Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wilmington

It is the parish at Shipley and Weldin Roads. It is a parish that is alive, both vibrant and challenging, striving to make Christ's love present in the world.

The Heart of IHM, both throughout its history and today, is the people. For every brick that was laid, every pew installed, for every new desk, blackboard, and cross that were purchased, for every food basket distributed, for every award bestowed and championship won, there is a story of hard work, compassion and hope. In other words, it is a story of commnity.

From the very beginning, the founders of Immaculate Heart of Mary had a vision. Bishop FitzMaurice saw the needs of a growing Catholic population in Brandywine Hundred. In May, 1955, the local Catholic community gathered in the basement of the temporary rectory of Weldin Road, and IHM began. With nothing more than a hope and a prayer, these families set out to build a parish. Then the real work began. Money needed to be raised, contractors had to be hired, and the plans set out. And so, with much enthusiasm and dedication, the first buildings began to take shape.

While there were only 300 families at the start of the parish, they knew that the parish would grow quickly. And, along with this growth, they realized that many young families wanted a school so that they could have their children educated within the context of their Catholic faith. In 1958, IHM opened that grammer school with grades 1 through 4, and staffed it wit the Sisters of Saint Joseph from Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania.

The Parish grew and thrived so much that in the mid-1980s it was decided that a new church needed to be built and, upon completion of the new building, the original church would be converted into a gymnasium. A dedication group of lay people began the daunting task of building a new church. On Palm Sunday, 1991, the first Mass was celebrated in the new Church.

It would be remiss to focus IHM's history only on its building because, at its very c ore, the IHM community is a people of compassion and generosity. In 1978, IHM opened its Parish Outreach Office. Thousands of food baskets, casseroles, giving tree gifts, shoes, paid utility bills, and articles of clothing later, IHM continues to reach out to those in need. The Social Concerns Committee continues to organize hundreds of volunteers to bring the Blessed Sacrament to nursing homes every Sunday, cook for the homebound, walk with the grieving, and collect food and clothing for the needy. The Respect Life Committee was founded in 1997 and actively engages issues of life from conception to death.

A significant gift to the IHM community and the larger community was the addition of the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in 1997. We can never underestimate the power that Perpetual Adoration has had, and continues to have, not only on the individual adorers, but also on the entire IHM community.