The archdiocese has planned for Catechist Formation classes this summer to be held in two different locations:

July 28th and 29th – St. Patrick’s, Highland Mills and

August 11th and 12th – St. Anthony’s, Bronx

There will be an opportunity to complete 5 different sessions in 2 days at each location. These classes are free of charge. Pre-registration is required: e-mail Nancy Doran, Director of Catechist Formation at nancy.doran@archny.org.

Our office will be closing this week for some vacation time. However, we will be checking our messages, especially when your message is about joining our special ministry. We hope to hear from some of our parishioners this summer who would like to share their faith, time and talents with the children of the parish. Call 961-1076 for further information.

We wish all our families a Happy and Healthy Summer.

Have you ever thought about being a religion teacher (catechist)? Now is the perfect time to inquire. We especially need first grade catechists. This session meets on Mondays, 4:15-5:30 PM. Please call 961-1076 for more information.

Parents of 7th Graders (Private Schools)

In order to ease the burden that is associated with outfitting a child for their First Communion, we ask if there are any parents in our parish who would like to donate "slightly used but in good condition" First Communion outfits. Although white dresses are appreciated, we are also looking for suits or jackets for our young fellows. Please drop off any outfits to the rectory or call the PSR office, 961-1076, if you have any questions. Thank you.

The parking lot at dismissal time for these grades can be dangerous for children when parents expect their children to walk through the parking lot to find them. We ask, for the safety of the children, that parents park their cars in a designated parking spot and walk to the enclosed circle by the main entrance of the school to meet their children.

Please do not use the envelope provided in the original mailing. If you already mailed the envelope downtown, please call the Rectory and ask for Chris.

Updates on the Campaign are in the bulletin.  Information on the projects are online.

ICS is now accepting registration for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year. Our school is accredited by the Middle States Association, an academic accrediting institution. Not many elementary schools are accredited by Middle States. Our program covers Pre-K for 3-year olds through eighth grade. The tuition for our school is the most affordable in the area. All are welcome. If you need more information please call the school at 961-3785.

Bereavement Support - July 16

The Bereavement Support Group will meet Wednesday, July 16 at 7:00 PM in the Meeting House. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one may want to consider attending this confidential meeting. Our other summer meeting dates will be August 20 and September 17.

By now, Assumption parishioners should have received raffle tickets for the annual parish fund raiser. The raffle will be held on Friday, August 15 after the 7:30 PM evening Mass celebrating the Feast of the Assumption. Refreshments will be served in Father Fata Memorial Hall and the last event of the evening will be the drawing. This year there will be

Please return your shares as soon as possible. If you do not intend to purchase your ticket, either return it or make an attempt to sell it to a friend or relative. Since ONLY 1000 tickets will be sold, the chances to win are very good! The proceeds generated from this annual parish fund raiser are used for the maintenance of the church, the Sisters of Mercy Convent at Assumption, and the Father Fata Memorial Hall. Assumption parishioners who did not receive a ticket in the mail, please contact our raffle chairperson, Patricia Volpe: 961-8421. Additional tickets are available by contacting Patricia Volpe or at the Immaculate Conception rectory.

Mark your calendars: Vacation Bible Camp will be held the week of August 18th. The registration form is online.

Hospitality is in need of parishioners to supply cakes or cookies (home baked or bought). Hospitality Sunday at Assumption is the first Sunday of the month. Not a baker? Perhaps you could consider making a donation to help defray our costs. For more information, or to volunteer, see the bulletin.

The Immaculate Conception Adult Choir is open to those who like to sing and are willing to commit to the choir’s schedule. We rehearse on Wednesday evenings and sing at the 10:30 AM Mass on Sunday. If you are interested in joining the choir and participating in this important ministry of our parish, please come to the choir loft and speak to Robert Harvey after Mass. All voice parts are needed!

Instrumentalists Wanted - The Music Director of Immaculate Conception is looking for instrumentalists to accompany the choir at the 10:30 AM Mass. To volunteer, come to the choir loft and speak to Robert Harvey after Mass.

Parishioners are encouraged to use the envelope system, particularly with the new tax rules governing charitable deductions in 2007 and beyond. If you want to start receiving envelopes, please call the rectory during business hours.

Senior citizens aged 70 ½ or older who are required to withdraw a minimum amount each year from their IRA accounts can benefit from a change in the tax law. The new law allows them to make contributions to qualified charities directly from the IRA accounts, without the associated tax liability. For more information, please contact your tax advisor.

This is a method of prayer that is beyond concepts, thoughts, and images and which prepares us for union with God. It does not necessarily replace other forms of prayer, but often enhances them. It is not just for cloistered monks and nuns, but for all those who wish to deepen their relationship with God: you and me! Newcomers are always welcome and invited to contact Sister Rose Vermette at 961-3643 for a brochure and further information.

Do you wonder why the Catechumens and Candidates are dismissed after the homily each Sunday at 10:30 AM Mass at Immaculate Conception? Since they are not yet ready to fully participate in the Mass, they leave to continue reflecting on the Liturgy of the Word to prepare "for that day when they will join us at the Table of the Lord." The teens return Monday afternoons and the adults on Tuesday nights for further instruction and formation.

If you would be interesting in being a lector at the Church of the Assumption, and are at least 16 years old, please contact Rita Boyer at 589-8850.

The Immaculate Conception Choir is open to those who like to sing and are willing to commit to the choir’s schedule. We rehearse on Wednesday evenings and sing at the 10:30 AM Mass on Sunday. If you are interested in joining the choir and participating in this important ministry of our parish, please come to the choir loft and speak to Robert Harvey after Mass. All voice parts are needed!

Bible Study Continues on Wednesdays

The Bible Study Program will continue on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM in the Lower Rectory.  Come learn about the early Church. Please bring your Bible.

Please consider membership in the Legion of Mary. Won’t you join us in this special ministry in honor of our Blessed Mother? Our meetings are held on Tuesdays at 7:30 PM and last approximately one and a half hours. In February we were pleased to welcome two new members: Georgiene Walsh and Bernice Schulte. Our work takes us on visits to Lawrence Hospital, Sunrise Assisted Living, the Jackson Avenue Senior Apartments and the Sprain Brook Nursing Home.

The Legion promotes the recitation of the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the wearing of Scapulars. Legionnaires perform Spiritual Works of Mercy at the direction of the Pastor. If this looks as if it might be of interest to you, please attend a weekly meeting and obtain a hands-on introduction to the Legion. To learn more, please contact Elizabeth Lockhart: 632-1606, Ana Nunes: 738-2977, or our Spiritual Director, Father Fallon at the rectory. We you forward to your joining us.

Memory Stones are still available for the Prayer Garden at Assumption.  Leaves on the Memory Tree in the Church are also available.  For more information, please contact Michele Pinto for the Prayer Garden stones and Jim Celestino for the Memory Tree leaves.

Have you ever noticed the food collection bins at Immaculate Conception Church? They are there to collect non-perishable food items for the HOPE (Help Other People Eat) Ministry.

The H.O.P.E. ministry is in need of cooks, once a month, to prepare or donate unprepared foods for simple meals to feed 10. On the third Tuesday and second Wednesday of each month, we deliver meals to the H.O.P.E. soup kitchen in New Rochelle.

Volunteers are asked on the Tuesday or Wednesday, not both, to provide either unprepared foods such as a couple of bags of salad or frozen vegetables, or prepared foods such as meatloaf, sliced ham with sweet potatoes, hamburgers, chicken legs and thighs, etc. You just deliver the food to the back porch of the rectory by 3 PM of the assigned date. Again, your contribution is to feed only 10 people. Anyone interested please contact Kathy: 337-3356 or Camille: 961-7325.

No matter what the size of your estate, if you want to provide for relatives, friends and our Parish, you will need a Will. If you die without one, you lose the ability to control the disposition of your assets. New York State law, and not you, will tell your family where your money and property goes. Further, income tax and estate tax savings, which might be arranged through a careful review of your alternatives in the course of preparing your Will or estate plan, will be lost if no Will is prepared. Naming our parish as a charitable beneficiary in your Will is simple. For further information, you and/or your attorney may contact:

There are new stricter legal and ethical guidelines regarding the dissemination of patient information from hospitals to churches and clergy. In addition, today’s shorter hospital stays make timely pastoral visits difficult at best. If you have occasion to be hospitalized, you or your family members should do two things:

• Notify the rectory to let us know the hospital and dates.

• Upon admission to the hospital, you will be asked if you desire to have your religious affiliation as a part of your medical record and for permission to make your name available to clergy. Please indicate you are Catholic and note the parish.

If you fail to do either of the above, we may have no way of knowing your needs.

Our ministry for the Hispanics of the community is thriving. We are regularly scheduling Convivencias on the second Monday of each month at 7:30pm in the Lower Church. We are also offering Mass in Spanish at the Church of the Assumption at noon on the third Sunday of each month. Other services include English classes, Faith Formation through R.C.I.A., and social outreach. For more information, visit our Hispanic Ministry web page: http://www.assumption-immaculate.org/ministries/HispanicMinistry.

Protecting God’s Children - Anyone who needs to report an alleged incident of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest, deacon, religious, or lay person serving in the Archdiocese of New York is asked to contact Monsignor Desmond O’Connor at (212) 371-1000 ext.2931 or Sister Eileen Clifford, O.P. at ext. 2949. Both may also be reached via e-mail at victimassistance@archny.org. Information can also be found on the Archdiocesan web site: www.ny-archdiocese.org. In keeping with Archdiocesan policy regarding the sexual abuse of minors, this information is provided to ensure that our children remain safe and secure.

If you believe that you have suffered sexual abuse by a member of the clergy or anyone acting in the name of the Church, recently or in the past, the Archdiocese would like to assist you in reporting the abuse and in getting you the help you might need. If you wish to report sexual abuse by a priest or a deacon, you may do so by telephoning Sister Eileen Clifford at 212-371-1011, ext. 2949 or Monsignor Desmond O’Connor at 212-371-1011, ext. 2931. Both can be reached via e-mail at victimsassistance@archny.org. In addition, visitors to the Archdiocesan website, http://www.ny-archdiocese.org will find information for making a complaint online, by e-mail or by U.S. mail. The website also has valuable information on the Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program as well as tips for parents. In keeping with the Archdiocesan policy regarding sexual abuse, we provide this information to assure that all, especially our children, are safe and secure.

Si usted cree que recientemente o en el pasado ha sufrido abuso deshonesto por parte de un miembro de la clerecía o otros cometidos en la actuación en el nombre de la Iglesia, la Arquidiócesis ansía ayudarlo a denunciar el abuso y a obtener la asistencia que usted pueda necesitar. Si usted desea denunciar abuso deshonesto por parte de un sacerdote o un diácono, puede hacerlo telefoneando a la Hna. Eileen Clifford, al 212-371-1011, ext. 2949, o a Monseñor Desmond O´Connor, al 212-371-1011, ext. 2931. Ambos pueden ser contactados por correo electrónico en victimsassistance@archny.org. Además, quienes visitan la página Web de la Arquidiócesis, http://www.ny-archdiocese.org, encontrarán información para hacer una denuncia online, por medio de un correo electrónico o por el correo de los Estados Unidos. La página Web también tiene información valiosa sobre el Programa arquidiocesano por un Ambiente Seguro, así como también avisos confidenciales para los padres. Al compartir la política de la Arquidiócesis respecto al abuso deshonesto, proporcionamos esta información para asegurar que todos, en especial nuestros niños, están a salvo y seguros.

If you don’t own a cookbook yet, you can call the rectory to reserve a copy. They will be ready for pickup the next weekend - and they make great gifts for Christmas, bridal showers, and for the college student!

1. Write separate checks for second collections (those donations that are not for Assumption or Immaculate Conception Churches.) Writing one check for several different purposes makes our bookkeeping tasks difficult and causes extra work.

2. Please put your envelope number on your check. If you are not using envelopes, consider using them.

3. Prepare your envelope and have your check written before coming to Church.

4. Combine regular weekly Sunday offerings that were missed/forgotten with the present Sunday offering, and place it in the current envelope. One check is sufficient.

5. Remember to sign your check.

We thank you for your generosity and your support. It will help us to be more efficient and accurate in recording your contributions.

Throughout church history, the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary have brought about victories in hopeless times. One example is the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. When forces sought to destroy Christianity in Europe, Pope Pius, V instructed all Churches to hold 40 hours devotions (Eucharistic Adoration) and recite the Rosary. The Catholic faith was saved by people praying before Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and offering the Holy Rosary.

How blessed we are at Immaculate Conception to have Eucharistic Adoration every Monday and on First Fridays. To be able to continue with this wonderful gift, we are in need of committed adorers from 1pm to 7:15pm on Mondays and 1pm to 7pm on First Fridays.

Please answer the Lord’s invitation to spend an hour with Him in thanksgiving for all He has done for us. Our families, our Church, and our world need this devotion. There are sign-up papers on the windowsill at the Blessed Mother entrance to the Church. Please sign and you will be contacted.

Ministry Heads who want to have notices placed in the bulletin should submit the notice by Thursday, a week and a half before the bulletin will be distributed. The submittal should include all pertinent information including dates, times and places. Contact information should also be included, particularly daytime phone numbers, so that we can get back to you with questions. When using a parish facility, that facility needs to be booked ahead of time.

Due to space constraints, we cannot guarantee your notice will be included in the bulletin, although we will make every effort to include all items submitted by the target date. It may be necessary to edit a notice in order to have the space to accommodate it. We trust you understand.