Around the Parish – June 8, 2025
40 Hours Celebration
A warm welcome to Fr. Ian McElrath, our guest preacher for this year’s 40 Hours Eucharistic Devotion. Fr. McElrath will offer reflections each evening during Solemn Evening Prayer across the three days of adoration. Please join me in making him feel truly welcome here at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.
A Special Seven Years
On June 8, 2018, Fr. Ian McElrath and I were ordained priests for the Diocese of Erie. I am deeply humbled to have spent three of these seven years with all of you here in Mercer. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Please be sure to congratulate Fr. McElrath when you see him! I look forward to many more years together here—God willing and with the Bishop’s blessing!
Vacation Bible School
Registration is still open for Vacation Bible School! Help our amazing team by registering your children as soon as possible—this allows us to guarantee a t-shirt for each participant. Registration forms are available at the doors of the church and online at ihmercer.org/vbs
70th Anniversary Directory
Beginning next weekend, you’ll be able to sign up in person after all Masses to have your portrait taken for our 70th Anniversary Parish Directory. If you haven’t yet registered online, please plan to sign up in the coming weeks. Our directory won’t be complete without you! Visit ihmercer.org/2025-directory for more info.
70th Anniversary Parish Cookbook
And don’t forget to submit your favorite recipes for our Anniversary Cookbook! You can submit them online or drop them off at the parish office. This is a special fundraiser for our parish family. Recipe deadline: July 31, 2025.
300 Club
Only about 100 tickets remain for our 300 Club fundraiser! The first drawing is set for July 15. These tickets make great gifts for family and friends. Encourage others to join in—your support helps offset the gap in our weekly offertory and keeps our parish thriving.
Here are a few thoughts for the week ahead:
Make sure the choices you make are worth the sacrifices they may require. Don’t cling to a mistake just because you’ve spent a long time making it. Sometimes, happiness slips in through a door you didn’t even realize you left open.
Pax et Bonum, Fr. Andy
The Power and Tradition of Mass Intentions
The Mass is considered the greatest prayer of intercession in the Church. This is because it is the perfect offering of Christ to the Father, making present the Paschal Mystery of His death and resurrection. Traditionally, a Priest may be requested to offer a Mass for a specific intention, even if the requester cannot be physically present.
Offering Masses for the Deceased:
Having a Mass offered for a deceased person is an ancient and commendable practice. A Mass is offered to pray for the departed, that they may find peace in heaven. Since each Mass holds infinite value, requesting one or several Masses is of tremendous benefit to the person prayed for, as well as their family, who can take comfort in knowing that their intention is united with the prayers of the Church.
The Mass: Center of Christian Life:
Every Mass is a precious gift from God. It is the center of the Church’s life, known as “the source and summit of the Christian life,” because in the celebration of the Mass, we are brought back to Jesus’ Last Supper, the first Mass. We consciously recall the love of God poured out for us through the life, death, and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. At each Mass, all the intentions of God’s people, both living and deceased, are included. As Pope Paul VI noted in his motu proprio “Firma in Traditione,” the faithful, moved by an ecclesial and religious sense, join their own sacrifices to the Eucharistic sacrifice, participating more intensely and supporting the Church’s needs, especially its ministers.
Requesting a Mass Intention:
Anyone may request a Mass Intention for a living person, a deceased person, members of a family, or a special intention appropriate to the celebration of the Eucharist, such as World Peace, Vocations, or Respect for Life. The Church allows only one intention per Mass.
Offering a Mass Stipend:
The normal stipend offering for a Mass is $10. However, a Mass Offering can be more or less than the suggested amount, depending on the financial position of the person requesting the Mass. Envelopes for Mass intention requests are available at the entrances of the church. These envelopes can be placed in the collection basket or returned to the parish office. The requester may also ask for a card to be sent to notify someone that a Mass Intention has been requested (one card per intention). Please note that the name of the person(s) requesting the Mass is not announced.