About St. Margaret Shrine · Bridgeport, Connecticut
Saint Margaret Shrine is a Roman Catholic diocesan shrine and church located in the North End of Bridgeport, Connecticut, at 2523 Park Avenue, within the Diocese of Bridgeport. Built by Rev. Emilio Iasiello in the months after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, it was originally a satellite chapel for his St. Raphael Parish downtown and is dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch, the 4th-century virgin martyr and one of the 14 Holy Helpers. Today the park-like grounds feature an Italian-Renaissance-style chapel of about 300, a Lourdes Grotto, a Calvary scene, a Veterans Memorial, a Padre Pio Prayer Group shrine, an outdoor Pieta Altar, wayside shrines to saints from around the world, and an annual Italian 'Feast of St. Anthony.' In January 2012 Bishop William Lori designated it the Diocesan Shrine of the Diocese of Bridgeport, an entity in its own right, and when the parish's main church later closed, the shrine chapel also became the parish church.
- Established
- 1942
- Patron
- St. Margaret of Antioch (Margaret the Virgin)
- Rector
- Rev. Jose Ignacio Ortigas (Rector)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
Why belong here
St. Margaret Shrine offers something rare in the Northeast: an entire park of outdoor Marian and saint shrines, a Lourdes Grotto, a Calvary scene and a Veterans Memorial you can walk through and pray at year-round, alongside a fully renovated chapel with daily Mass. The shrine is home to a large Padre Pio Prayer Group, an Italian-language Mass each Sunday, an annual 'Original' Feast of St. Anthony with outdoor procession, and an annual Veterans Mass with inscribed memorial bricks. Since being named the Diocesan Shrine of the Diocese of Bridgeport in 2012, it functions both as a pilgrimage destination and as the parish church for the surrounding North End neighborhood — a quiet, accessible 'oasis of prayer in Connecticut' for daily Mass, reconciliation, Friday adoration, the rosary and sacramental life.
Mass times at St. Margaret Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Saturday: 7:45 – 8:15 a.m. (before daily Mass)
- Saturday: 3:00 – 3:45 p.m.
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Holy Hour of Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament: every Friday 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., with the Divine Mercy Chaplet prayed within the hour
About Saint Margaret Shrine
Saint Margaret Shrine is the Diocesan Shrine of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, located in the North End of Bridgeport, Connecticut at 2523 Park Avenue. Built by Rev. Emilio Iasiello in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, it combines a fully renovated colonial-exterior / Italian-Renaissance-interior chapel of about 300 worshippers with park-like grounds of wayside shrines, grottoes, a Calvary scene and a Veterans Memorial. Since 2012 it has functioned as an entity of the Diocese of Bridgeport and, after the closure of the surrounding parish's main church, also serves as the parish church for the area. The shrine describes itself as 'An Oasis of Peace' and welcomes daily Mass-goers, Italian-American devotees of St. Anthony and Padre Pio, pilgrims from across New England and visitors of all backgrounds.
- Diocesan Shrine, Diocese of Bridgeport
- Founded 1942; dedicated September 20, 1942 by Bishop Maurice F. McAuliffe of Hartford
- Founder: Rev. Emilio Iasiello (later Monsignor), pastor of St. Raphael Parish, Bridgeport
- Patron: St. Margaret of Antioch (former universal feast day July 20)
History of the Shrine
Fr. Emilio Iasiello purchased a rocky piece of land on Park Avenue in 1941 as a satellite chapel site for St. Raphael Parish downtown. On December 8, 1941 — the day after Pearl Harbor — he resolved during prayers to Our Lady to dedicate the land to peace and to parishioners serving in the war. Over the next several years he and the Italian-American community blasted the ledge, built broad stone staircases and paths in European style, and added shrines honoring saints from around the world. The Lourdes Grotto was dedicated in October 1943 after blasting created a natural grotto. By the end of World War II the shrine was already drawing thousands of pilgrims praying for peace and for local servicemen.
- 1941 — Fr. Iasiello purchases Park Avenue land
- December 8, 1941 — decision to dedicate the land to peace
- September 20, 1942 — chapel dedicated by Bishop McAuliffe of Hartford
- October 1943 — Lourdes Grotto blessed by Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien of Hartford
- January 2012 — designated the Diocesan Shrine by Bishop William Lori
- Recent additions: shrines to Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of La Vang, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Padre Pio
The Chapel and Architecture
St. Margaret Chapel has a simple Colonial-style exterior, but most of its building materials came from a mansion razed in neighboring Fairfield. The interior is finished in an Italian Renaissance style, accommodates about 300 worshippers, and was fully renovated and enhanced after the year 2000. The grounds are laid out as an interconnected park of stone paths, extra-wide stone staircases, gentle hillsides, picturesque bridges and small water pools fed by a natural 200-foot-deep spring.
- Colonial exterior / Renaissance interior
- Capacity ~300
- Materials salvaged from a Fairfield mansion
- Renovated post-2000
- 9-foot Carrara marble Christ the King statue at the Meditation Gardens entrance
- Marble-and-mosaic wayside altar of St. Margaret of Antioch with twin cerulean-blue tiled pillars and a Lamb of God carving
Outdoor Shrines and Devotional Sites
Walking the grounds of St. Margaret Shrine is itself an act of devotion. The paths lead from the chapel out to multiple outdoor shrines, grottos and life-size scenes tracing the life of Christ and the communion of saints. Each station along the way offers an opportunity to pray the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross or a private intention.
- Lourdes Grotto with kneeling St. Bernadette
- Life-size Crucifixion / Calvary scene (Jesus, Mary, John and Mary Magdalene) atop the highest rock formation
- Garden of Gethsemane with praying Jesus and an angel holding a chalice
- Pieta Altar (used by Bishop Caggiano for outdoor Masses)
- Wayside Altar of St. Margaret of Antioch — marble and mosaic with twin cerulean-blue pillars
- All Saints' Chapel
- St. Anthony Candle Shrine
- St. Pio of Pietrelcina Memorial Shrine (enclosed)
- Our Lady of Grace, Our Lady of Fatima (with the three children), Our Lady of Charity, Our Lady of La Vang, Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Shrines to St. Sebastian and Mother Cabrini
- Stations of the Cross
- Newtown memorial shrine — oversized image of Jesus welcoming children (memorializing the 2012 Sandy Hook victims)
- Christmas grotto with Il Presepio Nativity display
Veterans Memorial
The Veterans Memorial is one of the shrine's most distinctive features and the reason it appears in the National War Memorial Registry. Memorial bricks can be sponsored for veterans of the U.S. military and its allies — living, deceased, wartime, peacetime, reserves, regulars and currently serving — and the names inscribed on newly donated bricks are read aloud at the annual September Veterans Mass (the 10th annual was referenced in shrine news). Information and order forms are available in the chapel entrance or by calling (203) 514-1728.
- Listed in the National War Memorial Registry / War Memorial Catalog
- Honors U.S. military and allies, living and deceased
- Annual September Veterans Mass with reading of brick names
- Donor information line: (203) 514-1728
Padre Pio Society Prayer Group
St. Margaret Shrine is home to one of the largest Padre Pio prayer communities in the region, and the enclosed St. Pio of Pietrelcina Memorial Shrine on the grounds serves as the focal point for its devotion. Padre Pio (1887–1968), an Italian Capuchin friar stigmatist from Pietrelcina, was beatified in 1999 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. The shrine also offers a special St. Pio of Pietrelcina Mass on the last Friday of each month from April through November at 6:00 p.m., with a rosary beforehand at 5:30 p.m.
- St. Pio of Pietrelcina Memorial Shrine (enclosed)
- Padre Pio Society Prayer Group meetings
- Monthly St. Pio Mass: last Friday, April–November, 6:00 p.m. (rosary at 5:30 p.m.)
Clergy and Staff
Saint Margaret Shrine is led by a Rector and supported by assisting retired clergy, a deacon, and a small lay staff. The shrine is also indebted to many volunteers who help keep the property staffed and welcoming.
- Rev. Jose Ignacio Ortigas — Rector
- Rev. Jeff Couture — Assisting Retired Clergy
- Rev. Albert Forlano — Assisting Retired Clergy
- Rev. Eugene Szantyr — Assisting Retired Clergy
- Deacon Don Foust — Administrator (per festival communications)
- Lacretia Harris — Accountant
- Dianna McHugh — Secretary
- Lucia Palmieri — Music & Communications Coordinator
The Original Feast of St. Anthony
Each year the shrine hosts the 'Original' Feast of St. Anthony, one of the region's oldest Italian religious festivals. The festival features Italian food specialties (including the famous Pizza Fritta), Italian-American music, entertainment, raffles, rides and games. On Sunday morning the grounds host a Special Outdoor Mass, followed by a traditional faith-filled outdoor Procession in honor of St. Anthony. The feast is also a major fundraiser for the shrine's upkeep and ongoing restoration.
- Italian food, music, games, rides and raffles
- Famous Pizza Fritta and other Italian specialties
- Sunday outdoor Mass and procession in honor of St. Anthony
- Admission historically $0.99; children under 12 free
- Festival supports ongoing renovations and revival of the shrine
Get Involved
The shrine has called for volunteers to maintain a presence on the property seven days a week (2:00–7:00 p.m.) and to assist with the annual Feast, the Veterans Memorial program, communications and sick/homebound visits. Donations of veteran memorial bricks, weekly envelopes mailed to the shrine office, and the parish bulletin keep the ministry running. Anyone interested can call the office at (203) 333-9627 or email [email protected].
- Volunteer presence on the grounds Mon–Sun 2:00–7:00 p.m.
- Veterans Memorial brick donations (line: (203) 514-1728)
- Communion calls to the sick and homebound
- Music and communications ministry
- Bulletin prayer list — submit sick or in-need names by calling the office
- Mailed weekly envelopes welcomed at the shrine office
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Emilio Iasiello (also rendered 'Lasiello')1941–? (founder and builder of the shrine; pastor of St. Raphael Parish, Bridgeport)
Decided to build the shrine during prayers on December 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor; purchased the Park Avenue land, erected St. Margaret Chapel, dedicated September 20, 1942, and built out the grounds, Lourdes Grotto (1943) and many wayside shrines. Later honored as Monsignor.
- Rev. Jose Ignacio OrtigasCurrent
Listed by both the shrine website and the Diocese of Bridgeport as the Rector of St. Margaret Shrine. Deacon Don Foust is named Administrator in some Shrine communications.
