICK HERE for more details, to submit questions, or if you are interested in joining.
- IHM School of Community: This group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00PM in the IHM Rectory Conference Room to look at our daily life and discover who we are as Christians. The text discussed is "The Religious Sense" by Father Luigi Giussani. If you are interested in attending via Zoom, please contact the Rectory and ask to be put in contact with Carolyn of School of Community.
Becoming Catholic & Catholics completing their Sacraments: The OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults - formerly RCIA) is a process of initiation into the Catholic Community of Faith for persons who are experiencing a conversion in their lives and seeking either Christian baptism in the Catholic Church or full Communion with the Catholic Church and completion of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. Please contact the Rectory and one of our coordinators will reach out to you (914-723-0276 or ihmchurch@ihmscarsdale.org).
Religious Education: On the day of your child's/children's Baptism, the Church pledged to you, the parents, our assistance in raising them in the practice of the faith to keep God's commandments as Jesus taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Here at Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Religious Education Program is part of this integral formation in the faith that would include daily prayer at home, family participation in Sunday Mass (and on Holy Days of Obligation), periodic Confession, and the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy flowing out from your dinner table. For more information please email ihmsor@ihmscarsdale.org or call 914-723-7593.
School: Rooted in the mission Jesus Christ gave to the Church to go out to the world to preach, to sanctify and to shepherd souls, IHM School seeks to work with parents in forming their children in the faith and educating them for life in the world by faithfully and charitable teaching Jesus Christ and the two-fold command to love God and our neighbor, to immerse the students in the sacramental life of the Church so that they may know of God's presence in their lives and come to unite their lives for the glory of God, and to help lead and guide them on their journey through life to heaven by building up the virtues our faith has received from the Apostles. For more information and to register call 914-723-5608 or go to ihmscarsdale.org.
Social Ministries: IHM parish is involved in many social ministries, including Midnight Runs into Manhattan to bring food and clothing to the homeless; a food pantry and support of HOPE Community Services; annual Christmas Giving Tree, Baby Shower donations, support of mothers in crisis pregnancies, and bereavement assistance, among other needs. Click the link for Ministries on our parish's website (https://ihm-parish.org/) or call the Rectory (914-723-0276). If you have any questions, please email IHMPC@ihmscarsdale.org.
- Join us at The Kensington’s Parkinson’s Café (100 Maple Ave, White Plains, NY 10601) for three specialized programs designed to enhance the well-being of those living with Parkinson’s Disease. All three programs are free and offer a welcoming, supportive environment to improve mobility, strength, and quality of life. Free parking is available. Adult Care Partners are welcome to enjoy coffee in our café while your loved one is enjoying the activities. Space is limited. RSVP Today! For questions, please email Dawn Simmons, dsimmons@kensingtonsl.com. To RSVP, Please Visit TheKensingtonWhitePlains.com/Events.
- The Scarsdale Adult School (SAS) has unveiled its 2025 curriculum! A vibrant mix of innovative courses, beloved favorites, and engaging community events. SAS stands out for its thoughtfully curated programs, offering: Author talks and expert-led walking tours of NYC landmarks and museums. Culinary adventures through Arthur Avenue and Chinatow, fitness sessions, and arts & crafts workshops. Discussion groups on literature and current events, plus lectures on art, architecture. Contact Information For questions about classes and registration, please e-mail: Registrar@ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org Stephanie Sklar Community Outreach Manager
- A senior parishioner is looking for an accessible apartment in the area for $1,000 or under. Please reach out to the pastor with any information.
Parishioners who attend DAILY MASS, can sign up to receive an email each day for the readings of the day. If you would like to subscribe to the emails for the daily readings, Click HERE
For THIS SUNDAY's Readings, December 28/29, Click HERE
Please be advised that you can print them out at home or you can use your phone or tablet to follow along with the readings in church or at home.
SUNDAY, December 29, 2024
The Holy Family
5:30PM - Rosa and Michael Martuccio by Teresina Zeolla
7:30AM - The People of Immaculate Heart of Mary
9:00AM - Catherine Murphy by Patricia MacGillivray
9:00AM - Catherine Murphy by Patricia MacGillivray
10:30AM - Louise Marie Germano by Annemarie Germano DiCola (Passed on Dec. 30th)
12:00PM - Father Ed Connors by Maureen Gorham
MONDAY, December 30, 2024
Sixth Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
6:45AM - Mary Breheny by the Breheny Family
9:00AM - Deceased Sisters of Charity by Sr. Nancy Kelar, SC
TUESDAY, December 31, 2024
St. Sylvester I
9:00AM - Edwin Lopez by Raquel Quesada (Brother)
5:30PM - Mauro Antoinette Louis Valentine by Maria and Domenic Valentine
WEDNESDAY, January 1, 2025
Mary, Mother of God | New Year's Day
9:00AM - The People of Immaculate Heart of Mary
12:30AM - Month of December Remembrances by IHM Parish
THURSDAY, January 2, 2025
Ss. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen
6:45AM - Maureen Gilbride by Mannion family
9:00AM - Frances Keuling-Stout by Chip and Mary Rausch (8th Anniversary)
FRIDAY, January 3, 2025
6:45AM - Fr. Thumma (on his Birthday) by Sr. Theresa Chen
9:00AM - Marie Gleeson by Marie & Mike Amorosa
SATURDAY, January 4, 2025
SATURDAY, January 4, 2025
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
8:30AM - For the New York Sisters of Charity, Living and Deceased (Special Intention) by IHM Parish
5:30PM - Rose DeBenedictis by Laura Covais
Please Remember in Your Prayers
The Sick of Our Parish
Andy Scott
Barbara Gusmano
Fabiola Rincon
Peter Alix
Sean Fogarty
Joan Boccardi
Joan Boccardi
Margaret Ambrose
Thomas R. Farrell
Gino Catalano
Leslie Vaccaro
John Powers
Anthony Sgarlata
Pren Gjdoda
Jason Bergen
John Dunleavy
The Deceased of Our Parish
Monsignor Charles P. Coen
Father Father Jos Kandathikudy, formerly of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church in the Bronx)
Father Christopher H. Daly
John Scott
Joseph Bachert
George L Brindley
Joseph Patrick Gallagher
Susan Comparato
Rosalia Palazzollo
- As part of the Communion of Saints and members of the Body of Christ, it is important for us to pray for our sick members and for those who have died.
- If you wish to be included by name, please contact the Rectory (ihmchurch@ihmscarsdale.org or 914-723-0276).
- If you are calling for another person, please ensure his/her permission.
- Our parish will keep the name of a deceased parishioner or loved one for 2 weeks on our bulletin and Sunday Mass lists.
Prayer for Healing
Dear Lord, We lift up all those who are
facing illness today.
We ask that You would bring Healing,
Comfort, & Peace to their bodies.
Calm their fears
Let them experience the
Healing powers of your love.
Amen.
A Prayer to our Guardian Angel
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
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