“Witness the Convalidation wedding of Johanna and Eduardo Crespo on June 12,2026. Both were in the OCIA process this year to be fully initiated into the church. Although Eduardo finished this Easter, Johanna will complete her initiation next year. Congratulations to both! “
Heba Fortunato, Catechist
Here's a quick peek at the IHM Parish Feast that happened this past weekend. As you can see, it was a great turnout! The weather was warm. The food was delicious. The Bobcats were rocking and rolling. BIG THANKS to our volunteer servers! BIG THANKS to the Bobcats for the live music! and BIG THANKS to all our guests for joining us!
Congratulations to the Santa Family! Our friend Carlos successfully completed his OCIA initiation to the Catholic faith. The next step was celebrating the sacrament of Matrimony at the IHM Adoration Chapel. It's a real-life love story! Blessings to the Santa family! If you are interested in getting Married at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church or Chapel, give us a call at 908-889-2100 or visit https://ihmparish.net/wedding
Let us celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our confirmation candidates this weekend! Through Confirmation, these young people are strengthened by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and called to live their faith more fully. Just as the Trinity is rooted in relationship and love, our confirmation candidates are reminded that they are deeply connected to God and to our parish community.
May the Holy Spirit guide them with wisdom and courage, and may they always know the love of the Father, the example of the Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CONFIRMATION CLASS OF 2026
Always remember the gifts of the Holy Spirit…
Sarah Amaro, Margaret Basuino, Lucas Blake, Bridget Burke, Declan Caspersen, Mason Cominski, Alyssa Da Cruz, Dean Dillon, Gabriella DiMaggio, William Frey, Olivia Gromek, Jade Maguire, Ava Maio, Ava Martinez, Ava McDonald, Daniella Mendes, Grace Mertz, Arabella Morabito, Bridget Morrow, Molly O’Grady, Juliana Pagano, James Rendeiro, Juliana Rendeiro, Gianna Rivera, Katlyn Valerio, Arianna Vigario
#GoodNews
Over the past year IHM has enjoyed a growing partnership with Hope Flows, a nonprofit group from the Evangel church on Terrill Road.
Hope Flows secures pallets of food, snacks and drinks and shares it with various organizations in our area. We were blessed to be chosen to work with them and have accepted 30+ pallets of food over the past few months. This past week we accepted 10 huge pallets. IHM volunteers have developed a list of local charities that distribute food directly to people in need. This week we were honored to distribute food to the following organizations:
IHM Food Bank,
St. Bartholomew Food Bank
St.John’s Food Kitchen in Newark
Family Promise in Plainfield
Veterans at Valley Brook in Lyons VA Hospital
St. Theresa’s Food Bank in Kenilworth
Zion Baptist Church in Roselle Park
JCC of Middlesex County
Plainfield Senior Center
Plainfield Wellness Center (Homeless)
Baptist Church of Roselle
Valerie’s Kitchen in Plainfield
St. Vincent Society in North Plainfield
Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless
This partnership between IHM and Hope Flows has helped us develop a community of like-minded organizations committed to providing help to those most in need. This is all in addition to the great work that our own food bank conducts week in and week out serving the most needy in our community.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact the office for more information. Call 908-889-2100 or office@ihmparish.net
Geraldine Keogh
We are filled with joy as we celebrate the Confirmation of three of our OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) students! Two of them, Christopher Gibbons and Eduardo Crespo, were confirmed on May 9th, during the Saturday Vigil; following another student, Carlos Santa, who received the sacrament on April 26th at the 10:00am Mass. These students have spent the last nine months in weekly preparation, guided by their catechist, Heba Fortunato. We also look forward to next year as we continue to support our current catechumen—including the spouse of one of our newly confirmed—as she navigates her two-year path toward entering the Church. Please join us in welcoming them and keeping them in your prayers!
#GoodNews Our 5th Annual Senior Tea Party on Saturday May 16th was a great success, with over 80 guests in attendance from Scotch Plains, Fanwood and beyond!
They arrived dressed for the occasion in beautiful dresses, hats and some even wore gloves. Our honored guests enjoyed 6 different types of tea sandwiches, scones, cookies, chocolates and fancy pastries, smoothies and an assortment of teas.
We are especially grateful to John Addisano for preforming great musical hits from the 50s & 60s and including current hits. It was lovely seeing everyone up dancing and enjoying the music. A special thank you to John’s wife Kathy for all the extra little touches that she brought for our celebration.
There are not enough words to thank our Parish Life team for all their hard work, decorating the tables, preparing the food and serving our guests. Mary Frances, Regina R, Deb, Margaret, Regina O’C, Kathy, June and Emma, our High School volunteers.
Everyone went home with large shopping bags loaded with breads, pastries, homemade soup and leftover tea sandwiches, it was a beautiful end to a great event! As always, a special thanks goes out to Fr. Mike and Fr. Rob. They are always so supportive of these initiatives to help support our wider IHM community.
Gratefully
Geraldine Keogh
Warmest congratulations to Fr. Mike on receiving the Good Scout Award yesterday at The Westwood! This honor is a true reflection of your dedication, integrity, and unwavering commitment to serving others. Your leadership and example continue to inspire those around you, and this recognition is richly deserved. May this achievement be one of many more to come as you keep making a positive difference in your community. Shout out to fellow Good Scout Award winners Susan Hamlette-Mayers, Julie Murphy, Greg Roser, Greg Ruffa and Bill Sherman!
Three cheers for our local superheroes Glenn Vaughn! Greg Ruffa and the Sisters of Charity! Aside from his weekly service at our Food Pantry. Glenn consistently brings treats and supplies to the Sisters in Plainfield. He's also taking our veterans along on his adventures. Here we have our good friend (veteran, artist and fellow Good Scout Award Winner) Greg Ruffa gifting the Sisters this beautiful portrait of Mother Teresa! What an amazing group of people! These are the kind of influencers that deserve all the attention and admiration from our community. THANK YOU GLENN! THANK YOU GREG! THANK YOU SISTERS!
#GoodNews Girl Scout Troop 40393 just finished dropping off all the cans from CANstruction at the IHM Food Pantry! We made sure to sort them based on the signs posted on the tables and shelves. BIG THANKS to Troop Leader Jennifer Golinski for the assist. And of course, BIG THANKS to the girls! Keep up the good work!
The best way you can help is by gathering food items from your home, friends, neighbors or co-workers and bringing the food to our donation crate behind the church. Check out our website for a listing of acceptable food items and details about the pantry. https://ihmparish.net/food-pantry
IHM Food Pantry is located at 1571 Martine Ave in Scotch Plains. We're open on Wednesdays from 10-11:30 am. We are also open every second Sunday of the month from 10-11:30am. Next Sunday Pantry is this Sunday March 8th. These are rough times, but we call all make it if we work together. Thank you!
