A variety of church and community events, all open to the public, will take place in upcoming weeks across the Southern Tier.
- SEPT. 21 — A regional Mass for Peace will take place at 7 p.m. at All Saints Church, 347 Ridge Road, Lansing. Father Daniel McMullin will serve as celebrant and a reception will follow. The event notes the International Day of Peace and is a joint effort of the Catholic faith communities in Tompkins County. Contact Sister Doreen Glynn, CSJ, at 607-844-8314 or sglynn@dor.org.
- SEPT. 22 — The 40 Days for Life fall campaign will begin in Ithaca and run through Oct. 31. Constant prayer will take place daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. across from the Planned Parenthood facility at 314 W. State St. The campaign is a nationwide effort conducted in 200-plus cities. For details, visit www.40daysforlife.com/ithaca. Mary Anne Tissot, campaign leader, noted that past participants have included a group of Cornell University students; Mary Camobreco, director of Ithaca’s Birthright; and Brother Carmine Funaro, a Franciscan from Interlaken. Tissot added that prayer is held year-round on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon at Immaculate Conception Church, followed by more prayer at Planned Parenthood.
- SEPT. 24 — St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elmira will present "Suboxone as the Treatment of the Current Drug Crisis: Addiction to Prescription Drugs." The seminar will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the hospital’s Cusick Meeting Room, with Dr. Tinu Addams, a local psychiatrist, serving as presenter. Call 607-737-7801 to register for this free event.
- SEPT. 25 — A "Celebrate Haiti!" event is set for 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Marian Center of St. Mary Southside Church, 224 Franklin St., Elmira. Among the festivities will be handicrafts and music. Also featured will be a demonstration by a Haitian metalwork artisan and talks about Haiti and Catholic Relief Services’ fair trade programs.
- OCT. 2 — The annual Memory Walk for Alzheimer’s disease research will take place in Elmira. Registration is at 9 a.m. and the 2.5-mile walk will begin at 10 at Eldridge Park. Call 585-760-5406. There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s, which, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, affects more than 5 million Americans with a potential increase to 13.5 million Americans by 2050.
- OCT. 18 — The fifth-annual Empty Bowls event to raise hunger and poverty awareness will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Elmira College Campus Center. Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center, which is the Chemung County area’s largest food pantry. Tickets purchased prior to the event are $25 and include lunch as well as a commemorative soup bowl. Sponsorships are available. For details, call Catholic Charities at 607-734-9784.