April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
Parish has unique patron
According to Steve Nocian, a member of the parish that bears her name in Rotterdam Junction, devotion to the saint has increased and decreased with the times. When the parish was formed in the early 20th century, she was very popular.
Mr. Nocian has done extensive research into the life of the saint, spending more than three years studying not only the events of her life but also the tertiary order of the Franciscans, the history of the Church during her lifetime, and the economic and religious atmosphere of Italy in the 13th century.
Beginnings
In 1904, the community of Catholics in Rotterdam Junction wanted a church of their own. After emigrating from Europe, many of these Catholics, who were of Irish and Italian descent, found their way to the small town to work on the railroad.As the 20th century began, St. Margaret of Cortona was considered a saint for the times. As the parishioners built their first church in the railroad town, this popular Italian saint appeared to be the perfect one to name their parish after.
Father Cuthbert, an English priest, had written a book about her life titled, "A Tuscan Penitent," that was popular at that time. An Italian artist named Martini had painted a picture of her in the early 1900s, a portrait that was also very popular, especially with Italian immigrants.
Biography
In Church annals, Margaret of Cortona is described in shorthand as a: "Franciscan tertiary, penitent; b. Laviano, 1247; d. Cortona, Italy. Feb. 22, 1297 (feast, Feb. 22)."When rejected by her stepmother, Margaret became the mistress of a young nobleman from Montepulciano. She lived with him for nine years and bore him a son. The discovery of her lover's murdered body hidden in the woods shocked her into conversion to Catholicism. From 1274 until her death, she lived under the direction of Friar Giunta Bevegnati in extreme penance, receiving many extraordinary mystical graces.
Pope Benedict XIII canonized her on May 16, 1728. Her incorrupt body is venerated in her church at Cortona, which also has a Giovanni Pisano statue of her, with the dog that supposedly led her to her lover's body.
Saint's trivia
Additional facts about the saint reveal that she:* attempted to mutilate her face in her grief over the death of her lover but was stopped by Friar Giunta, who became her spiritual mentor;
* was a former sinner who became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, devoting her life to begging alms and practicing acts of penance;
* was granted many spiritual gifts and had miracles associated with her;
* experienced frequent ecstasies and was said to be in direct contact with Jesus;
* was granted a charter allowing her to work with the sick and poor on a regular basis;
* founded a hospital at Cortona and a congregation of tertiary sisters, the Poverelle, devoted to the care of the poor; and
* spent 29 years performing acts of penance before her death.
Church in Diocese
In the late 1920s, St. Margaret's Church underwent major structural improvement. The original wooden structure was enclosed in a new, brick facade to reinforce it. The new look eliminated the side entrance and gave the church its current appearance.In 1943, the decor of the building was enhanced by the addition of stained glass windows, including one of St. Margaret. In 1980, the parish hall was built onto the back of the church, providing space for religious education classes and parish social gatherings. It currently serves the additional purpose of a meal site for the elderly of the area.
The parish has grown over the years into a community of approximately 300 families. The town is no longer a railroad junction, but the dedication of those early families that built the church remains evident in the thriving Catholic community named after St. Margaret of Cortona.
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