St. Catherine of Siena Parish

ABOUT US

Mission

The mission of St. Catherine of Siena parish is to inspire, engage, and nurture our community through worship, witness, and service.

Vision

We are a vibrant Catholic community where all are welcomed, challenged, and supported on their life journeys.

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In 1962 a newly built Catholic church first opened its doors in what was then the northeastern outskirts of Ithaca, New York. In the half century since then, as the trees and fields surrounding that church on St. Catherine Circle have given way to houses and schools, and as the world was undergoing unimaginable changes, St. Catherine of Siena has remained a vibrant, Catholic "I look forward to the time when my children will be married at St. Catherine's" community. Worshipping through prayer, small faith communities, the celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments, three generations of parishioners have been welcomed, challenged, and supported on their journeys in faith. As the world seems to spin ever faster and change follows change at an unprecedented pace, the parishioners at St. Catherine's remain in steadfast communion with the good news of Jesus Christ, the universal Catholic Church, other faith communities, and each other.

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In recent years the parishioners have lived St. Catherine's vision and mission by actively and enthusiastically participating in the life of the parish. They attended masses in increasing numbers (average weekend attendance of 673 in 2008 compare to 616 in 2006). 55 children were baptized, 53 children were confirmed and 16 couples were married from 2006-2009. The parish supported its sister parish in the Dominican Republic through Youth Group visitation programs and funding raising ($134,000 total from 2006-2009). And the parishioners celebrated its community spirit during its recently initiated fall social activities and June picnics.

The parish's 50th anniversary celebrations will start in April 2010, the 50th anniversary of founding the parish. This will be followed in April 2012 with the 50th anniversary of opening the church building and in April 2014 with the 50th anniversary of opening the parish center. Ten percent of the current parishioners were founding members 50 years ago.

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For three years lay leaders have evaluated our current facilities needs, listened to parishioners' concerns, and proposed plans for stewarding St. Catherine's heritage, facilities, and future ministries. "Our church is so beautiful, we must preserve it not only for our families, but for our children's families." In mid-2009 the Pastoral Council approved a parish-wide financial feasibility study to test support for these proposals. According to the study, parishioners want to focus on essential infrastructure repairs to the church, while staying within a reasonable budget of what the parish can afford. Pledges from a capital campaign this fall will determine the scope and the speed of those repairs.

In June 2009 we started work on the five critical projects. The total budget for accomplishing this work remains below the original budget of $905,000.

• The church roof support beams were strengthened with epoxy and protected by aluminum cladding
• The church roof was insulated to R-22 and new architectural asphalt shingles installed
• A portion of the parish center roof was temporarily repaired to stop the leaking
• Minor alterations to the return air flow in the parish center will be accomplished in spring 2010 in order to improve the air quality
• The church hvac system will be replaced by the end of 2010.