Parish marks centenary

On June 27, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard celebrated a Mass at St. Margaret of Cortona Church in Rotterdam Junction to mark its 100th anniversary.

A century ago, Rotterdam Junction was populated mainly by Italian and Irish Catholics who had come to work on the railroad. When they built a church in 1904, they decided to name their new parish after a 13th-century Italian saint, Margaret of Cortona, who was then very popular with Italian immigrants.

Situated close to both the Schenectady and Montgomery County lines, Rotterdam Junction was literally a junction for two major railroads: the Boston & Maine and the New York Central. Together, they connected the industrial eastern U.S. and the more agricultural west.

The parish has celebrated its centennial in various ways. Earlier this year, for example, parishioners opened the church's cornerstone and removed the time capsule placed inside by its founders. Later, the parish printed and distributed special centennial prayer cards and booklets.

In May, Mass was celebrated at the Mabee Farm site to commemorate where the first Masses in the parish were offered. In December, the youth of the parish will mark the official closing of the centennial.

After the June 27 Mass, parish children presented a puppet show depicting the life story of their patron saint.

(7/1/04) [[In-content Ad]]