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Welcome to
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
ADORATION
MASS SCHEDULE
CONFESSION
1st Fridays
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
ROSARY
English: 20-minutes before each
Weekend Mass
Polish: 30-minutes before each
Sunday Mass (10:30 a.m.)
Tuesday to Friday 8:30 a.m. (English)
Saturday 4:30 p.m. (English)
Sunday 9:30 a.m. (English)
Sunday 11:00 a.m. (Polish)
Saturday 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Upon request: Anytime
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Simply call 705-742-5466
and speak with a priest,
to set up a time.
For Masses on Tuesday to Friday, please enter in the side door (south side) directly off the parking lot, where the ramp is located.
BISHOP'S STATEMENT ON THE ELECTION OF POPE LEO XIV
STATE OF OUR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
Once again, we see that our Heavenly Father took care of our parish, together with your generous cooperation. I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to all of you; as well as those who could not come to Mass, dropping off and mailing in your donations. Let us be united in prayer for each other and may God give you health of body and spirit.—Fr. Jozef
2024 IN REVIEW—We have now engaged an Architect for our Lift project. If all goes according to plan, it will be installed this year before the boilers are turned on for the winter season (heating pipes need to be rerouted to accommodate the lift). As of today, it appears that we have sufficient funds for the installation, thanks to your generosity. Another project on the horizon is replacement of our roof; the Insurance company will not entertain new claims due to its condition and age. The timing of and funding for this project are currently being considered.
2024 is the third year of the past seven in which a net deficit has occurred. As you can see from the financial statements, our 2024 Offertory was slightly higher than that of 2023. However, as we reported in December 2024, our monthly expenses are still consistently greater than our offertory income by an average of $4,000. This is unsustainable. In any event, due to the monthly bottle drive by the Knights, we were able to fix the drainage on the south side of the church to prevent further leaking into the hall. We were also able to pave the driveway at a cost of $11,641.72. Our new Finance Council will soon present a plan to help us recover, and we ask for your support in these efforts.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT!
Your Finance Committee:
Brendan Moher, Peter Dawson, Kevin Grubb, Dave Morello, Derek O’Toole, Diane Mather and Will Callaghan
— June, 2025
SUCCESSFUL PROJECT
On Saturday, June 7th, 2025 a team of volunteers laid sod over the area beside the church that had
previously been dug up for installation of drainage pipes.
The costs were covered thanks to our monthly Bottle Drive...so thanks to all who support this fundraising effort!
JANUARY 2025 FINANCIAL UPDATE
On behalf of the Finance Committee, I would like to thank Paul Ayotte for his tremendous leadership over the past many years as Finance Chairman and all that entails. As you may know, he stepped down in December for a well-earned break.
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Last January, Paul’s report indicated in part that: “Our offertory collections have virtually stayed the same year-over-year, while expenses increase…but we are running very close to the line, so if we could each consider increasing our weekly offering a little, it would be a big help.”
Then a bulletin entry in December indicated that “Our Operating Account balance has now dropped to zero”. Fr. Jozef put out a plea, noting that if everyone could increase their weekly contribution by $10 (the cost of a coffee & muffin at Tim Hortons), we would start to recover. As of mid-January, after Christmas and New Year’s offertory and all year-end expenses, the balance is still a precarious $874.94. Keep an eye out for the second bulletin of the month for continuing updates on how your support is making a difference.
Aside from our Operating Account issues, our lift project can still proceed, as all the fundraising (since Father Bill) leaves us in good shape to complete this project. These funds are safely held in GICs with the Diocese and to date have earned $7,792 in interest. The lift project has made progress! A deposit has been made with Pace Elevator to lock-in their quote. As soon as the heating season is over, the boilers will be drained so that the pipes can be redirected around the location of the lift. Installation and some necessary renovation will proceed from there.
The" future” roof replacement is now here! Our latest emergency to fix the leaks in the roof will cost us $4,238.37, with the balance being covered by Catholic Mutual insurance. Because our roof is 94 years-old (life expectancy 100 years), Catholic Mutual will decline any further maintenance to the roof. Therefore, we have received three quotes for a partial roof replacement and will bring this project forth to the Diocesan Finance & Property Committee in April. Stand by for updates on how this project will need to be funded.
The bottle drive run by the Knights of Columbus is usually on the last Saturday of each month (watch the bulletin) in support of our minor maintenance projects. We appreciate your continuing support for this and our other fundraising events, such as our famous dinners and yard sale. Let’s do this!
— Brendan Moher, Acting Chairman
FINANCIAL SUPPORT NEEDED
In order to recover from our current financial predicament, (see below), every parishioner would need to increase their offering by $10 a week (the cost of a coffee and muffin at Tim Hortons). Otherwise, we seriously won't be able to pay our bills. We thank you in advance for your generous and ongoing support of our parish. Let's do this!
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PS: Let me assure you that any parishioner contributions toward the elevator/lift fund are
safely tucked away in Royal Bank GICs, earning interest, so those funds are not affected.
The installation of our Lift is still on target for the Spring!
The following affects our Operating Account and the ability to pay our bills.
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Since July, 2023, the monthly Offertory Comparison has listed the Operating Expenses, so that you can see that consistently our expenses are on average $4,000 higher than our income from offertory($5,000 higher in November). We have been kept afloat by very substantial donations from a few very generous parishioners and these donations have now been expended.
OUR OPERATING ACCOUNT BALANCE HAS NOW DROPPED TO ZERO!
This crisis affects our ability to pay our bills (gas and hydro for the church and rectory, snow plowing, PUC, etc.), and has come about by (a) the continual annual rise in costs; and (b) the consistency of parishioner contributions that once set, typically tend not to change year-to-year.
As we approach the Christmas season, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing generosity and support of our parish. Your contributions enable us to sustain our ministries and care for our Church and facilities. However, now that we are currently facing a shortfall in donations of approximately $4,000 each month, it places a significant strain on our ability to continue our mission and meet our commitments.
So, our goal is to increase our monthly parish offertory by at least $4,000
or we won’t be able to pay our bills ongoing. We have a solution!
I kindly ask each of you to prayerfully consider increasing your ongoing “weekly” offering even by $10 (coffee & a muffin at Tim Hortons) to help us address this need. Every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to meeting our goals and ensures we can continue to thrive as a community of faith.
Thank you for your generosity, prayers, and commitment to our parish. Together, I believe we can rise to this challenge and strengthen the future of our church.
In Christ,
Fr. Jozef and the Parish Finance Committee
ANNUAL POLISH DINNER
HOW DO YOU SAY THANK YOU IN POLISH? Dziękuję of course!!!
Thank you to the Polish members of our parish who worked so hard and thanks to all who donated food
as well as their time setting up, cooking and cleaning.
A total of $2,505 was raised for our parish.
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YARD SALE
​Thank you to all who were involved with our annual yard sale…donors, bakers, table-getters, set-up crew, sellers, buyers, and over-night security. A special thank you to those who helped pack and clean up. The income from the raffle was $4,648 and from the yard sale was $2,282 (including approximately $725 from the bake table) for a total of $7,655. This is only about $500 short of last year and was made possible through the donation of all prizes by thoughtful parishioners (as detailed on the prize list). We will use these funds to offset the costs of September’s driveway repair.
Congratulations to our raffle winners:
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1st Prize – Toronto Argonauts vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats ($600 value) — Jan Young
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2nd Prize – Blue Jays vs Cardinals ($300 value) — Peter Dawson, Peterborough
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3rd Prize – Kingdon Timber Mart Gift Card ($300) — Matt Armstrong
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4th Prize – Otonabee Meat Packers Voucher ($200) — Gordon Walker
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5th Prize – Keg Gift Card (150) — Fr. Bill Moloney, Campbellford
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6th Prize – Tassimo Coffee Machine System ($190 value) — Marty Silvestri​
Double-click to see larger images
CHURCH MAINTENANCE FUND (BOTTLE DRIVE)
Our bottle drive is organized by the Knights of Columbus. They collect RETURNABLE liquor, wine, beer bottles and beer cans on the last Saturday of each month at the Rectory garage between 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (NO POP CANS PLEASE.) We appreciate your support!
SUCCESSFUL DRAINAGE PROJECT: Many thanks to those parishioners who were able to assist with the drainage work Friday, June 14th. Everything went as planned and we were able to finish in one day. When the earth settles, we will do some landscaping. Thanks to your support, this project only cost approximately $750.
The balance in the "bottle drive fund" and future bottle drive collections will now be used for other parish maintenance projects.
FR. DAMIAN SMULLEN - FUNERAL & MEMORIAL MASS DETAILS
The parishioners at Immaculate Conception are saddened at the passing of Fr. Damian Smullen. You may read his OBITUARY HERE.
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HERE IS THE LIVESTREAM LINK for his Funeral Mass in Sligo, Ireland. The funeral will be held at St. Anne’s Church, Sligo on Wednesday, July 24th at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (11:00 a.m. In Ireland). 
Father John Perdue will be in attendance at the funeral in Sligo and will deliver words on behalf of Bishop Miehm.
HERE IS THE LIVESTREAM LINK for his Memorial Mass at St. Peter-in-Chains Cathedral, Peterborough to be held Friday, July 26th at 12:00 p.m.
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MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE​​
CATHOLIC NETFLIX — SIGN UP FOR FREE!
FORMED.ORG provides some amazing religious content on a platform that has sometimes been dubbed “Catholic Netflix”. The Diocese purchased a subscription for three years (thanks to a generous donation from Sacred Heart College), which means that all our parishioners have free access to this great programming. Among other things, it is a great resource and a way to support our Diocesan Pastoral Plan. Why not check it out this weekend?
• Go to Formed.org • Select the Formed for Individuals button • Type in your email and click Submit • For Find your Parish type “Immaculate Peterborough” and select us from the dropdown list • Click the Next button • Type your Name and Email address and click the Sign Up button • Then begin exploring the engaging and professional content. You will find excellent videos on saints, some fine children’s programming, and “The Search” which is a great exploration of the Catholic faith—among many other resources. And did I mention it’s all free?
Fr. Jozef Vano
Parish Priest
Welcome to our new parish priest,
Fr. Jozef Vano, born and raised in Slovakia. He was ordained on June 15th, 1991, for the Diocese of Roznava. In 1998, he finished his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical University in Lublin, Poland, receiving a licentiate in canon law (JCL).
He came to Canada in January 1999 on an offer to work for the Slovak community in Hamilton. He later worked in Mississauga and Toronto. In 2017, he started working in the Peterborough Diocese and served in Bowmanville (2017), Bracebridge (2018), and Kearney 2019-2023.
He replaced Fr. Stephen at Immaculate Conception on June 28th, 2023.
Fr. Peter Seabrooke
Retired Priest in Residence
Fr. Peter Seabrooke was baptized in Immaculate Conception Parish but raised in Sacred Heart Parish, both in Peterborough and was ordained to the priesthood on May 6th, 1972.
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He served in parishes in Cobourg, Lindsay .Newcastle and Peterborough,in addition to serving as Youth Director, Director of Christian Family Ministries and Chancellor of Temporal Affairs.
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He officially retired in September 2019 and resides at the Immaculate rectory while continuing to serve as chaplain of Mount St. Joseph.
