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A statue of the namesake of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, with her arms outstretched, looks lovingly down upon all who enter the Scarsdale church.
It is a fitting image for a parish that has opened itself to everyone, inside and outside the community, for the past 100 years. The statue of Mary faces directly out toward Post Road, a main thoroughfare off Carman Road where the English-gothic style church majestically sits.
“It’s part of our mission as Catholics to reach out to those in need,” said Msgr. John Ferry who has been pastor of the parish for eight years.
“Pope Francis has emphasized the concerns of the poor since he has become Holy Father,” he added.
That concern has been a stalwart aim of the parish. Besides Scarsdale, many parishioners hail from the northern half of Eastchester and New Rochelle. “This area of Westchester is kind of well-off, so there is a certain awareness that other people are not as well off as we are. There is a social consciousness about the parish,” Msgr. Ferry told CNY.
The parish is involved in many social ministries, including Midnight Runs into Manhattan to bring food and clothing to the homeless; a food pantry; and a special “Bread Table” in which parishioners sell home-baked goods to benefit programs that feed the hungry, among other needs.
More than 2,000 families are registered at Immaculate Heart of Mary. The five weekend Masses, and two weekday Masses are well attended. A special Family Mass is offered on Sundays at 9 a.m.
Also serving the parish are: Father Gerard Rafferty, S.S.L., parochical vicar; Father Rayappa Reddy Thumma, parochial vicar; and Deacons Ernest Salamone, Robert di Targiani and Tom Cusick.
The parish conducts perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in “Our Lady’s Chapel.” Built in the late 1940s, the chapel was first used for weekday Mass. Fifteen years ago, it was designated as an adoration chapel.
“People come from all over to pray there—from neighboring parishes and other places in Westchester,” Msgr. Ferry said proudly.
Immaculate Heart of Mary School, whose principal is Patricia Gatti, has an enrollment of 310 students. There is also a vibrant religious education program with 850 students under the leadership of Diane Meade, the parish’s coordinator of religious education. Sister Pauline Cinquini, S.C., runs the RCIA program.
The parish is also home to a high school of religious education with 55 students who have all been confirmed.
Other active ministries include St. Veronica’s Guild for women who care for the altar; the Holy Name Society; Boy and Girl Scouts; and a CYO basketball program.
Many parishioners also participate in Scripture-sharing programs of the Sisters of Charity-run St. Elizabeth Ann Seton House of Prayer in Scarsdale.
The parish was established on Dec. 20, 1912, with the first pastor being Father William C. Rourke. The first Mass was celebrated Jan. 5, 1913, at the Sprague Road Firehouse, which served as the temporary home of the parish until ground was broken for the church that August.
The parish kicked off its centennial celebration with a Mass offered by Bishop Dennis Sullivan, now of Camden, N.J., on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2012. Bishop Sullivan formerly served as vicar general of the archdiocese before his appointment to the New Jersey diocese.
Other centennial activities included a parish picnic, a concert, a dinner-dance and a golf outing. Cardinal Dolan celebrated a closing Mass Dec. 1, 2013.
“I hope that we can continue the great spirit we had during the 100th year and the years before,” Msgr. Ferry said. “And I hope we continue the theme of our parish centennial which was ‘To Christ Through Mary,’ to continue to deepen our relationship with Christ through our patroness, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
