St. Margaret of Cortona Parish
Serving the Catholic Communities of Little Ferry and Moonachie
in Ministry, Education and Service Since August 24, 1912
31 Chamberlain Ave Little Ferry, NJ 07643
Phone: (201) 641-2988 Fax: (201) 641-0664
Welcome to the Parish Family of St. Margaret of Cortona
in Little Ferry
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time June 20
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Statement from the Archdiocese of Newark May 25, 2021
Updated Directives During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Given the reinstatement by Cardinal Tobin and the Bishops of NJ of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass effective June 5/6, (To read the official statement, please visit: https://www.rcan.org/) and the lessening of restrictions from the state, the following is provided as an immediate update to the May 4 directives.
Effective May 28, masks will no longer be required for fully vaccinated persons. If not fully vaccinated, persons are strongly encouraged to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask in public settings. Masks are still required on public transit and in health care settings, prisons, child-care facilities and schools, among other places. People will no longer be required to socially distance indoors or outdoors, (May 28), although unvaccinated persons should continue to maintain a safe distance from others.
Effective June 4, all indoor gathering limits will be removed. Although these directives represent a reduction of pandemic restrictions, the local pastors/administrators/chaplains can impose stricter regulations as needed. These may include wearing masks, social distancing, and signing in for Mass or activities.
Please click here to view the complete directives in pdf form
At St. Margaret’s, we are following the directives mentioned in the document with some updates:
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Livestreaming Mass - we will continue to place the Saturday evening mass on our website but it will not be every weekend as has been the case.
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Opening Rites - we will continue to begin Mass without a procession. The Easter season is over so the need for the sprinkling rite is not needed. As you know, we now have touch-less holy water fonts.
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Preparation of the Gifts - we will continue using the baskets at rear of the church and while we will continue to have the bread and wine in the sacristy, if anyone wants to bring these gifts up in the offertory procession, please notify the ushers or the priest.
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Music - we are attempting to bring back the choir and have them sing bringing back the choir before the usual summer break.
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Hymnals & Bulletins - we have ordered the hymnals & missalettes. They should be here for our use mid-June.
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Confessionals - we will resume the use of our reconciliation rooms. However, any penitent can request to celebrate the sacrament in the body of the church.
All are Welcome to Become a Parish Cantor and to join the Choir
Please see Eileen after mass or call her at 202-843-1097
Returning to Grace , a Pastoral Letter on the Eucharist from Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
When church historians write about the Year of Our Lord 2020, I predict they will call particular attention to the “Great Eucharistic Fast.” COVID-19, the pandemic that has taken the lives of millions, obliged dioceses throughout the world to take the unprecedented action of closing our churches and effectively denying our people the opportunity to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Some scholars may point out that, as a result, Catholics in Europe and North America experienced what others have suffered for many years due to a shortage of priests or outright persecution, namely, the absence of the sacraments... Click here to read Cardinal Tobin's complete pastoral letter or click below to watch an introduction from Cardinal Tobin.
News Site for the Archdiocese
The Archdiocese of Newark has launched a news website for the entirety of the faithful of the Archdiocese. It strives to inform, inspire and educate readers by sharing stories of our Church and mission in an effort to build our communities of faith.
The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children
2021-2022 Tuition Assistance Application NOW OPEN
The Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children is trying to assist families who would like to send their children to one of the Catholic schools in our parishes. Our tuition assistance application is now open for new and re-applying families.
Click here to go to our website and donate now!
Thank you for your assistance!
Jasmin Roman
Director of Scholarship Programs
Accountability with Heartfelt Thanks
Catholic Charities received a payment of $1,357 as a result of your donations from June 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020. These funds combined with monies from parishes throughout the Archdiocese enabled Catholic Charities to provide 72,685 nights of shelter to 1,342 to homeless individuals and families (FY 19/20). Thank you for being our partner and enabling us to bring Christ's love to the most vulnerable in our society.
Latest edition of Cardinal Tobin's Rejoice in the Lord newsletter available (Vol. 2, No. 6)
Click here to view the pdf
Statement of the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey on the Reproductive Freedom Act
Click here to go to the website and read the statement
Donate to St. Margaret's
Here are some ways that you can help our Parish during these trying times:
GoFundMe - Click here to go the GofundMe website
ParishSoft - Click here to go to the giving site.
You can also give via text to (201) 689-5641, just enter the amount you want to donate in the message. You will need to create an account if you haven't done so yet. Click here if you need help creating an account.
Amazon Smile - you can also donate to St. Margaret’s whenever you make a purchase.
1. Go to https://smile.amazon.com, it uses the same account that you have on Amazon.com.
2. Go to Your Account and under Account settings select St. Margaret of Cortona Church as your preferred charity and you’re all set.
3. Every time you make a purchase the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of the eligible item to St. Margaret’s. Just make sure to make all your future purchases on Amazon Smile so that donations are made
SCHEDULES
Regular Masses
Sunday:
8:00AM, 10:00AM, 12:00PM
Weekdays:
Monday through Friday:
12:05 PM
First Saturday Mass
12:05 PM in the Church
Holy Days
(Except Christmas and Easter): 8:00 AM, 12:05 PM, 7:00 PM
Mass followed by Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Benediction every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm
Confessions
Saturdays 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Experience God’s Mercy. Celebrate the Grace-Filled Sacrament of Reconciliation
Contact Us
Parish Center (Monday to Friday):
Tel: 201-641-2988
Fax: 201-641-0664
Rectory (By appointment only):
201-641-2988
Religious Education (Sunday to Thursday):
201-641-3937
Pope Francis’ Prayer Intention
For June 2021
The Beauty of Marriage
Let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience.
Pope Francis proclaims 'Year of St. Joseph
With the Apostolic letter 'Patris Corde' ('With A Father's Heart'), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a 'Year of St. Joseph' from 8 December 2020 to 8 December 2021.
New in the Area?
If you are new in the area, why not join our ever-growing Parish family. Stop by the Parish Center any weekday and register. Click on this link to download the form or call us at 201-641-2988
POSTER BOARD
The Month of June is Dedicated to the Sacred Heart
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. In addition to the liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church.
Understood in the light of the Scriptures, the term "Sacred Heart of Jesus" denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind. The "Sacred Heart" is Christ, the Word Incarnate, Saviour, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an infinite divine-human love for the Father and for his brothers.
The feast of the Sacred Heart was approved for specified dioceses by Clement XIII in 1765, and extended to the whole Church by Pius IX in 1856. In 1889 Pope Leo XIII elevated it to the rank of first class, and through an encyclical letter in 1899 dedicated the whole Catholic world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart was also an essential component of Pope John Paul II's hopes for the "new evangelization" called for by the Church.
"For evangelization today," he said, "the Heart of Christ must be recognized as the heart of the Church: It is He who calls us to conversion, to reconciliation. It is He who leads pure hearts and those hungering for justice along the way of the Beatitudes. It is He who achieves the warm communion of the members of the one Body. It is He who enables us to adhere to the Good News and to accept the promise of eternal life. It is He who sends us out on mission. e heart-to-heart with Jesus broadens the human heart on a global scale."
Here are some of the relevant documents: Leo XIII in his Encyclical Letter Annum sacrum (1889) on the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart; Pius XI in Caritate Christi Compulsi (On The Sacred Heart) and Miserentissimus Redemptor (On Reparation To The Sacred Heart); Pius XII in his Encyclical Letter Haurietis aquas; Paul VI in his Apostolic Letter Investigabiles divitias Christi (1965) and John Paul II in Message on the centenary of the consecration of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1999), in L'Osservatore Romano, 12 June 1999.
Jesus, who is one with the Father (cf. John 10, 30), invites his disciples to live in close communion with him, to model their lives on him and on his teaching. He, in turn, reveals himself as "meek and humble of heart" (Mt 11, 29). It can be said that, in a certain sense, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a cultic form of the prophetic and evangelic gaze of all Christians on him who was pierced (cf. John 19, 37; Zac 12, 10), the gaze of all Christians on the side of Christ, transfixed by a lance, and from which flowed blood and water (cf. John 19, 34), symbols of the "wondrous sacrament of the Church"(St. Augustine).
The Gospel of St. John recounts the showing of the Lord's hands and his side to the disciples (cf. John 20,20), and of his invitation to Thomas to put his hand into his side (cf. John 20, 27). This event has also had a notable influence on the origin and development of the Church's devotion to the Sacred Heart.
These and other texts present Christ as the paschal Lamb, victorious and slain (cf. Apoc 5,6). They were objects of much reflection by the Fathers who unveiled their doctrinal richness. They invited the faithful to penetrate the mysteries of Christ by contemplating the wound opened in his side. Augustine writes: "Access is possible: Christ is the door. It was opened for you when his side was opened by the lance. Remember what flowed out from his side: thus, choose where you want to enter Christ. From the side of Christ as he hung dying upon the Cross there flowed out blood and water, when it was pierced by a lance. Your purification is in that water, your redemption is in that blood". Excerpted from the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy
