January 25, 2024

2024 Bishop’s Annual Appeal

This week, we begin preparing for the 2024 Bishop’s Annual Appeal which will take place February 18. The Bishop’s Annual Appeal is our opportunity as members of the larger Catholic community to have an impact on the physical and spiritual lives of our brothers and sisters in eastern NC. We are celebrating 100 years of our Diocese: Learning from our History and Shaping our Future.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas – Court Durham #1576

Our February Monthly meeting is on the first Thursday, February 1, 2024, in the San Damiano Trailer. Rosary begins at 6:30 PM and the meeting will begin at 7:00 PM. Our guest speaker will be Deacon Desi Vikor from Saint Matthews Parish, speaking on “Forgiveness”. All ladies 18 years of age or older are invited to attend our meetings. Meetings are also offered on Zoom. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Regent Jeanie Orencia. For more information on the Catholic Daughters of the Americas see the National website.

ICS 8th Grade Spaghetti Dinner

Come out and support our 8^th grade Eagles on Friday, February 2 from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall! The ICS 8^th grade class invites the entire community to join them for a dinner of spaghetti and salad catered by Knights of Columbus and 8^th grade families. Proceeds will be used for the annual 8^th grade class trip. Click here to purchase your tickets today!

This weekend we welcome students and families from Immaculata celebrating Catholic Schools Week!

JPIC Valentine's Day Fair Trade Chocolate Sale 

The weekend before Valentine's Day, February 10-11, Immaculate Conception's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) will be teaming up again with Bull City Fair Trade for our JPIC Valentine's Day Fair Trade Chocolate Sale in the gathering space after all our masses. Our Hispanic Young Adults Ministry (PJH El Sembrador) will be helping our JPIC lead this event for our parish community!  

Please show your commitment to Catholic Social Teaching and support of “Fair Trade” by purchasing delicious chocolate for yourself, friends, and loved ones! To learn more about Fair Trade, please visit our JPIC Valentine’s Day Fair Trade Chocolate Sale web page. We look forward to seeing you! 

Ash Wednesday Schedule

February 14, 2024

6:15 AM - English Mass

8:15 AM - School Mass

Noon - English Mass

5:30 PM - Bilingual Mass

7:00 PM - Spanish Mass

JPIC Celebration of Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador: Saint - Prophet - Martyr - Servant of God

During Lent, Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) will be celebrating the prophetic servant of God and martyred Archbishop of San Salvador, Saint Óscar Romero. Once a conservative defender of the status quo, St. Romero became one of the church's most outspoken voices of the oppressed. 

Although “vilified in the press, attacked, and denounced to Rome by Catholics of the wealthy classes, harassed by the security forces, and publicly opposed by several episcopal colleagues,” in his homilies from the Cathedral pulpit, Romero called upon Catholics to live their commitment to the Gospel and the teachings of Christ as he denounced the killings, torture, and the disappearances of community leaders, demanded justice and recompense for the atrocities committed by the army and police, set up legal aid projects and pastoral programs to support the victims of violence, and rejected the violence perpetrated by the left as well as the right, never ceasing to promote peaceful solutions to his nation’s crisis.  

We hope you will join us for several programs/events our JPIC will be hosting to celebrate St. Romero during Lent: 

1. JPIC Screening of Romero Film: 02/16 
2. JPIC PHD St. Óscar Romero Lenten Book Studies: ​Once A Week Throughout Lent (English and Spanish) 
3. JPIC Presentation on St. Óscar Romero: 03/06 
4. IC Reception of St. Óscar Romero Relic: 03/15 

Volunteer Opportunities

The New Year is a great time to start again! Maybe this year you would like to get more involved in the parish! There are so many opportunities to do so. A few opportunities are listed below:

Bereavement Committee

We want to start up the Bereavement Committee again. This Committee would provide a reception in the gathering space after funerals. You can be part of the team that sets up, serves, cleans up, or drops off food.

Love Fund Ministry

Would you like to help those in need? We are looking for a few more volunteers to get involved in this ministry. 

Helping a parishioner

We have an older couple who have been part of our community for a long time. They have been experiencing severe health issues. They could use some help. They live in North Durham. 

If you would like to learn more about these opportunities please contact Margie.

Safe Environment Team

We are looking for a few more people to be part of our Safe Environment Team. Our Safe Environment Team helps oversee that the Diocesan guidelines are being followed at the parish and that we are creating a Safe Haven in our parish for children and youth. The team meets quarterly on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 PM. If you would like to help with this important work, please contact Margie.

News from Growing thru Grief

At Growing thru Grief, we’re continuing to offer grief support to those grieving the loss of a loved one. Here is our schedule for the rest of January and February.

• January 23: “Your Mandala” with Lindsay Gallo
• January 30: “Walking Each Other Home” with Terry Allebaugh
• February 6: “A Grief Perspective” with Jane Williams
• February 13: “Here Comes ANOTHER Holiday!” with Bodie McCann\
• February 27: “What I Have Learned from 22 Date of Death Anniversaries” with Mandy Murphy

We meet at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1200 W. Cornwallis, from 4 to 6 pm. All are welcome.

Virtual Catholic Estate Planning Webinar

As a way to help educate parishioners in their knowledge as faithful stewards of the Lord’s gifts, the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh is offering another Estate Planning Webinar on Tuesday, February 13th, 2024.

The Webinar will be led by Foundation Staff and a local Estate Planning Attorney, providing an excellent opportunity for parishioners to learn more about what personal planning is and what it involves. Webinar topics include legal steps required in personal planning, understanding wills and trusts, Catholic Advance Medical Directives, Power of Attorney, and an overview of the various charitable vehicles for estate planning.

Second Collection: Latin America

The Collection for the Church in Latin America supports pastoral programs as awarded by the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Projects include the work of evangelization, formation of laity, religious, and seminarians, as well as youth ministry and catechesis. Funding is limited to programmatic expenses and excludes building construction except in cases of emergency.  

Financial Report

Financial Report Below is the financial information for last month. We are grateful to all of you for your financial support. For those of you who would like to sign up for online giving, here are the instructions.