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) 322-0172
Welcome to the Parish Family of
St. Margaret of Cortona
in Little Ferry
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mass for Pope Francis Thursday - May 1, 2025 @ 7 PM
Mass with the Sacrament of the Anointing
of the Sick will be offered on Saturday
May 3, 2025 at 12 noon.
To support and strengthen those who are sick, the Church gathers to pray and anoint those who are ailing with the healing oil of the sick. This oil symbolizes the presence of God at a time of great physical and emotional need and assures the recipient of God’s love and healing presence to give strength and hope. According to the Letter of James 5:14-16, the people are to bring the sick to the priest so that they can be anointed and prayer can be offered on their behalf. Jesus showed great care for those who were sick and was concerned with their bodily and spiritual well-being. Because of this, the Church has developed a ritual to pray with and for those who are ill. It is our belief that through the Sacrament of the Sick, Christ strengthens those who are ill so that they might be at peace and have the courage to fight their illness.
The Anointing of the Sick conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude. Anointing with sacred oil is a sign of blessing by the Holy Spirit of the one who is sick. Oil of the Sick, which receives a different blessing from the Chrism oil used during Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, recalls the community’s sharing of the Holy Spirit and the sick person’s connection to the entire Body of Christ and Communion of Saints.
We encourage you to participate in the Sacrament of the Anointing the Sick if you are: ill, of advanced age, have had health issues, enduring chronic illness, a young child with a life threatening illness, an older child who requires adult care, or anyone preparing for an operation or a general anesthetic. This sacrament is able to be received more than once in your life time. It may be received on any occasion that you find yourself to be in one of the above circumstances. The sacrament provides grace to endure your infirmity, unites your sufferings to the Passion of Christ, and prepares the soul for everlasting life with our God.
Official Hymn for the 2025 Jubilee Year
Lyrics by Msgr. Pierangelo Sequeri
Music by Maestro Francesco Meneghello
Recording performed by the Choir of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC - Peter Latona, Director
We Are His Witnesses: A Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Tobin
As we welcome the New Year, Cardinal Tobin invites all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Newark to read We Are His Witnesses, his pastoral letter outlining new pathways for the future of the Archdiocese. Rooted in Pope Francis’ call for pastoral conversion, missionary discipleship, and synodality, the letter reflects on our shared journey of faith and calls us to embrace renewal, collaboration and missionary outreach. This multi-year initiative will guide us in shaping a vibrant, hopeful future for our Church community.
Click to read We Are His Witnesses and join this journey of faith as we respond to Christ’s call to be His witnesses in the world.
Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities USA supports a national network of agencies committed to encountering those along the margins, regardless of their faith.
Want to help victims of recent hurricanes? Click on this link: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/
Welcome New Parishioners
Register with us by filling up this form and dropping it in the collection basket or at the Parish Office. Click on the form below to download.
Music is an extremely important part of liturgy at the Parish of St. Margaret of Cortona and we are looking for enthusiastic music lovers and musicians to join our music ministry.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
St. Margaret of Cortona’s choir sings at the 11:30 Mass every Sunday and at other liturgies throughout the year. Rehearsals are held every Thursday at 7:30 pm beginning in September and through the month of June. No experience is necessary. Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord! Call Eileen - 201-843-1097 or see her after Mass!
Jubilee countdown: Preparations for 2025 Holy Year
Click on the link to learn more: https://jerseycatholic.org/jubilee-countdown-preparations-for-2025-holy-year-move-into-high-gear
2025 Archdiocese of Newark Annual Appeal
Jersey Catholic
Jersey Catholic is the news site of the Archdiocese of Newark and brings you top news from around the Archdiocese, our Catholic schools throughout the U.S., and the Vatican.
Visit https://jerseycatholic.org/ for the latest local and global Church news.
Saint of the Day Podcast ~ A brief story about a Saint each day.
Donate to St. Margaret's
Here are some ways that you can help our Parish during these trying times:
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.
Step-By-Step Walk Through the Mass
Click on this link to go the website: https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/blog-categories/series-on-the-mass
SCHEDULES
Mass Schedule
Saturday ~ 5:30 pm
Sunday ~ 9:00 am and 11:30 am
Weekdays:
Monday through Friday:
12:00 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
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
Saturdays 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Experience God’s Mercy. Celebrate the Grace-Filled Sacrament of Reconciliation
Contact Us
Parish Center (Monday through Thursday 10 am till 4pm. Closed on Fridays)
Tel: 201-641-2988
Fax: 201-322-0172
Rectory (By appointment only):
201-641-2988
Religious Education (Sunday to Thursday):
201-641-3937
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
May: Month of Mary
It is a centuries-old custom of Catholics to dedicate the month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The month of May is always part of the Easter season, the fifty days we celebrate in the liturgy the Resurrection of Our Lord, a time also of awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The celebration of May as a Marian month fits well with the liturgical celebrations of Easter and Pentecost as we recall Mary’s great joy in her Son’s victory over death as well as her presence with the apostles in the upper room prayerfully awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
It is good to consider the faith of Mary. At the Visitation, Elizabeth said to Mary: Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. When we think of our Blessed Mother, we recognize that she is indeed blessed, not only because she was the Mother of Jesus, but because she believed in the Lord’s words. She believed with all her heart and said “yes” to become the Mother of the Messiah and Son of God. She allowed herself to be led by God’s grace throughout her life, a life rooted in a deep faith in God. She became her Son’s first and most perfect disciple.
May we always we walk with Mary at our side. She is our model of faith and she helps us with her prayers to live by faith. She teaches us to believe as she believed.
During this month of May, we pay special honor to our Blessed Mother. In 1965, Pope Paul VI wrote a short encyclical on the month of May. He wrote that May is an occasion for a “moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world pay to the Queen of Heaven. During this month Christians, both in church and in the privacy of the home, offer up to Mary from their hearts an especially fervent and loving homage of prayer and veneration. In this month, too, the benefits of God’s mercy come down to us from her throne in greater abundance.”
Many churches and schools have celebrations of the crowning of images of Our Lady during the month of May..
This is a beautiful custom that expresses our love for the Mother of God as our Queen. Other Marian devotions are particularly fitting in the month of May also. Of course, the holy rosary is always a wonderful prayer to enter more deeply into the mysteries of Christ’s life with Mary. It is a Gospel prayer.
All honor that we give to Mary is ordered to, and leads to, the adoration of God. Devotion to Mary fosters within us a faithful adherence to her Son. When we crown images of Mary, we are honoring her. In honoring Mary, we are ultimately praising God for the grace He bestowed on her.
We all probably have our favorite images of Mary as well as our favorite devotions: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Perpetual Help, the Miraculous Medal, etc. The many images and devotions express various aspects of Our Lady’s vocation and mission. They help us to know the virtues of Mary and remind us to turn to her for her intercession.
Pray with Mary during this Marian month. Let us especially commend to her our prayers for life, marriage, and
religious liberty. Let us all place ourselves in the school of Mary to learn from her how to love God more fervently and to love one another as her Son has loved us.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary intercede for us and draw us closer to Christ her Son!
Why do we call Mary our Blessed Mother?
This Mother's Day, remember to honor your Blessed Mother as well!
Have you ever wondered why we call her the Blessed Mother?
In Sacred Scripture, after the angel Gabriel visits Mary in her home to tell her that she will bear the Savior of the world at the Annunciation, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who calls Mary “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that because Mary is the mother of Jesus—and Jesus is God—she has the beautiful privilege of being called “the Mother of God.” She is not just the mother of His human nature; she is the mother of the whole Person of Christ, and Christ has two natures: human and divine. The Catechism explains:
“In fact, the One whom [Mary] conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father’s eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly the ‘Mother of God’ (Theo-tokos)” (CCC 495).
We call Mary the Blessed Mother because of Sacred Scripture. When Mary visited her cousin, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42). And in her Song of Praise, popularly known as the Magnificat, Mary replied, “Behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).
And why do we call Mary our Mother, even though she is not our biological mother?
Since Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is the Head of the Mystical Body of Christ, and we are all members of His Body, she therefore brought us spiritually into being as sons and daughters of God. This fundamental truth is also why we have high regard for Mary. Before she said “yes” to God, we were not able to enter heaven. Her role in salvation history is crucial.
Mothers guide, nurture, and teach their children. The Blessed Mother guides, nurtures, and teaches us to become faithful followers of her Son, Jesus Christ.
