From the Pastor’s Desk::

People have been asking, “What has happened to all the work from the Synod on Synodality?” I want to give a report from Region 9 which is made up of 14 Dioceses here in the Midwest. Then I will give the top 10 areas of concern within our Diocese. Our parish council has been looking at the areas of concern here at St. Agnes. The feedback on the structure, content and proceedings of each dialogue session was generally positive and participants found it to be a good learning experience in their individual parishes. The major outcome in the Regional report was 1) Church as Community, the need to bring people together in relationship. 2) The Eucharist as Community, united with “church” throughout the world. 3) Lifelong faith formation through small groups, Bible studies and a deeper knowledge of Catholic teaching. 4) The wounds within the church through politics, Bishops at odds with each other and lay people not interested in learning more about their faith. Clericalism with priest and bishop telling people not working with people. Also the sex abuse scandals throughout the world. The top ten in our Diocese began with the Mass and what people wanted in the Mass. 2) People wanting their priests to be pastorally present. 3) The parish needs to be inviting to all. 4) The need for more knowledge of how to reach out to divorced and gay members. 5) The need to build community in the parish. 6) The parents and families not coming to Sunday Mass. 7) The need to reach youth and young adults. 8) Church ministers not living the Church teachings. 9) The challenge to living “Catholic” in Southern Missouri. 10) Many people felt the dialogue from the Synodal process was a starting point. As you read through these you can see that many people felt the same from across the 14 Dioceses, along with some being the same in our diocese. I want to ask each of you as you read these five areas in the Region and the ten areas in our Diocese, “How many of them are a concern for you personally?” It is a challenge for our Parish Council to begin to plan for the future of our parish, moving from a Maintenance to Mission style. If anyone would like to be a part of study and planning please contact me at the office at 417-831-3565.