DDF REPORT

To date our parish has $47,753.00 toward our

$78,958.00 goal. Thank you! If you have not yet made

your pledge, please add your gift, whatever the amount,

in unity with those who have already given by returning a

pledge card. Across the Diocese, $955,074 has been

pledged towards the $2,600,000 goal.

The diocese and Church in southern Missouri needs and

thanks you for your participation.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Vacation Bible School will be June 23-27 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. If you have a child in kindergarten through sixth grade in the upcoming school year, have them join us. Grade seven through adults can help in some way with the program. The registration forms for both attendees and volunteers are in the trifold in the vestibule of the church. When they are filled out, they come back to Sabrina Schmidt at the parish office. If you have any questions give her a call. We look forward to a fun, faith-filled week. Come and join us!

From The Pastor’s Desk

This weekend, but especially Monday we celebrate Memorial Day.  To many it means a 3 day weekend at the lake or the beginning of the summer season.  Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead of both the North and the South.  It was officially proclaimed o May 5, 1868 by General John Logan.  In his General Order No. 11.  “The 30th of May, 1868, designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.  The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. 

Today we hold in special memory all who have died in all our wars to keep our country free; in the Civil war, the two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Let us also hold in memory all who have met death through senseless violence both on streets and in their homes.

We hold in memory the millions whose lives have been snuffed out through willful abortions.

We hold in memory all whose lives have been offered up on the altars of prejudice, hunger, neglect and hatred.

We hold in memory all who have been slaughtered on the highways and streets of our country.

We hold in memory all whose lives have been terminated through the lethal effects of drugs, of all types and descriptions.

We hold in memory the martyrs’ blood of the past and now the martyrs today whose blood has been shed so that others might know the love and mercy of God the Father and our Redemption through his Son, Jesus.

We hold in memory all our dear loved ones, who now share the eternal vision of glory with the Father and the joy and peace of Christ’s resurrection.

May each of you have a blessed and safe Memorial Day Weekend.  There will not be any masses on Monday 27th here at the Cathedral.  Join our Bishop in the Memorial Day Mass at 9:00am at Resurrection Cemetery.  I will celebrate Mass in Bolivar at St. Wenceslaus Cemetery where my parents are buried. 

ARE YOU READY FOR A BUS TRIP?

In the past few years, several people have expressed an interest in visiting our convent at Ruma, IL.  While I was on retreat I chose Sept 17-18 for a time when a group of 20 or less can spend an overnight there.  What we do will probably depend somewhat on the number who go.  However, there are plenty of grounds to walk about and learn the history of the place.  The Sisters there enjoy visitors.  And, of course, since it is a 4 hour trip one way, we probably will want to car pool.  At any rate, let me know if you have any interest at all.  You will not be making a “commitment” until later, and even that will only be to let the convent staff know how to plan meals.  I thought if I let you know in advance, you could put it on your calendar.                     

Sr. Elizabeth Ann

Parish Garage Sale update!

We hope many of you have been gathering items to bring to our St. Agnes Parish Annual Garage Sale! Please note the following dates:       Drop off items at the gym door on May 25th &26th, June 1st & 2nd after all Sunday Masses. We will also have pickup available if you have larger items that you need help with. Please call Pat Rues at 833-4109 if you need help with pickup.

June 5th: 6:30pm: Set Up for Sale: We will need lots of help to set up tables & bring items to the floor. June 6th-June 13th: We will begin sorting, & pricing for the sale: We will have a morning shift from 7:30-10:00am and evening shifts from 6:30-8:30pm.

We will need lots of volunteers for our set up & marking of items. This is also a great opportunity for young people to help out and get their service hours for the upcoming school year. Please call Iris Bounds at 890-7423 if you would like to volunteer.

Parishioner only sale begins at 6:30pm on June 13th.

Everyone is welcome on June 14th:  7:00am-4:00pm and June 15th:  7:00-11:00am

CONGRATULATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our graduating seniors of 2019!!  For those of you who are headed to college outside the Springfield area, we invite you to join a Catholic ministry in the area that you will be attending college.  The Newman Center or Catholic Campus ministry is here to help you find a Catholic home while away from home.  To locate your center nearest your college go to newmanconnection.com for assistance.  You can also find forms on the youth bulletin board in the vestibule of the Cathedral. You can also email Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

Our next youth gathering will take place on Sunday afternoon June 2nd.  More details to follow.  If you would like to receive direct messages about our youth gatherings via text messages or emails, contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

All are welcome.

From The Pastor’s Desk

This coming Friday May 24, summer began—maybe not on the calendar, but the school year, 2018–2019, has finished. What a glorious season of the year, but then I enjoy all seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. As we enter the summer months, I always take a look at our prayer life, especially regarding weekend Mass. Can’t we just pray at home, or on the lake, or on the mountain top and do just as well in our relationship with God?

The Mass is the best expression of what it is to be a Catholic. It is the very first thing that the early Christians felt they needed to do. After Pentecost, they recalled that Jesus had instructed them to gather for the “breaking of the bread” (their way of speaking about the Mass). In this way, they believed they would experience the presence of the Risen Lord.

Within the Mass people of all walks of life sit together: the well-to-do sit next to the unemployed; children sit with their parents; people who don’t even like each other during the week are there at the Lord’s table; many times people of different races, ethnic groups, and even of different languages are united in prayer and song. There are college graduates alongside those who didn’t finish high school; factory workers alongside business people...the list goes on. All are there because they share one thing in common: their faith in Jesus Christ and their identity as Catholics. It’s a “uniting of everybody” Church, and you belong there also.

In our prayers, singing, and silence we can experience the presence of Jesus in others around us and within our own hearts and minds. More than in any other way, we believe that at Mass He is in our midst. Never forget the promise that Jesus made, that “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Last Sunday I concelebrated with Fr. Mac the 10:00 am Vietnamese Mass as 10 young people received First Holy Communion. Even though it was in Vietnamese and I didn’t know the words, I knew what we were doing, “we were gathered around the altar of the Lord in the celebration of the Eucharist”.

When I pray the Eucharistic prayer, we believe it to be the prayer of Jesus making present here and now the very sacrifice He offered on the cross and offered to God the Father in the name of all of us. We share in that offering. This is why we attend (or “bother”) with Mass every Sunday, or do you???

PARISH GARAGE SALE UPDATE!

We hope many of you have been gathering items to bring to our St. Agnes Parish Annual Garage Sale! Please note the following dates: Drop off items at the gym door on May 25th &26th, June 1st & 2nd after all Sunday Masses. We will also have pickup available if you have larger items that you need help with. Please call Pat Rues at 833-4109 if you need help with pickup.

June 5th: 6:30pm: Set Up for Sale: We will need lots of help to set up tables & bring items to the floor.

June 6th-June 13th: We will begin sorting, & pricing for the sale: We will have a morning shift from 7:30 -10:00am and evening shifts from 6:30-8:30pm. We will need lots of volunteers for our set up & marking of items. This is also a great opportunity for young people to help out and get their service hours for the upcoming school year. Please call Iris Bounds at 890-7423 if you would like to volunteer.

Parishioner only sale begins at 6:30pm on June 13th.

Everyone is welcome on June 14th: 7:00am-4:00pm and June 15th: 7:00-11:00am.

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BREAKFAST

Our last breakfast of the season is today May 19th, after the 7:00 & 8:30 Masses. If you have not been there for a while (or ever) join us for biscuits & gravy and all the extras. Your donations at these breakfasts benefit our St. Agnes seminarian.

Knights Meeting: The Knights of Columbus will have their monthly meeting this Monday at 7:00 in the Band Room. We have positions to fill and plans to make - so please join us and let your opinions be heard.

From The Pastor’s Desk

Last spring Fr. Thomas and I asked the Vietnamese Community if they would like to build a grotto to the Blessed Mother as she appeared to the Vietnamese people in 1798. They said yes and began the grotto in July. The statue was ordered from Vietnam when they had raised the money. It took months for it to arrive in the United States. Last Tuesday the work began in earnest. A small group have worked over a week to build the shrine/grotto to Our Lady of La Vang and they hope to have it finished in the couple of weeks.

Roman Catholicism was brought to Vietnam by Father Diego Aduart, a Dominican from Spain who established a mission in Dinh Cat. The mission did not grow until an Italian Jesuit who was fluent in Vietnamese came a few years later. Many people began to convert to Catholicism including an aunt to the reigning king. By the year 1593, thirty seven parishes had been established around Dinh Cat.

About 30 years later Fr. Alexander de Rhodes a French Jesuit arrived and initiated the Vietnamese alphabets that are still in use today. For more than 40 years Catholicism was tolerated due to the opened trade relations with Spain, France and Portugal. As the Nguyen dynasty reunited the north and south regions into what is now Vietnam, the Nguyen Dynasty decreed Catholicism as a foreign religious sect leading a working class revolt against the dynasty. In 1798 what followed was direct attacks upon the thirty seven parishes seeking to exterminate all Catholics. More than 100,000 Vietnamese Catholics died as martyrs.

Many Christians fled to the jungle near Quang Tri, a village in central Vietnam. Many died from the bitter cold weather, wild beasts, jungle sickness and starvation. At night they many times gathered in small groups to pray the rosary. Unexpectedly one night they were visited by an apparition of Our Blessed Mother in a long cape, holding a child in her arms, with two angels at her sides. She comforted them and told them to boil the leaves from the surrounding trees to use as medicine. She also told them that from that day on, all those who came to this place to pray, would have their prayers heard and answered.

Despite its isolated location in the high mountains, her name spread and groups of people continued to find a way through the jungle to pray to the Lady of La Vang. When the persecution ended in 1886, the small chapel that had been built was replaced with 3 chapels. In 1901 a church was built, followed by a larger church in 1924. In 1961 the church of La Vang was recognized as a national Marian Centre. At the same time Pope John XXIII elevated the church to the Basilica of La Vang. It was destroyed in 1972 during the Vietnam War. After the War, the La Vang complex enlarged to include a retreat center, a hospitality center, an outdoor amphitheater and a beautiful statue of Mary commemorating her apparitions.

In 1988 Pope John Paul II in the canonizing ceremony of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs, publicly recognized the importance and significance of the Lady of La Vang and expressed a desire for the rebuilding of the La Vang Basilica.

As our Diocese became the welcoming Diocese for the Vietnamese people when they fled Vietnam following the Communist takeover of the country, St Agnes became the welcoming parish here in Springfield and our Vietnamese community has become a vibrant part of St. Agnes Cathedral. We are planning a special dedication and blessing with our Bishop on May 26th and all are invited.

SPECIAL BENEFIT BINGO NIGHT FOR SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC CEMETERIES

Mark your calendars for 6:30pm Monday, May 6 for Bingo at the Bingo Emporium, 2345 W. Catalpa. The Knights of Columbus Council #698 wants to honor and celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Resurrection Cemetery and the upcoming 150th Anniversary of St. Mary Cemetery. Proceeds from this one-time event will be given to the Catholic Cemeteries for beautification and maintenance. Please plan to attend and enjoy the fun of playing bingo. We look forward to seeing you there!

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Reminder: 9:00am Memorial Day Mass at Resurrection Cemetery with Bishop Rice on Monday, May 27.

VIRTUS TRAINING

This training is required by all who work with children (Volunteers around children, youth helpers, Catechists, etc.) Pre-registration is necessary: www.virtus.org and click on “registration” on left. Participants must be present for the entire training. Training session is for adults only. Next local sessions: Tue, May 7, 5:30-8:30pm, Pallotti Center

Sat, May 18, 9:00am-noon, Holy Trinity, Springfield

Sat. May 25, 9am-noon, St Joseph the Worker, Ozark

Sat. June 1, 8-11am, Pallotti Center

Mon. June10, 5:30-8:30pm,St Elizabeth Ann Seton

Updated schedules may be found on the diocesan event calendar at www.dioscg.org or at www.virtus.org.

THANKS!

A huge thank you goes out to all those who contributed plastic eggs or candy to our recent Easter egg hunt! A big shout out to so many of our youth who helped stuff the eggs. We also thank our Girl Scouts who gave up their meeting to help! All of you helped the Easter Bunny provide a fun morning to so many children in our parish! Thanks again!

From The Pastor’s Desk

With the terrible fire at Notre Dame Cathedral last week many questions have arisen on the real ownership of the Cathedral, who is responsible for its rebuilding, where has the one billion dollars that has been pledged come from, should that amount of money be spent on a church building? I am want to spend a little time on trying to explain France’s separation of Church and State.

Before the French Revolution of 1789, Roman Catholicism had been the state religion of France. Church and State was welded together with both interfering in the administration of the other. The revolution not only ended with the French King being beheaded, bishops and priests were also executed. Between1789 and 1879 various laws and articles were enacted that separated the Catholic Church and the State. Beginning in 1879 the French state began a gradual national secularization program starting with the removal of priests from the administrative committees of hospitals and boards of charity and the substituting of lay women for nuns in hospitals. In 1882 religious instruction in all schools was forbidden. What follows are the next steptaken to secularize the country of France:

-the introduction of divorce and a requirement that civil marriages be performed in a civil ceremony

-legalizing work on Sundays

-making seminarians subject to conscription

-secularizing schools and hospitals

-abolishing the law ordaining public prayers at the beginning of each Parliamentary Session and of the assizes

-ordering soldiers not to frequent Catholic clubs

-removing the religious character from the judicial oath and religious symbols from courtrooms

-forbidding the participation of the armed forces in religious processions

In 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State declared that cathedrals remained the property of the state and smaller churches that of the local municipal government under the leadership of laymen, instead of putting them directly back under the supervision of the church hierarchies. These laymen associations created under the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State were independent legal entities having rights and responsibilities in the eyes of the law in all matters appertaining to money and properties formerly owned in France by organized religions: churches and sacred buildings, ecclesiastical property, real and personal; the residences of the bishops and priests; and the seminaries. These laymen associations were also authorized by the law to act as administrators of church property, regulate and collect the monies and the legacies destined for religious worship. The resources furnished by Catholic funding for the maintenance of Catholic schools, and the working of various charitable associations connected with religion, were also transferred to lay associations.

Some changes have slowly occurred since the Second World War, but the from my research 32 Cathedrals are still active houses of worship and they are owned by the state, Notre dame being one of those Cathedrals and it is the responsibility of the French government to rebuild it if the money can be found. The French government has been in financial trouble for years, but the president of France also understands that Notre Dame is a major draw for tourists.

FREE Chronic Pain Self-Management Program

Are you living with pain every day? St. Agnes Healthcare Ministry in conjunction with the Southwest Regional Arthritis Center, Mercy Health System and Cox Health System is sponsoring a 6 week program beginning May 22 that meets once a week for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the Dining Room. Each participant receives the book titled "Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Pain" with a "Moving Easy Program CD" included. This free program which is interactive and highly participative was developed at Stanford University and is a licensed program. Registration is required. Call 417-888-6787 to register.

PARISH GARAGE SALE

It’s hard to believe but the planning for our parish garage sale is beginning. In the past, money earned has updated our kitchen in the dining room, helped with carpet in the Cathedral & last year the money made was placed in our building fund. This year we are hoping to add more dollars to our building fund.

Our garage sale will be held June 13, 14 & 15th. We depend upon your donations to make the sale a success. Start cleaning out those closets, basements & garages. There are only a few items we cannot take including tires, computer monitors, televisions & used car seats. Drop off for the sale will begin the weekend of May 24th after Masses. We will also have pickup. Please consider donating a few hours of your time to help sort setup & prepare for the sale. More specific information will be coming soon.

From The Pastor’s Desk

We find ourselves in the glow of the Easter Candle for the 50 days after Easter. Lent has ended, perhaps before some even knew it had begun. Our secular society is rushing after whatever will sell next in the stores, but the Catholic Church continues to celebrate the Resurrection of our savior. Christ walked the earth following His resurrection, appearing and strengthening the apostles and disciples for their mission ahead. Within the liturgy of the Catholic Church we relive those events of Jesus’ life.

As we celebrated the liturgies of the Triduum, each of those liturgies were a reliving of those most special events of Jesus’ life. Those liturgies use all of our senses to help us experience those events. From the washing of feet, to processions, to incense, music, candles, extra readings, darkness, fire; all the senses were engaged. Some may ask what is the importance of redoing these liturgies each year? Easter is Easter, lets’ go to Church, out to eat and get on with the next thing.

We as adults are no different than children, repetition is an important role in imprinting both our brains and our spirits. When I work with our young people in the musical, we practice the actions, the script, the music until it becomes a part of them. That is why they are so good up on the stage and are not nervous. Some students that are shy or reserved in person can come alive up on the stage. When we experience a stimulus over and over, the memories become a subconscious part of who we are. If that is true on the stage, it is true in liturgy.

Symbols and signs connect us to the universal church, through generations and across the world. Our Easter Candle is an essential part of our worship, as it proclaims Christ alive, shining in a world of darkness and sin. The Easter Candle is lite during the Easter Season, during each baptism, and the celebration of a funeral liturgy. During the Easter Season I try to keep fresh flowers in the sanctuary as another symbol of life. I want to thank everyone who helped in the purchasing of our Easter flowers.

PARISH GARAGE SALE

It’s hard to believe but our planning for our parish garage sale is beginning. In the past, money earned has updated our kitchen in the dining room, helped with carpet in the Cathedral & last year the money made was placed in our building fund. This year we are hoping to add more dollars to our building fund.

Our garage sale will be held June 13, 14 & 15th. We depend upon your donations to make the sale a success. Start cleaning out those closets, basements & garages. There are only a few items we cannot take including tires, computer monitors, televisions & used car seats. Drop off for the sale will begin the weekend of May 24th after Masses. We will also have pickup. Please consider donating a few hours of your time to help sort setup & prepare for the sale. More specific information will be coming soon.

PCCW INVITES YOU

PCCW is inviting you to consider becoming a PCCW officer for the years 2019-2021. PCCW currently has 4 officers: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Your responsibility is to promote faith & friendship within the ladies of our parish. New officers will assume responsibility in July 2019.

As the secretary for the past two years, I have found the job to be fun, joyous & a way to get to know some beautiful souls in our parish. Our officers have been great to work with & I have never felt overwhelmed with extra stuff to do. We always need new people with new ideas & ways to promote being a Catholic woman in our parish.

No matter if you are young, old, married, single or new to the parish, we invite you to bring your ideas to PCCW. You may contact any of the current officers for more information. You may also contact Sister Elizabeth Ann for more information. Thank you for considering this way to serve your parish!

Iris Bounds

BREAKFAST

The monthly Knights of Columbus sponsored breakfast for April will be on Sunday, April 28th after the 7:00 and 8:30am Masses. French toast, bacon, sausage, and eggs are on the menu so come join us for food and fellowship.