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September 12, 2019Faced with multiple legal claims under the New York State Child Victims Act that exceed its resources to settle or litigate, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Bishop Matano has released a letter about this bankruptcy filing, which you can read here. The diocese has also created a web page with resources about the filing, which you can access here. Please keep the victims of clergy abuse and the diocese in your prayers.Read More -
September 10, 2019All are invited to “round 2” presentations as St. Catherine's prepares for the possibility of significant change over the next several years. The presentation will take place September 22 from 1–2:30 p.m. As a means of thinking and acting strategically, Fr. Joe, the Pastoral Council, and the Finance Council invite you to a conversation about the beliefs, ideas, and proposed actions your fellow parishioners provided in the “round 1” conversations this past spring. Food and drinks will be available before each conversation. We hope you will come and take part in this important work, adding your voice to the conversations about the future of our parish.Read More -
September 4, 2019Ithaca congregations work together to host a MobilePack each fall for Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization that packs and ships meals to distribution partners worldwide. Volunteers of all ages pack the food in two-hour shifts over a weekend. This year's MobilePack will take place September 25–29 here at St. Catherine's. For more information and links to sign up for the many packing shifts, please click here. We hope you can join us--it's the most fun you can have in a hairnet!Read More -
August 22, 2019Read MoreBishop Matano has released a letter to the faithful about the New York State Child Victims Act. You can read the letter here. Many thanks for your taking the time to read about this important issue.
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July 2, 2019Beginning Sunday, June 30, we will be livestreaming our 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. We hope this will allow those who are sick or homebound to continue to be a part of our community. To access the livestream, please click the link under the Mass Livestream heading to the right on our homepage. The stream is live only during the Mass.Read More -
April 5, 2019On Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m., the Lenten cantata "Portraits in Grace" will be presented at Immaculate Conception Church, 113 N. Geneva St. The cantata tells the story of Jesus’ suffering and death through song and narrative, with music based on familiar hymn tunes. Singers from Tompkins County Catholic faith communities, including St. Catherine’s, are participating and will be accompanied by chamber orchestra. Our music director, Sherry Scanza, will conduct the performance. The concert is free and open to the public. All are welcome!Read More -
March 11, 2019Read MoreAs many of you might have heard, the Jesuit Northeast Province has made known an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against Fr. Carsten Martensen, who has served in campus ministry at both Ithaca College and Cornell since 2007 and who has occasionally celebrated Mass here at St. Catherine’s. The allegation dates to the 1970s. Fr. Martensen has stepped down from all current assignments and public ministry pending completion of an investigation by the Province and recommendations by its independent Review Board. The Diocese of Rochester has never received an allegation against Father Martensen during his ministry in the Diocese. You can read the statement from the Jesuit Northeastern Province here. This raises up the issue of abuse within the church once again. Fr. Joe and staff members are available if you feel the need to talk to someone. Please call the office at 607-257-2493. Please keep all victims in your prayers. We also encourage you to pray for Fr. Carsten while the accusation is being investigated and the Campus Ministry staffs at Cornell University and Ithaca College during this time of change and uncertainty.
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February 6, 2019Read MoreFr. Joe was recently interviewed by Eric Clay, M.Div., Ph.D., on the "Made of Clay Program" on local public radio station WRFI. You can listen to the interview here. -
February 6, 2019Read MoreWe pray that the passage of the Child Victims Act brings some measure of healing to all survivors by offering them a path of recourse and reconciliation. The legislation now recognizes that child sexual abuse is an evil not just limited to one institution, but a tragic societal ill that must be addressed in every place where it exists.
Sadly, we in the Church know all too well the devastating toll of abuse on survivors, their families, and the extended community. Every Catholic diocese in New York has taken important steps to support survivors of child sexual abuse, including the implementation of reconciliation and compensation programs. We are proud that these pioneering programs have not only helped well more than a thousand survivors of clergy abuse in New York, but have also become a model for how to help survivors in other states and in other institutions.
Now, we hope that this same type of survivor-centered approach, that puts the emphasis on healing, is available to all survivors, regardless of when the abuse occurred, or who their abuser was—whether it was a priest, a coach, a teacher, a doctor, or, as is all too common, a family member. We have long called for strengthening the Child Victims Act and will continue to advocate for the elimination of the criminal statute of limitations, compensations programs for those who prefer it to litigation, and mandatory safe environment training for anyone who works with children, as we have implemented in the eight dioceses throughout New York State.
We thank the brave survivors who have told their stories of abuse in every sector of society. Their witness has moved us all. We renew our commitment to combatting the monstrous crime of childhood sexual abuse and helping all survivors find recourse and reconciliation as they heal. -
October 29, 2018Read MoreThe 2018 Catholic Ministries Appeal is underway. Please help support Catholic Charities, Catholic schools, campus ministries, and seminarian education by donating to the CMA. Please see this year's CMA video to see how your donation helps others. You can donate online with the Diocese of Rochester here; please make sure to mark St. Catherine's as your parish. Many thanks! -
October 29, 2018We invite you to match your gift to the Catholic Ministries Appeal or give a separate donation to any advocacy organization that works specifically with victims of sexual abuse by priests. Fr. Joe is matching his donation to the CMA with a donation to those who have been directly abused by priests, and he invites us to do the same.Read More -
October 29, 2018Read MoreOur parish has held a number of Listening Sessions and Courageous Conversations about the clergy sex abuse crisis in the Church. Participants included middle- and high-school aged youth, young adults, parents, and adults of all ages. We have prepared a report that puts together the main themes of these sessions, which you can access here. The report is also available in the printed and online bulletin for October 28. -
September 10, 2018Read MoreRecent revelations about the abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania have once again sickened and angered our community and the Church as a whole. Please see the following links for responses to this crisis from Pope Francis, Bishop Matano, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. We have also provided links to some of Fr. Joe's homilies that addressed this crisis directly. To see the Diocese of Rochester's Office of Safe Environment site, click here. To see St. Catherine's Creating a Safe Environment page, click here. Victims of abuse should always report to the civil authorities. To report a case of possible sexual abuse and to receive help and guidance from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, victims are encouraged to contact the victims’ assistance coordinator, Deborah Housel, at (585) 328-3228, ext. 1555; toll-free at 1-800-388-7177, ext. 1555; or email at victimsassistance@dor.org.- November, 2018: Message from Cardinal DiNardo
- Letter of his Holiness Pope Francis to the People of God
- Letter to the Faithful from Bishop Matano
- Statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, September 19
- Statement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Bishop Robert Barron Q&A on the Abuse Crisis
- Podcast: Courageous Conversations About Sexual Abuse Scandal in the Catholic Church with Dr. Dobie Moser
- Podcast: Talking To Young People About the Scandals in the Catholic Church
- Fr. Joe's Homily from the Feast of the Assumption (August 15)
- Fr. Joe's Homily from the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 19)
- Fr. Joe's Homily from the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 26)
- Fr. Joe's Homily from the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (September 2)