November 20, 2025

Thanksgiving Baskets

Thank you so much for your generosity! You should see how much food you delivered—there’s no room left in the office (in fact, we had to store items in another office as well). You donated plenty of turkeys, hams, and food cards too!

Many thanks to all who signed up to help with this project—the many children who helped sort the food and assemble the boxes, and the adults who volunteered to deliver the boxes to our families. Thank you!

Stewardship Thought for the Week

Sunday, November 23

Solemnity of Christ the King

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that true discipleship is shown in how we care for others—especially the hungry, the sick, and the stranger. Stewardship means seeing Christ in those in need and responding with love.

Reflection Question: How can I serve Christ today by caring for someone in need?

Ministry Spotlight of the Week

Would you like to engage your spiritual gifts* of hospitality, caregiving, or service? Why not consider becoming part of Catholic Daughters?

The mission of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas is to embrace the principle of faith working through love to promote justice, equality, and human rights and dignity for all.

We are dedicated to advancing our faith through devotion opportunities, charitable services and social activities. Through donations and fundraising efforts we have recently supported the USO,ICC Tuition Assistance, Vets for Vets (service dogs), Catholic Charities of Asheville, inpatients

at the VA Hospital, NC Pregnancy Support, Families Moving Forward and the Caring House.

The organization provides opportunities for members to serve others and contribute to the well-being of the church and the wider community. We welcome all women of our parish (over age 18) to join us at our meetings on the first Thursday of the month.

For more information, contact Jayne Stephens.

Special Message on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore

The bishops issued a Special Message addressing their concern for the evolving situation impacting immigrants in the United States. It marked the first time in twelve years the USCCB invoked this particularly urgent way of speaking as a body of bishops.

Read Message

IC Recources

Advent Materials

This weekend, we will have Advent materials available in the gathering space for you to purchase.

We will have:

Sets of Advent candles ($12)
Staircase wreath ($18)
Large brass wreath ($17)
Small brass wreath ($15)
Little Blue Book for Advent ($4)
A devotional with Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas ($4)

There will also be an Advent calendar and children’s projects for Advent. There is no cost for the Advent calendars or the children’s materials.

A white plastic container will be on the table where you can place your money or check.

We hope these materials will be helpful to you and your families.

Catholic Daughters Bake Sale

The Catholic Daughters will be selling homemade baked goods this weekend of November 22–23 in the Gathering Space.

Why not purchase a dessert for your Thanksgiving meal—or treat yourself to something delicious?

The Catholic Daughters appreciate your support of their annual fundraiser!

The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is one of our parish’s favorite projects. We place tags on a tree in the gathering space requesting gifts for families in our parish who are in need (the same families we help with Thanksgiving food). Many of you have asked to receive the tags before Thanksgiving so you can shop over the holiday weekend, so we will be placing some tags on the tree this weekend. More tags will be added soon. All gifts need to be returned by December 14th.

Thank you for your participation and generosity!

November is Black Catholic History Month!

Do you know who said, “The history of Black Catholics is a history of a people who refused to be separated from the Church, even when the Church seemed to separate itself from them.”

In honor of Black Catholic History Month this November, Immaculate Conception’s Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Racial Justice Ministry will feature informational displays in the gathering space, celebrating eminent African-American theologians and Black Americans being considered for sainthood. Please visit our displays to learn more about the rich history of Black Catholics in America.

Communion Service

We will have Communion Services in place of Daily Mass on Monday, November 24; Tuesday, November 25; and Wednesday, November 26.

Youngish Adults (30s-40s) Bible Study

Scripture sharing for adults in their 30s-40s. Selected Mondays through January. 7 pm in San Damiano Trailer.

11/24; 12/1; 12/15; 1/5; 1/12; 1/26

Contact Fr. Hugh for more information.

Thanksgiving Mass

The parish office will close on Wednesday, November 26th at noon, and will reopen on Monday, December 1st at 9:00 a.m.

Biblical Latin for Advent

Matthew Lubin, scholar of Renaissance history, will offer an introductory foray into Latin with passages from the Latin Vulgate for the Advent season. This three-week language-learning adventure requires no previous knowledge of Latin. Participants are recommended to be at least 16 years old, solely because of the mode of the lessons. Come and learn about this historically important language for the Catholic Church through seasonally relevant content. Tuesdays, December 2, 9, and 16 from 7:00 to 8:15 pm in the San Damiano trailer.

Registration is not required but is helpful for the instructor's preparation.

Contact Friar Hugh if you have any questions.

Christmas Ornament Making

Families—don’t forget to sign up for this fun Christmas Ornament Making event! On Saturday, December 6th, from 9:00–11:30 a.m., we will gather in Fellowship Hall. The Knights of Columbus will be serving breakfast to begin the morning. Then, children will have the opportunity to make several ornaments. For each ornament the children make, they are asked to create another to donate to Meals on Wheels. The Meals on Wheels clients are always excited to receive these ornaments.

22nd Annual Advent Alternative Gift Fair

December 6-7, 2025

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church's Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Ministry will be hosting our 22nd Annual Advent Alternative Gift Fair in the gathering space after all our masses the weekend of December 6-7th. This special event provides the opportunity to live out your faith as you celebrate the spirit of the season.

Instead of traditional gifts, Christmas “honor cards” will be available inviting parishioners to make financial donations in support of local and global organizations dedicated to social justice and Catholic social teaching in areas such as promoting human dignity, poverty relief, economic justice, and care for creation. 100% of all contributions go directly to these charities. It is a meaningful way to share the joy of giving! We look forward to seeing you at this year’s gift fair!

22nd Annual Advent Alternative Gift Fair Charitable Organizations

Eno River Association
Furniture Project of Durham
Heifer International
El Futuro
NC Justice Center
Peace and Hope International
Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham
Urban Ministries of Durham

Advent is a beautiful time to honor God by sharing your time, talent, and unique gifts, such as leadership, hospitality, communication, wisdom, or generosity!!!

There are many simple ways to help: setting up, cleaning up, welcoming guests, explaining the purpose of the fair, or assisting others as they make donations. Even a few minutes after the Mass you attend can make a difference! To learn more or share your availability, please contact Isabel Kovalik. 

Advent Family Retreat

Save the Date for an Advent Family Retreat on Saturday, December 13 from 9:00 -11:00 a.m.

If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, please contact Jeanne Bernacki.

School Playground Improvement Survey

We are excited to announce that Immaculata is exploring ways to improve our campus playground! Our goal is to create a space that is fun, safe, and inspiring for all our students and parish families.

Your feedback will help guide our discissions regarding the space and current structures in place. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts. Your input will play an important role in shaping the future of play on our campus.

Thank you for being part of this exciting project!

Survey

50 Plus Club

The next meeting of the 50 Plus group will be our annual Potluck Christmas Party, held in the social hall at St. Matthew Church on Wednesday, December 3, at 12:30 PM.

Chicken, ham, and drinks will be provided. We ask everyone to bring a side dish or dessert of your choice. After lunch, we’ll enjoy a few games of bingo with prizes awarded!

Membership in 50 Plus is required to attend the party. Annual dues are $20, and it’s easy to join in advance of the event.

For further information, please contact us at 50pluspresident@gmail.com, or reach out to the co-presidents, Bob and Mary Jane Wiethe, at 919-491-6445.