From The Pastor’s Desk

Each year as schools let out for the summer and as they begin in the fall, I urge parents to not forget their children’s spiritual life–the most important part of educating a child. All outside activities need to be balanced. Perhaps the best way to keep our families together and our young people strong is to keep God in the picture always. Do not wait until a crisis comes into your family’s life; come to church regularly on Sunday, and pray together as a family. Work your spiritual life and language into everyday conversation. School also brings new opportunities for parents to teach their young people respect, service, and to take responsibility for their actions.

Parents who always come running to straighten situations out for their children are missing good teachable moments. Don’t pass up an opportunity to give your kids practice in figuring things out for themselves while they are still young. Many times it is tempting, in our fast-paced world, to do things that kids should do for themselves. It’s quicker and we are pressed for time. No parent wants to see their child in trouble, but children need to learn that poor choices bring consequences that sometimes are not pleasant. There are many ordinary opportunities to explain to young people that just because their friends are allowed to do something, doesn’t mean that they should also. The sooner parents become parents, rather than their child’s best friend, the more respect their child will have for them. They have best friends; they need parents who will teach, guide, set limits, and provide discipline. All of this will help them deal with peer pressure today, hard-to-deal-with bosses in the future, and to be able to follow rules and laws.

I want to thank all those who worked last year and gave money at Irish Game Night. Funds from that fundraiser helped pay for new doors and locks in our schools classrooms which is for added security which the school board made a priority for the school year 2019-2020.

I want to thank Dan Byram for cutting overgrowth shrubbery by the south sidewalk and for cleaning out the shrubbery bed by our St. Agnes sign.

I want to thank all of our Bingo workers, who spend one Wednesday evening a month working our St. Agnes Bingo. The money that has been raised for our parish is huge. This year the great amount of our bingo money saved from the past year and half paid $43,000 to remove the Loretta House, $7,000 for the fire hydrant and $165,000 to build the storage building that is allowing us to move stuff from the school hallways, small dining room, the offices, from the garage so that all our cars can now be parked in the garage. A thank you to all of you who work or come to play bingo. We are also looking for more volunteers to help on Wednesday evening. I go every Wednesday that I do not have rehearsal and truly enjoy working. Please contact me here at the parish if you would like to volunteer for this ministry.

IRISH GAME NIGHT

Irish Game Night is August 24 at University Plaza. You can purchase tickets or make a donation to Team Toga at https://scspk12.org/ign The St. Agnes Cathedral School team for Irish Game Night is Team Toga! The team consists of Shelley Todd, Michael Meek, Adam Woody and Carey Stubblefield.

Confirmation Session:

An informational meeting for those planning to be confirmed in 2020 will be held Sunday, Sept 8th, at 3:30pm in the cafeteria. Confirmation for youth will include those in 8th grade through high school. More information to follow.

I Love My Parish Strategic Planning Committee Update

I love My Parish Committee (formerly Stewardship Group) met for our first meeting last week. We are very excited to energize St. Agnes Parish and create a community of faith for all. We are looking for representatives who regularly attend the Vietnamese, Sunday 11:30am, or Sunday 5:00pm mass to join the group. Our next meeting is Sunday August 25th at 9:50am in the band room of the school. If you or anyone you know might be interested please contact Gary Herman at 314-808-1165 or Sr. Jacinta Tran at 417-869-9842.

Assumption Holy Day Mass Schedule

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation, will be celebrated on Thursday, August 15. There will be a Vigil Mass on Wednesday, August 14 at 7:00pm. No 5:30pm Mass or Reconciliation. Masses on the holy day will be at 8:30am, 12:15 and 5:30pm. Holyday Mass in Vietnamese will be at 7:30pm.

From The Pastor’s Desk

Thursday of this week we will celebrate the Assumption of Mary, a holy day of obligation. To understand this particular Marian celebration along with others, we must first understand the role of Sacred Tradition in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is built upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition. This is a fundamental difference between the Catholic Church and the protestant churches. Sacred Tradition has brought the Catholic Church to a more complete grasp of God’s truth than can be attained from the Bible alone. Most Catholic dogmas which are the foundational principles which all Catholics must believe are found explicitly in the Bible, but there are some like the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary which over the centuries have been revealed by God to the Church. Such doctrines come from the same Source of truth as does the Bible and they CANNOT contradict the Bible and must be in harmony with the Bible. I know you have heard this and read this from me already, but we need to be reminded of what and why we celebrate Mary’s role in our Catholic faith.

St. John Damascene, who died in 749 AD, in one of his writings expressed the general belief of all Christianity of that time: “Your sacred and happy soul, as nature will have it, was separated in death from your most blessed and immaculate body: and although the body was duly interred, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay…Your most pure and sinless body was not left on earth but you were transferred to your heavenly throne, O Lady, Queen, and Mother of God in truth.” St. John was only putting into print what had been believed and celebrated openly since the time Constantine legalized Christianity. Mary’s life and her memory centered upon the place of Mary falling asleep close to Mount Zion.

It doesn’t seem possible that the school year 2019-2020 begins this week. Where did the summer go? Hopefully all our young people, faculties and administrators are refreshed and ready for school. I know most parents are ready. If I posed the question, “Why do you go to school?” to students as well as parents, what would their answers be? Maybe, something like this. School is one of the educational environments in which we develop, through learning, how to live, how to become grown up, how to choose a career, and how to become young men and women who can follow the road of life. School teaches all of these things and more. It also broadens our human dimension.

Now I would like to ask the question, “Why go to a Catholic School?” Within our Catholic Schools, along with intellectual studies, we strive to develop the human virtues of loyalty, respect, faithfulness, and dedication—all of this within the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our academics are high quality, but they are not the top priority. In a society that is becoming more and more secular, our Catholic schools teach that Christmas is about Christ’s birth, Easter is about His Resurrection, Lent is a time of penance, and Advent is a time of preparation. Catholic education reinforces our foundation of faith taught by the Catholic Church. The teachings of Jesus Christ are a part of our students’ everyday curriculum. But in today’s society, our human virtues have been trampled on by the media, by Hollywood, and even by our own government. All of which have lost respect for family values and the Christian faith. Our Catholic education strengthens the value of family and faith. Our teachers and administrators have the same beliefs in Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, with a respect for life and a respect for all people. As we begin our school year this Thursday, please come and celebrate the Assumption of Mary, a Holy Day of Obligation.

WE ARE CALLED

Last Monday night we became better acquainted with G.K. Chesterton. Bishop Barron once described him as “a fine champagne: intoxicating, sparkling, and rare.” He was baptized Anglican and became Catholic at age 48, believing that Christianity would set right what was wrong with the world. He was a large man who attracted many of the literary giants of the day who became friends, even though he didn’t agree with them about much. Even when discussing very important topics his writings often contained humor such as:

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are the same people. ‘

“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.”

He was a great writer and a staunch supporter of Catholicism. I think I need to read more.

Ginny Smithberg

CATHOLIC NIGHT AT THE SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS

Get a group of friends together and join Bishop Edward M. Rice as he throws out the first pitch at Catholic Night at the Springfield Cardinals on Thursday, August 29. Gates open at 6:10pm with the game getting underway at 7:10pm. For $8, you'll get a reserved field box seat (3rd baseline, shaded); a free Springfield Cardinals Cap, Klement's $1 Bratwurst, and more! To order tickets (group or individual) contact the parish office by August 16. See you at the ballpark!

THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation, will be celebrated on Thursday, August 15. There will be a Vigil Mass on Wednesday, August 14 at 7:00pm. No 5:30pm Mass or Reconciliation. Masses on the holy day will be at 8:30am, 12:15 and 5:30pm. Holyday Mass in Vietnamese will be at 7:30pm.

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

Our Diocese was created out of the southern counties of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the southern counties of Diocese of Kansas City in 1956. Since the foundation of our Diocese we have seen our Catholic population grow from 31,000 to almost 65,000.

Our Diocese has over its short history met several strong challenges and overcome them, becoming even stronger in faith and in building up the church. Found within the physical boundaries of our Diocese is the world headquarters of the Assemblies of God, Springfield; the General Baptist Church, Popular Bluff; and the Pentecostal Church of America, Joplin. There are Amish, Mormons and Mennonites, along with countless different free standing protestant churches. Our Diocese is comprised of 23,000 square miles and many of our parishes are small and in the rural areas. Lastly our Diocese has seen different waves of immigrants and has risen to meet the spiritual needs of those immigrants coming from Germany, Ireland, Vietnam, Mexico and Latin American countries. Each group of immigrants have made our Diocese more vibrant and open to new ideas and ways of working together.

We are a Diocese of 66 parishes, 18 missions. Last year we celebrated 399 infant baptisms, 589 children thru adults were received into the Church through a Profession of Faith or baptism There were 254 marriages of which 96 were mixed religion (Catholic & non Catholic). There are 2834 students enrolled in Catholic Elementary Schools, and 993 students enrolled in Catholic High Schools. There are 2781 students enrolled in Parish Grade Schools of Religion and 962 students enrolled in High School Parish Schools of Religion.

As our government struggles with the immigration issue, this is nothing new. In 1875 all Asians, especially Chinese were given a limited quota, followed by quotas of Eastern European countries from 1900 thru 1924, also limited in the 1920 thru 1930 were Italians and Irish. Northern European immigrants, especially non Catholic were welcomed. Unfortunately the Hispanics are being targeted today as lazy, as drug users and criminals, so send them back to where they came from. Immigrants as a whole regardless of where they have come from are mostly hard working and trying to use the freedoms of our country to build a better life for their families.

We have so much to be thankful for in our country and Diocese. With the grace of the Holy Spirit we will continue to meet the needs of the Church in the years to come here in southern Missouri. All of us need to be open to what the Holy Spirit is asking and directing us toward in the future. We have growing numbers of different immigrants, we have fewer priests being ordained, and we have more laity taking leadership roles in the Church; all of which need the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION INFO

Hard to believe that those "Back to School" signs and sales are popping up all over the place. All of us are trying to get that last minute travel in and complete those outdoor projects before life gets back into a more scheduled routine. Our Parish School of Religion is already preparing for the upcoming 2019-20 year. We are working hard to prepare to help our families share our Catholic faith with our young Catholics and with all of the parish.

Registration will be held Sunday, August 18th in the cafeteria beginning at 10:00. We invite all our families to participate whether the children attend Catholic, public or are home schooled. Just a reminder all children who plan to receive one of the sacraments, Reconciliation, Holy Eucharist, or Confirmation should be attending religion classes or be enrolled in our Catholic schools a year prior to the reception of the sacraments. If you have any special family needs or considerations, we will work with you in any way possible. If you cannot make the registration, please contact us and we will get you set up.

Children's Liturgy of the Word will soon be resuming at the 8:30 Sunday Mass. This is for our younger set preschool through 2nd grade. Confirmation classes will also be beginning for those in grades 8 through high school. We will be mailing specific information soon to our families. We always need volunteers to help in a variety of ways. Even if you feel you cannot make a weekly commitment, we would appreciate talking with you about ways you can help. We also invite our high school students to help. If you have questions about CLOW, PSR Sunday classes or the Confirmation program, please contact Iris Bounds PSR Coordinator by calling the parish office at 831-3565 or at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

We look forward to hearing from you and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Iris Bounds

CATHOLIC NIGHT AT THE SPRINGFIELD CARDINALS

Get a group of friends together and join Bishop Edward M. Rice as he throws out the first pitch at Catholic Night at the Springfield Cardinals on Thursday, August 29. Gates open at 6:10pm with the game getting underway at 7:10pm. For $8, you'll get a reserved field box seat (3rd baseline, shaded); a free Springfield Cardinals Cap, Klement's $1 Bratwurst, and more! To order tickets (group or individual) or for more information, contact Teresa Calhoun, (417) 832-3031, or tcalhoun@cardinals.com. See you at the ballpark!

IRISH GAME NIGHT

Irish Game Night is August 24 at University Plaza. You can purchase tickets or make a donation to Team Toga at https://scspk12.org/ign The St. Agnes Cathedral School team for Irish Game Night is Team Toga! The team consists of Shelley Todd, Michael Meek, Adam Woody and Carey Stubblefield.

CALLING ALL GARAGE SALE VOLUNTEERS AND PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS!

As a way to thank you for your help at the garage sale,

please join us for dinner on Tues, Aug 6th at 6:00 pm in

the dining room. Whether you donated an hour of your

time or 20 hours, we want you to know how much we

appreciate you. So come join us and bring your ideas. We

always want input on how we can improve for next year.

All food will be provided. All parish council members

are also invited to join the volunteers for dinner. Please

call the parish office at 831-3565 to let us know you are

coming. Again, thank you for all your help!

From The Pastor’s Desk

Continuing from last week, I want to look at young people and religion. Most teenagers practice new skills on their parents, especially arguing for the sake of what we adults might call simply for the sake of arguing, but really they are working at putting new information into ideas. This can be a trying time for parents, especially if what your son/ daughter is rejecting is a part of your family traditions, rituals, and habits. If your adolescent child rejects your religion, the practices he or she was raised with since birth, it’s not just difficult. It can create family discord and personal heartache. The rejection of religion, opposition of practices, questioning doctrine and teachings I have encountered usually around mid-adolescence (13 to 15 years of age). Parents question, teachers question, “what happened”? Young people may argue that religious practice is restrictive, that they do not believe in a god, that practicing the religion without believing is hypocritical. They may refuse to attend holiday dinner or Sunday Mass. They may become belligerent. Parent are usually the target of the rage, opposition, debate, and defiance. And while I was teaching, sometimes me as priest/ teacher. This stage of adolescence is a period when teens question authority—parental, professional, and spiritual. It is completely age-appropriate. How we as adults handle it depends in large part on the young person and their coping skills. In the book, Surviving Your Child’s Adolescence, there are four stages of adolescent rebellion. How you address the rebellion is based on your child’s age but, also on their emotional maturity. In the first stage moving into the teenage years, a young person rejects the old child identity to make way for the more grown up person. Rebellion at this time proclaims: “I refuse to be defined and treated as a child anymore!” They know what/how they do not want to be, but have not discovered what/who they want to be. This is a time for dialog rather than action, as parent/teacher helping them discover who they want to be. It’s the time to help them verbalize their objections, and we as parents need to be willing to listen. Whether the discussion is due to religion, school, or sports, set up some firm family guidelines that are not negotiable, that clearly define your expectations and consequences for not meeting those expectations. Include the rewards for meeting those expectations. The one thing I have to constantly remind myself as I look at 7th and 8th graders all the way through high school, is that tall young person, who sometimes is bigger than me is still a child in a developing body. Some behaviors aren’t going to change through discussion, punishment, or head-to-head combat. You implement rules and consequences to keep them safe. Above all make yourself available to talk. Make it clear to your young person that you want to listen to their objectives, and you need their help to help you understand. Listen without commenting. Validate their complaints by mirroring their sentiments. “I can see how you might feel that way.” At the same time, give them constructive ways to verbalize their anger, frustration, and internal struggle. Carefully helping them to understand at this time you are the parent with what I call “House Rules”.

We Are Called

We’re not done yet! Bishop Barron originally included six individuals for his program “Pivotal Players”. We’ve presented all of them except for G. K. Chesterton who is waiting in the wings. I have to admit that I was not very familiar with his writings. I guess I was too busy reading anatomy, physiology and nursy stuff while the rest of the world was enjoying the classics. I have watched the DVD recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. I think you might also. We will be offering it in August, and will begin advertising as soon as we set the date. However, if you want more about the saints, Dynamic Catholic has sent a great little book to me written by Mathew Kelly entitled Rediscover the Saints. I can’t put it down. If Father Lewis agrees, we will distribute these books at the Christmas Masses, as suggested by Mathew Kelly. We want to congratulate Gary Herman and his Stewardship Committee. We will pray for your success and look forward to working with you. Ginny Smithberg

Knights of Columbus

Knights of Columbus - The monthly meeting is this Monday, July 22nd. We will meet at 6:30 in the Cafeteria for officer installation ceremony followed by a pot luck dinner. All Knights and their families are invited. Bring a side dish or dessert. The Council will supply the meat and drinks..

Thank You!

Calling all garage sale volunteers! As a way to thank you for your help at the garage sale, please join us for dinner on Tues, Aug 6th at 6:00 pm in the dining room. Whether you donated an hour of your time or 20 hours, we want you to know how much we appreciate you. So come join us and bring your ideas. We always want input on how we can improve for next year. All food will be provided. Please call the parish office at 831-3565 to let us know you are coming. Again, thank you for all your help!

From The Pastor’s Desk

I began this discussion last week and will continue it this week. Parents ask me often, why does my son/daughter no longer want to go to church? There are several reasons and I hope that I can answer some of them. Keep in mind I am not a specialist, but I have worked with young people my whole priesthood. Rebellion is a normal part of adolescence. As children move into pre-teens and then teens, they are seeking greater independence. They push boundaries, oppose rules, argue more, reject authority, and many times walk away from the people who love them most, mom and dad. Does this sound familiar?

Everything you believe in, everything you’ve been teaching your darling daughter or son is now subject to argument or outright rejection. Even religion, the family rituals, customs, traditions that have been part of your family for generations are under attack. That can be difficult for any parent and you might be wondering why? Why is my darling child attacking the very heart of what we believe in?

Your child’s brain is under “construction.” The area of the brain known as the prefrontal cortex is developing rapidly. Neurons are multiplying wildly and firing it seems all at once or in an illogical order. You see it in their physical development. You do not see it in their brain, but it is happening. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for thinking, judgment and self-control. In adolescence, kids are developing their own ideas. Suddenly, your children see everything more realistically. They’re acutely aware of unfairness, injustice, of rules that shouldn’t apply to them because they’re practically grown up. Kids are also seeing their parents as flawed beings. To define herself as a separate entity, your daughter must question who she is and that means questioning who she is in relationship to you. The reason why she questions is part of brain anatomy and development. Sorry Mom.

As all of this is happening, you aren’t the ideal, larger than life parents who brought your children comfort, who could solve every problem, who uttered the absolute truth. You, the parents, when compared to other people’s parents just aren’t that cool. To put it simply, you fall flat. Your teen, while moving through adolescence, must scrutinize what you have taught them.

Religion is at the top of the list. Even though your child knows no other customs, was raised in the sacramental life of the church since birth, and seemed perfectly content, embraced, and fulfilled by your faith. By the function of your child’s development, he or she must question. That can be very difficult especially because things don’t right themselves for a long time. Not until your child completely passes through development and develops their own sense of identity as an adult, separate and detached from you. While this development takes place, your loving son/daughter might argue with you. ALL THE TIME.

Next week I will take a look at Religion and young people.

STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE UPDATE:

We had a great informational meeting and are excited to begin the new Stewardship Committee. We had 10 parishioners join the committee and we discussed the 5 Year Plan that will begin this fall at St. Agnes. Please join me in welcoming: Lindsey Bruce, Dan Byram, Ben Francka, Tara Friga, Nicole Herrell, Megan Kennedy, Sister Jacinta, Pat and Allen Rues, Mary Seibert, and John Smithberg. If you have any questions about the committee or are interested in joining, please talk to any of the new members. Thank you for St. Agnes for the providing the donuts and Dana Gibson for providing the drinks. Have a Blessed Week, Gary Herman 314-808-1165.