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March 18, 2020

The church and Parish Office are both closed. Fr. Joe is on active duty with the National Guard in Syracuse. The parish staff is working from home. We will continue to receive phone calls to the office phone number at 257-2493, and staff will receive their emails. Please don't hesitate to be in contact. We assure you all of our prayers at this difficult and anxious time.

Weekend Mass Information

March 18, 2020

Since the Diocese of Rochester has suspended public Masses, St. Catherine’s will livestream our Mass on Saturday evenings at 5 p.m. This is not a public event and is only accessible through streaming. The Mass will stream live at 5 p.m. on Saturday; a recording of the Mass will be available for viewing immediately afterward. We encourage you to watch the Mass at whatever time makes sense for your household on Saturday or Sunday. You can access the Mass by clicking the "Boxcast" button on our website under "Livestream," above the Twitter feed. Please contact us at istcathe@dor.org if you have trouble accessing the livestream.

Weekday Prayer Opportunities

March 18, 2020

We will be livestreaming three prayer opportunities each weekday. Each will last 15–30 minutes. At 9 a.m. each weekday, we will stream a Liturgy of the Word. At 9 p.m. each weekday, we will stream Evening Prayer. At noon every day, we will stream a different kind of devotion: Monday—Rosary; Tuesday—Eucharistic Adoration; Wednesday—Chaplet of Divine Mercy; Thursday—Sacred Instrumental Music; and Friday—Stations of the Cross. Because it is essential for the health and well-being of you and everyone in our community, we ask that you only participate in these events through streaming, accessible by clicking the "Boxcast" button under "Livestream," above the Twitter feed.

Community Check-in

March 18, 2020

Beginning Monday, March 23, St. Catherine’s will do a Community Check-in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3–4 p.m. for anyone who wants a little conversation and shared prayer. To join this Zoom Meeting, go to www.tinyurl.com/StCatCheckin. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, please click here for directions. Remember that you will be on camera! We will ask everyone to mute themselves when not talking so that background noise doesn’t disrupt the conversation.

Phone Calling and Helping Ministries

March 18, 2020

We want to ensure that all of our parishioners are supported during the weeks ahead. If you would like to be a part of our phone-calling ministry team, please send an email to June at istcathe@dor.org. We will give you a list of people for you to call at least once a week for the foreseeable future. Likewise, if you are healthy and in a position to run errands for people who may not want to or are unable to leave their house, please email June and let her know that you are available. You will be contacted by parish staff to ask for your assistance as it is needed. If you are in need of help, please contact St. Catherine’s at istcathe@dor.org or 257-2493 and let us know what you need. If we can help, we will do our best to assist you.

Online Giving

March 18, 2020

St. Catherine’s does not have a large reserve of money in which to operate the parish without the ongoing donations of our parishioners. We recognize that this is a very stressful time financially and all of us are concerned about income, investments, and job security. We ask that you prayerfully consider contributing to the parish, as you are able, through online giving here. This is the safest way for St. Catherine’s to receive your donation and makes it almost immediately available for our needs. Offering Towers in the Church and Parish Center can also be used throughout this crisis.

Diocesan Notice on Proofs of Claim

March 6, 2020

Please click here to read an important notice from the Diocese of Rochester about the deadline to file a proof of claim against the diocese. If you have a proof of claim to file, please see http://case.stretto.com/rochesterdiocese/fileaclaim.

Catholic Ministries Appeal 2019-2020

October 3, 2019

The annual Catholic Ministries Appeal has begun to help those in need throughout the diocese. The money raised in the appeal allows the diocese to take care of the poor, the troubled, the battered, and the addicted through Catholic Charities. It supports chaplains for colleges, hospitals, and jails; provides Catholic school tuition assistance and youth retreats; trains catechists; and prepares our seminarians for ordination. The CMA also helps to make our parish ministries possible here at St. Catherine’s. Please watch the video for this year's CMA appeal here. Please prayerfully consider making a gift. Our goal for the appeal this year is $56,250. Our parish is responsible for sending the full amount to the diocese, regardless of how much we raise in pledges, so your generosity is vital to supporting both St. Catherine’s and the diocesan mission. Thank you for your generosity.

Statement from the Diocese of Rochester on Chapter 11 Filing

September 12, 2019

Faced 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.

Livestream of Our Sunday 9 a.m. Mass

July 2, 2019

Beginning 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.

Lenten Cantata April 5

April 5, 2019

On 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!

Statement on Fr. Carsten Martensen

March 11, 2019

As 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.

Hear Fr. Joe on the "Made of Clay" Radio Program

February 6, 2019

Fr. 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.

New York State Bishops' Statement on Passage of the Child Victims' Act

February 6, 2019

We 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.

Catholic Ministries Appeal 2018

October 29, 2018

The 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!

Donate to Victims' Advocacy

October 29, 2018

We 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.

Report on Listening Sessions and Courageous Conversations

October 29, 2018

Our 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.

Response to Clergy Abuse Crisis

September 10, 2018

Recent 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.

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