Letter from the Pastor
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July 20, 2025Today is the feast day of our patroness, St. Margaret of Antioch. We don’t get to celebrate the feast that often. We are blessed this year because it falls on a Sunday.
For the first 300 years of the Church’s history, Christians met for Mass in private houses, or in cemeteries, or other secluded places. Then certain buildings were dedicated or adapted for Mass. Such buildings, however, were not dedicated to the saints, but were spoken of as the “House of God”, or the “House of Prayer.”
The term “church” was then used to designate the place where the faithful assembled, which is the meaning of the word church, to hear the word of God and partake of the sacraments. After the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in AD 313 with the Edit of Milan, sacred buildings were freely built and named after the memory of the martyrs. Eventually other saints were invoked to protect the people who belong to that particular church. It is the role of the bishop to name the parish.
The principal doctrine of patrons is that of the communion of saints, or the spiritual bond existing between us on earth, in heaven, or in purgatory. The saints are thereby regarded as our supporters and intercessors.
The first chapel for the Catholics here in Pearl River was named after St. Agnes, an early Church martyr; her stain glass window is in the choir loft. When our first parish church was built in 1900, the name was changed from St. Agnes to St. Margaret of Antioch. Someone who named us knew the name; “Margaret” means ‘beautiful pearl’, a fitting name for the Mother Church in Pearl River.
The three main Church windows above the altar tell the story of St. Margaret. She was also known as Marina. St. Margaret was born in Pisidian Antioch in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey); her father was a pagan priest. Her mother died soon after her birth, when a pious Christian woman who lived not far from Antioch nursed Margaret. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, Margaret was disowned by her father. The nurse adopted her and lived in the country, keeping sheep with her foster mother.
While she was one day engaged in watching the flocks, a Roman prefect named Olybrius caught sight of her, and attracted by her great beauty sought to make her his wife. After he was rejected, he had her brought to a public trial at Antioch, accused her as a Christian. Margaret was then thrown into prison where she was visited by the devil in the form of a dragon, which swallowed her. Inside the dragon, Margaret made the sign of the cross, and then the dragon spit her out. This event is significant as it attributes St. Margaret's association with pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. She is also known as the “slayer of dragons.” Finally, the prefect ordered her to be beheaded. She became a very popular saint, especially during the Middle Ages. St. Margaret is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; a group of saints venerated together for their special patronage and is one of the saints who spoke to St. Joan of Arc. St. Joan is depicted in one of our windows as well.
Saint Margaret of Antioch's unwavering faith, martyrdom, and miraculous encounters with the dragon have made her an enduring figure in Catholic tradition, serving as an inspiration and source of spiritual strength for countless people.
Saint Margaret, watch over us, intercede for us,
and renew the faith of your spiritual family in Pearl River. Amen
Welcome to Fr. Thomas Thodukulam from India. Father will speak on behalf of the missions throughout the world. The Society for the Propagation of the Faith is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. Pauline Jaricot founded the society in Lyon, France, in 1822. It is the oldest of four Pontifical Mission Societies of the Catholic Church.