Socialites

The purpose of our organization is to promote the recreation, tranquility, pleasure, education, and good fellowship for the Seniors of St. Margaret's Church.  There are many trips planned including shows, Bingo, annual picnic and any other interesting places the members suggest.

Our meetings are held the 1st and 3rd monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Marian Hall (Cafeteria)  of St. Margaret's School, Brewerton Road, Mattydale, N.Y .  Refreshments are served after each meeting. There is also a Pizza and Wing Party in May and a Covered Dish Supper the last meeting in June.

Any person fifty (50) years of age and older may become a member.  New members are always welcome.

There are no meetings during the months of July and August. For more information, please contact the rectory at 315-455-5534 or email rectory@stmargchurchmattydale.org

Socialites History and More Specifics-

Almost 20 years ago, Fr. Kevin wanted to form an organization to promote recreation, pleasure and good fellowship for the Seniors of St. Margaret's Parish. The organization, with the help of Clara Rein, Mary Root and many others became known as the Socialites. Anyone 50 years of age could and still can become a member.

At the present time (2009), the officers are Mardee Wilder as President for six years, Caroline Bamonte as Vice President for four years, Nan Newman who is our Recording Secretary and Jonelle Vivenzio who is our Treasurer has been with the Club almost from the beginning and Joe and Sally Brisson who run Bingo and 50/50's have also been involved in many ways for many years. June Domakowski is our new Sunshine Lady and Betty Reilly with the help of Reggie Kurtz, run the annual Picnic at the Spinning Wheel in August. Dave and Judy Kenyon oversaw the Christmas Party for the first time this year.

Our income comes from membership dues of $8.00 a year, 2 Bake Sales a year and this year a very successful Raffle of 3 food Baskets, the 50/50 drawings at the meetings and any money over the cost of the bus going to the Turning Stone for Bingo.

We have a Pizza and Wing Party in May, our Covered Dish Supper in June, our Annual Picnic in August, and our Christmas Party in December. We also schedule a Flu and Pneumonia Clinic for our members, usually in October and periodically schedule entertainment for some of our meetings. There are no meetings in July or August.

We quietly donate to any School Fund Raiser they have and two years ago gave Fr. Tim $1000.00 to purchase those gorgeous purple Vestments used during Lent and also a Rose Colored Vestment. We also support the Human Development office and recently donated $400.00 to re-stock the shelves with food during the Thanksgiving Basket program. We remember our Priests and Deacon at Christmas time and most recently had a railing installed going down the stairs to the cafeteria for those members who needed a little extra help. That was a good thing.

We are a happy family and enjoy every meeting. I'm sorry to say we have lost quite a few members this year due to illness, death, not being able to drive at night and not being able to use the stairs.

We serve coffee and "goodies" after every meeting and can't go home without playing Bingo. Any time Fr. Hyde or Fr. Tuka would like to sit in on one of our meetings, we would be happy to have them.

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Altar Rosary Society

St. Margaret's Altar Rosary Society is an organization of mostly women (some men do join us when we say the rosary in church) who devote themselves to praying the rosary daily and cleaning the Church and Chapel altars monthly.  Our other endeavors include raising funds to purchase the hosts used during Mass and purchasing the purificators, when needed, along with washing and ironing them weekly. 

Currently we have a group of approximately 100 members.  About 25 members are very active and attend the monthly meetings held on the third Thursday of every month.  We begin by meeting in the Chapel to say the rosary. We then proceed to the meeting room for our business meeting followed by refreshments and a social hour where we converse with one another or play dominoes.

The active members have become a close-knit group who share happy and sad times.  If a family of a deceased member makes the request, we will go as a group and pray the rosary for our lost member

For more information, please contact the rectory at 315-455-5534 or email rectory@stmargchurchmattydale.org

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Health Care Ministry

A number of RN's, your fellow parishioners, have banded together to begin a Health Care Ministry here at Saint Margaret's. We hope this will be an extension of Christ's healing ministry as to us in "The Gospels." We will begin simply during the summer by being present to take blood pressure after some of the weekend masses. The bulletin heading of "Health Care Ministry" will list the times that nurses will be available after mass in the teacher's room (the room directly next to the auditorium in the school corridor). We also welcome ideas that you may have about how we can serve you. We welcome any RN's or other health care providers such as LPN's, pharmacists, social workers, rehabilitation experts, or physicians who are interested in joining our team. Please call the rectory at 314-455-5534 and leave a name, number and email. Or you can email the rectory directly at rectory@stmargchurchmattydale.org

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Junior High Youth Group

Our Parish Junior High Youth Group is for those students in Grades 7 and 8, both in the public and parochial schools.  This group will meet once a month on a Saturday evening from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  All 7th and 8th graders are invited to join us for an evening of fun and games.   Pizza and soda will be served, and friends are always welcome to come along.  Look for more information in our Parish bulletin.

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High School Youth Group

The High School Youth Group plays a significant role in the parish life of St. Margaret’s.  Students in both public and parochial high school are invited to join the group. The group participates in many activities including: the dramatization of the Passion of Our Lord on Palm Sunday, fundraising, outings, game night, service, retreats, and an exciting summer trip to cap off their year.  If you are interested in being a part of this group, please check the bulletin for times and dates of meetings beginning in September.

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Basketball for ALL (Check out the calendar for Basketball game schedules)

One of the little known gems of St. Margaret's parish is our Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) basketball programs. Our teams have performed well the past several years with strong enrollment of players and coaches. Registration takes place in early October with practice and games beginning shortly thereafter. Rosters are open to parish youth from public and Catholic schools with limited spaces for non-Catholic youth as league rules permit.

The girls' program for grades 6-8 runs from October through the end of December playing games two times a week with one or two practices per week. Games are played on Sunday and Thursday against other CYO teams in the area such as St. Rose, North Syracuse and Sacred Heart in Cicero. There is a $50 registration fee plus a uniform deposit.

Practices for the boys CYO do not start until early November. There are three teams in the boys section: Modified (generally grades 6-8), Jr. Varsity and Varsity teams for high school youth. Games for the boys' teams begin in early December and continue until the end of February when playoffs are held. This is a great opportunity for boys to play in a very competitive league. All games have sanctioned referees. Again there is a $50 registration fee plus a uniform deposit. All players are responsible for finding their own rides to and from games.

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Saturday Morning Elementary Age Basketball

For the wee ones, we have Saturday Morning Basketball, a very popular program for boys and girls in grades 2 - 6. The program is run by parishioner Ken Cook and staff. The program is heavy on instruction and basketball fundamentals with some low key competition later in the season. Standings and team scores are not emphasized. Parents often stick around during practice to assist and watch. Every child gets to play a fair amount of time. The program runs from early December through February. It is open to children from public and parochial schools. There is a small sign up fee that covers tee shirts and a pizza party at the end of the season.

The program will be split into junior and senior divisions.  The junior division will be for players in grades 2 through 4.  This modified division will utilize a smaller, youth sized basketball and an 8 1/2 foot basket height.   The senior division will be for grades 5 and 6.  A 4th grade player MAY be moved to the senior division if it has been determined by the Program Coordinator that the player is capable of playing at the next level.

Mission Statement: To teach the fundamentals of basketball through an atmosphere that fosters fun, positive attitude, and sportsmanship.