About Immaculate Heart of Mary · Wilmington, Delaware
Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Wilmington located at 4701 Weldin Road in Wilmington, Delaware, on the corner of Shipley and Weldin Roads in the Brandywine Hundred area. Founded in May 1955 under Bishop FitzMaurice to serve a growing Catholic population, IHM grew from 300 founding families into a vibrant parish community that today includes a parish school, a Christian Religious Education (CRE) program, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and a wide range of social and parish ministries. The parish celebrates Masses daily in its chapel and main church and operates Immaculate Heart of Mary School, a Pre-K through 8th-grade Catholic elementary school founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
- Established
- 1955
- Patron
- Immaculate Heart of Mary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. John T. Solomon
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington
Why belong here
IHM is a long-established parish family in northern Wilmington with deep roots in Brandywine Hundred and a strong Catholic school. Worshippers can attend daily Mass in the chapel, Sunday Mass in the main church, spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Perpetual Adoration, send their children to CRE or the parish school, and serve neighbors through the Parish Outreach Office and Social Concerns Committee. It is a parish that explicitly welcomes visitors and new parishioners and offers an active OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process for those becoming Catholic.
Mass times at Immaculate Heart of Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 9:30–10:30 AM
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel, continuous except Saturday 9:30 AM–6:00 PM and Sunday 7:30 AM–2:00 PM
Parish Mission & Welcome
The people of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish are dedicated to continuing the saving mission of Jesus Christ as a community of Christians in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. The parish describes its mission around four commitments: Parish & Family Life, Christian Formation, Liturgy, and Social Ministry. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any Mass, event, or ministry meeting, and new parishioners can register online.
- Parish & Family Life — building an ever-stronger Christian community
- Christian Formation — proclaiming the Gospel through catechetical programs
- Liturgy — celebrating Eucharist and other ministries in Church tradition
- Social Ministry — serving parishioners and neighbors in Christian service
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Pastor Rev. John T. Solomon, with retired assistant priest Rev. William Melnick, Deacon Frank Conway, and seminarian James Kimmel. Parish staff include Principal Fran Corrigan, Parish Manager Andrew Conway, Pastoral Associate Rita McDowell, Religious Education coordinator Lisa Krueger, Music Director Leo Schloss, and bookkeepers Lorrie Timanus and Linda Marshall. A separate contact, (302) 764-4693, reaches the Pastoral Associate's office.
- Rev. John T. Solomon — Pastor (ext. 305)
- Rev. William Melnick — Retired Assistant Priest (ext. 313)
- Deacon Frank Conway
- James Kimmel — Seminarian (ext. 304)
- Mr. Fran Corrigan — Principal (302-764-0977 ext. 119)
- Mr. Andrew Conway — Parish Manager (ext. 307)
- Mrs. Rita McDowell — Pastoral Associate (ext. 205)
- Lisa Krueger — Religious Education (ext. 203)
- Mr. Leo Schloss — Music Director
- Mrs. Lorrie Timanus — Bookkeeper (ext. 301)
- Linda Marshall — Bookkeeper Assistant (ext. 302)
- Jennifer Kryspin — Parish Admin Assistant
Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Immaculate Heart of Mary School is a Catholic Pre-K (4-year-old) through 8th-grade elementary school providing a Christ-centered Catholic education that fosters academic excellence, faith formation, social growth, and service to others. Founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph (the school dates its opening to 1957, with parish history citing 1958 for grades 1–4), the school continues to educate children of parish families on Shipley Road next to the parish campus.
- Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph (1957/1958)
- Pre-K (age 4) through 8th grade
- Christ-centered, academically rigorous program
- Located at 1000 Shipley Rd, Wilmington, DE 19803
- Principal: Mr. Fran Corrigan — (302) 764-0977 ext. 119
Christian Formation & Religious Education
The Christian Formation Committee coordinates catechetical opportunities for the whole parish. The Christian Religious Education (CRE) program serves children in grades 1–8 who attend public, private, or non-Catholic schools. Classes meet Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at IHM School and run from September through March. Registration opens online at the end of June each year.
- CRE classes — Tuesdays 6:30–8:00 PM at IHM School, September–March
- First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion preparation (grade 2)
- Confirmation preparation (grade 8)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM
- Contacts: Rita McDowell (Pastoral Associate, 302-764-4693) and Lisa Krueger (Religious Ed., ext. 203)
- Email: [email protected]
Outreach & Social Concerns
Since opening its Parish Outreach Office in 1978, IHM has distributed thousands of food baskets, casseroles, giving-tree gifts, clothing, shoes, and paid utility bills for neighbors in need. The Social Concerns Committee organizes hundreds of volunteers who bring the Eucharist to nursing-home residents each Sunday, cook for the homebound, walk with the grieving, and collect food and clothing for those in need. The Respect Life Committee, founded in 1997, engages issues from conception to natural death.
- Parish Outreach Office (since 1978)
- Social Concerns Committee
- Respect Life Committee (since 1997)
- Nursing-home Eucharist ministry
- Food, clothing, and giving-tree drives
Communications & Online Giving
Parishioners and visitors can stay connected through the IHM online bulletin and homily archive (which includes Father Solomon's 2025 Lenten series 'The Problem of Evil'), Flock Notes email updates, online giving, and a new parishioner registration form. Mass and Confession schedules, events calendar, and contact information are all available at ihm.org.
- Online bulletin & homily archive
- Flock Notes parish email list
- Online Giving portal
- New Parishioner Registration Form
- Events calendar with daily Mass and Confession schedule
History of the Parish
Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded in May 1955 under Bishop FitzMaurice to serve Catholics in Brandywine Hundred. From a basement Mass with 300 families, the parish grew rapidly, opening a grammar school with the Sisters of St. Joseph within a few years and building out its campus through the generosity of its people. The current main church was dedicated on Palm Sunday 1991, and the parish marked its commitment to ongoing prayer and outreach by adding Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and a Respect Life Committee in 1997.
- May 1955 — Parish founded under Bishop FitzMaurice; 300 founding families
- 1957/1958 — Parish school opens with Sisters of St. Joseph (Chestnut Hill, PA)
- 1978 — Parish Outreach Office opens
- Mid-1980s — Decision to build a new, larger church
- Palm Sunday 1991 — First Mass in the new church
- 1997 — Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration begins; Respect Life Committee founded