November 6, 2025

Stewardship Thought for the Week

November 9

Feast of the Lateran Basilica

This Sunday, we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the oldest and highest-ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. More than a commemoration of a building, this feast reminds us that the Church is the living Body of Christ—and each of us is a vital part of it.

We celebrate the Church as God’s dwelling place—not just in buildings, but in each of us. As stewards of His presence, we’re called to keep our hearts open and pure, letting His grace flow through us like the life-giving water in Ezekiel’s vision.

Reflection Question: How can I live more fully as a temple of the Holy Spirit today?

Ministry Spotlight of the Week

Immaculate Conception’s Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Racial Justice Ministry invites you to consider how your unique spiritual gifts of encouragement, healing, leadership, prophecy, hospitality, communication, intercession, knowledge, pastoring, or wisdom might serve our church and Durham community!

It is no secret that Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is an extremely diverse parish, blessed with parishioners from a wide variety of ethnic, national, and cultural heritages. Our parishioners speak a multitude of languages and have very different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Yet, we share one faith in Christ and a commitment to our call of discipleship.

We would love for you to join our Racial Justice Ministry as we work together for justice and empowerment through listening and being attentive to the struggles and the triumphs of people right here in Durham. Our ministry seeks to provide opportunities for reconciliation, education, and advocacy as we build an authentic, beloved community in the body of Christ.

Our Racial Justice Ministry typically meets once a month for discussions and to plan parish events throughout the year. In addition, we host a short discussion on the Gospel and readings on the 2nd Sunday of every month after the 7:45 am mass in the daily chapel. We also are in the process of forming a Franciscan Justice Circle that will focus on racial justice issues in our parish and community.

For more information, please contact Barbara Curran.

Stewardship Renewal

This weekend is our Stewardship Renewal Weekend. Yesterday, you received an email with the Stewardship Renewal materials. We hope each of you will take some time to review the materials you received. Take a moment to listen to Katie Rielly share why she gives to our community!

As you do, take some time to reflect on why you give to our parish. May this Stewardship Renewal Weekend be an opportunity for you to reflect on all the ways God has blessed your life, and how you are sharing those blessings through your time, talent, and treasure.

MAKE YOUR STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE

Latino Food Sale

Join us for the Latino Food sale this Sunday, November 9 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and enjoy a delicious meal with your family. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

JPIC Racial Justice Ministry:

We Are One Body in This One Lord

Immaculate Conception’s JPIC Racial Justice Ministry invites you to stay for half an hour after the 7:45 a.m. Mass on November 9th for a short discussion on how this Sunday’s Scriptures inform racial harmony in the body of Christ. You are welcome to share your hopes, concerns, and ideas.

We hope to meet at the same time every second Sunday in the Daily Chapel, to build community, listen to one another and discuss how we can more clearly exemplify the body of Christ across all racial and other earthly divides. Please stay for this conversation.

For more information, please visit our JPIC Racial Justice Ministry webpage or call Barbara Curran at (440) 840-5511.

Saints and Stories

Join us on Tuesday, November 11, for Saints and Stories, a gathering to learn about the saints of our Church and hear stories of faith from local women. This month we will be learning about St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. We will meet from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the youth ministry room in the school. All women in the parish are welcome to attend. Please contact Jeanne Bernacki, for more information.

Antorcha - November 14, 2025 - 5:30 pm

The Antorcha arrives this Friday, November 14th at 5:30 p.m. and Mass is at 6:00 p.m.!

The Antorcha-Guadalupe Torch Run, a relay run from Mexico City to New York City, is an annual religious celebration of solidarity and hope for justice. Thousands of people participate along the route.

Every November, our parish welcomes the Guadalupe Torchlight along with the replicas of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego. Our parishioners carry the touch along its journey north to another Catholic Church in a neighboring city. The month-long celebration culminates on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We hope you can join us!

Advent Materials

Can you believe that Advent is right around the corner? Beginning next weekend (November 15/16), 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.

We are looking for people to stand at the table after all the Masses next weekend to help with the materials. If you can help after one of the Masses, please email Margie.

Cristo Rey Open House

Saturday, November 15 | 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

344 Blackwell St, Durham NC 27701

Discover Cristo Rey Research Triangle High School, a Catholic Jesuit high school dedicated to forming students who are College Ready. Career Prepared. Our Corporate Work Study Program helps make a Catholic education affordable while giving students real-world work experience.

Visit our campus and see how your child can thrive!

Catholic Daughters Book Club

Catholic Daughters of the Americas – Court Durham will have our CDA Book Club discussion on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. in the Youth Room at IC in the Olive Tree Building. Kathy Franzak will lead our discussion on The Delight of Being Ordinary by Roland Merullo. Please bring an appetizer to share with the group in lieu of dinner. All ladies, 18 years of age or older, are welcome to attend, whether they have read the book or not. Come and meet the wonderful ladies of Court Durham. You may also join via Zoom for the discussion. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mary Foster.

Meals for the Hungry - 11/19

As a parish, we serve dinner to ~150-200 people on the third Saturday of every month. We ask that food donations be delivered in disposable (ie, aluminum) pans and that each donation be enough to feed 15 people. Donations can be dropped off at the Immaculata kitchen (attached to the school) between 4:15 and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Food will be kept warm and cold as necessary until transport to Urban Ministry on Liberty Street, where meals will be served in person. We ask that those who volunteer to serve at Urban Ministries arrive at Immaculata kitchen by 5 pm; an insufficient number of servers puts a burden on those serving. Thank you for your generosity and kindness.

Catholic Daughters Annual Bake Sale

It’s not too early to start planning to support our annual fundraiser! The Catholic Daughters will be selling homemade baked goods the weekend of November 22–23 in the Gathering Space (the weekend before Thanksgiving).

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!

Thanksgiving Baskets

Each year at Thanksgiving, we like to provide Thanksgiving Baskets for those in our community who are in need.This is one time when we focus our help on our parishioners. We aim to provide these families not only with food for their Thanksgiving meal but with much more.

The Youth Group is collecting the canned goods we need. We are asking parishioners to donate turkeys, hams, and food gift cards for these families. Donations can be delivered to the parish office beginning Monday, November 10th, through Tuesday, November 18th. All items must be delivered no later than Tuesday, November 18th.

Thanks to all of you who have already signed up to help! Your response has been amazing. We can still use a few more donations.If you would like to donate needed food items, please sign up below.

We are also looking for parishioners to help deliver the Thanksgiving food to those who will be receiving it. Deliveries will take place between Wednesday, November 19th, and Monday, November 24th. Fourteen people have already signed up to help, but we still need 11 more volunteers. If you would like to help deliver food, please sign up below.

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Christmas Ornament Making

On Saturday, December 6th, we will be making Christmas ornaments! For every ornament the children make to take home, they will also make one to donate to Meals on Wheels. The Meals on Wheels clients are always so grateful to receive these ornaments.

We still need 8 adults to help us - to come up with an ornament idea, gather the necessary supplies, and be at the event on the 6th to teach the children how to make them. If you save your receipts for supplies, we can reimburse you.

Please use the sign-up link below to volunteer. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Margie.