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
First Sunday of Advent, November 28
ANNOUNCEMENTS
This year will continue with our Advent Giving Tree for the families with children in our area who require help with Christmas.
Tags will be available the 1st Sunday of Advent...November 28.
Contact Sr. Dorothy with any questions or suggestions at 201-641-2988
Special Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick
Saturday, December 4th we will have our Annual Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick at 12:00 noon
At this Mass we’ll celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
as well as the Eucharist. We encourage anyone who is suffering from
any physical, mental, or even spiritual illnesses to join us for healing
and comfort.
Mass Schedule for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary/ Patronal Feastday of the
United States of America
Holyday of Obligation
Wednesday - December 8, 2021
8:00 am
12:05 pm
7:00 pm
Save the date:
A Festival of Lessons and Carols will be presented by our Choir and Readers.
Sunday: December 12, 2021 at 3:00 pm
St. Nicholas will be visiting, so be sure to bring the children
Thursdays from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
All are welcome!
Call Eileen at 201-843-1097 or see her after mass.
Religious Education 2021-2022 Schedules
Home Study (10:45 to 11:55 ):
Home study is mandatory for all those in Grade 2 in preparation for First Communion and First Penance. Home Study meets once a month on Sunday on the dates listed below.
Grade 2: October 3, November 7, December 5, January 9, February 6, March 6, April 3, May 1
Grades 3,4 & 5: October 10, November 14, December 12, January 16, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8
Parents accompany their children each session. Parents will be grouped together for the Catechesis for parents; children will be in class with other children. Following class, parents and children will go to the noon Mass.
In Person Classes (for those who chose traditional):
All sessions will be held at the Parish Center
Grades 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 Tuesday afternoons ( 3:30 - 4:30 PM )
October 5, 19, 26 / November 2, 9, 16, 30 / December 7, 14, 21 / January 4, 11, 25
Grades 7 & 8 Tuesday evenings ( 6:30 - 8:00 PM)
October 5, 19, 26 / November 2, 9, 16 / December 7, 14, 21 / January 4, 11, 25
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.
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
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 through Thursday 10 am till 4pm. Closed on Fridays)
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 December 2021
Catechists
Let us pray for the catechists, summoned to announce the Word of God: may they be its witnesses, with courage and creativity and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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 December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception,
which is celebrated on December 8. From all eternity God chose with infinite wisdom the woman who would be the Mother of His divine Son. To prepare for the Word Incarnate a spotless and holy tabernacle, God created Mary in grace and endowed her from the moment of her conception with all the perfections suited to her exalted dignity. St. Thomas teaches that through her intimacy with Christ, the principle of grace, she possessed beyond all creatures a fullness of
divine life.
In 1854, Pope Pius IX’s solemn declaration, Ineffabilis Deus, clarified with finality the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. In proclaiming the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as a dogma of the Church, the pope expressed precisely and clearly that Mary was conceived free from the stain of original sin. This privilege of Mary’s, derives from God’s having chosen her as Mother of
the Saviour, thus she received the benefits of salvation in Christ, from the very moment of her conception. This great gift to Mary, an ordinary human being just like us, was fitting because she was destined to be Mother of God. The purity and holiness of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for all Christians.
How to pray the Chaplet in praise of the Virgin Mary
The Chaplet in praise of the Virgin Mary is prayed on the regular Marian Rosary of 59 beads.
At the beginning of the Rosary, the "Creed" and "Our Father" is replaced with:
Mary, my Immaculate Mother,
I desire to offer thee reparation for the offenses
which thy Immaculate Heart
receives from the horrible blasphemies
which are uttered against thee.
I offer thee these praises
to console thee for so many ungrateful children
who do not love thee,
and to console the Heart of thy Divine Son
Who is so deeply offended by the insults offered to thee.
Receive, my Purest Mother,
this little act of homage.
Make me love thee more each day
and look with pity on those blasphemers
that they may not delay to cast themselves
into thy maternal arms.
Amen.
On the large bead prior to each set of 10 beads, say:
Grant that I may praise thee, O Holy Virgin,
Give me strength against thy enemies!
On the 10 small beads is prayed once each of the 10 following praises:
1. Blessed be the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy!
2. Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception!
3. Blessed be her Glorious Assumption!
4. Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother!
5. Blessed be her Immaculate Heart!
6. Blessed be her Virginal Purity!
7. Blessed be her Divine Maternity!
8. Blessed be her Universal Mediation!
9. Blessed be her Sorrows and her Tears!
10. Blessed be the graces with which the Lord crowned her Queen of Heaven and Earth!
At the end of each set of 10 beads, say the following prayer:
Glory be to Mary, Daughter of the Father!
Glory be to Mary, Mother of the Son!
Glory be to Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit!
Concluding Prayer:
My Mother,
I love thee for those who do not love thee;
I praise thee for those who blaspheme thee;
I surrender myself to thee
for those who will not recognize thee as their Mother.
(Repeat the above concluding prayer 5 times)
Happy New Year! The new Liturgical year 2021-2022 begins with the First Sunday of Advent on November 28, the second to longest possible Advent. The Advent season begins on the Sunday nearest to the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle on November 30, and always includes four Sundays. The earliest date Advent can begin is November 27, and the latest it can begin is December 3. If Christmas falls on a Sunday, that is the longest possible Advent of
28 days. Christmas on a Monday means the shortest Advent of only 22 days. However, this longer Advent has the trade off of a shorter Christmas season. Epiphany will be on Sunday, January 2, the day after the end of the Octave of Christmas.
Four Elements to Living Liturgically
There are four elements to keep in mind when living the Liturgical Year:
Keeping in mind that living the Liturgical Year is nurturing our relationship with Christ
Respecting the individual is key. Know your child. Recognize your family and personal needs and limits.
Essentiality—get to the heart of the feast. Leave room for wonder and discovery. Our relationship with Christ needs to be expressed as celebration, with no apologies!
Celebrate like a Catholic!
These 4 element apply to this new Liturgical Year, starting with Advent.
The Advent Season
What is Advent? Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus, meaning coming. I use this quote of the explanation of Advent from the General Norms of the Liturgical Year and Calendar as my guide for Advent:
39. Advent has a twofold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnity of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.
From this definition are the two spiritual essentials of Advent:
Two-Fold Coming of Christ
Advent is not just the remembrance of Jesus’ first coming at Bethlehem. Our remembering should propel us to work for the Kingdom of God to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. The Advent liturgy includes the Messianic prophecies and “O” Antiphons prophesying not only the coming of Jesus at Bethlehem, but also the total fulfillment at the Second Coming, or Parousia, the end of time “when God will be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:28). Advent has this double sense of longing and preparation.