Youth Activities

Youth are invited to join us for pizza on Sunday, Jan 26th at 1:00pm in the dining room. We will make Valentines for our homebound parishioners & diocesan seminarians. We will also discuss Steubenville. This is a perfect opportunity for Confirmation service & can be used for school service as well.
The next Confirmation session will be held Sunday, Jan 26th at 3:00pm in the upstairs conference room.

Steubenville Signup: youth in grades 8-12, join us for The Steubenville Summer Conference! The theme for this year’s conference is “Restored” from Psalm 80:3. This dynamic conference held on the MSU campus brings together Catholic Youth from across the nation. Youth will hear nationally known speakers, hear tremendous music & partake in the celebration of the sacraments. St Agnes parish helps to sponsor this event to
lower the cost for our youth. Check out STEUBYSTL.com for more information. Our parish must turn in our registration numbers by Feb 1. To sign up or to get more information, contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or by calling the parish office 831-3565.

WE ARE CALLED

I am so excited! We’ve been promoting Mathew Kelly’s BEST LENT EVER for the last several years, but this one should be renamed THE VERY BEST LENT EVER. I can’t wait to tell you about it but I’d like for our committee to have an opportunity to comment before we start promoting. They are a great group and we like to work together. The daily TV messages from Mathew will remain the same, but the rest will be a great addition. Perhaps I should say prayerful and wonderful, but I am excited anyway. And I need to stop typing or I may spill the beans. Ash Wednesday is February 26….. please mark your calendar and watch for updates.
Ginny Smithberg, 894-2954

PCCW NEWS

Mark your calendar for Saturday, Feb. 1. PCCW Mass (for ALL women of the parish) at 8:30am will be followed by breakfast in the Dining Room.

From The Pastor’s Desk

This weekend we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord and conclude the Christmas Season. We
continue to dwell upon the great mystery of a God who is made visible through human flesh and who promises to return.
As Christ celebrates His baptism by going into the desert to prepare for His ministry, each of us need to take a good look at our own vocation. “What has God asked me to do, and am I living what He has asked of me?”
The Baptism of Jesus is a ritual enactment of His passion, death, and resurrection. The Church sees Baptism as dying to the evil of sin, and rising with Jesus and being anointed with His Spirit. St. Paul (Romans 6:3) summarizes the experience of Baptism “Are you…new life.”
1. Baptism is a change of allegiance. We are no longer slaves to sin, but children of a loving God.
2. Baptism is a putting off of the old and putting on the new. (baptismal garments)
3. Baptism is a new birth. (baptismal fonts)
4. Baptism enlightens. (the candle lit from the Easter Candle and given to the person)
5. Baptism makes a person a share in Christ; therefore, like Christ, we are anointed priest, prophet, and king. (the anointing following the water rite at baptism)
As the new year 2020 begins we have a breathing space until the season of Lent begins. Ordinary Time this year gives us time to walk with Christ in His ministry before we prepare for His Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Next weekend will be the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time the gospel continues to center on the manifestation of the Lord, which Epiphany celebrates through the traditional passage about the wedding feast at Cana and two other
passages from John.
Beginning with the Third Sunday, our Gospel readings come from the Synoptic Gospels. These readings are
arranged in such a way that as the Lord’s life and preaching unfold the teaching proper to each of these Gospels is presented.
Have a Blessed New Year, 2020.

Knights of Columbus

The Knights will be serving their January
breakfast next Sunday (Jan. 19th) after the
7:00 & 8:30 Masses. Come in from the cold and warm
up with biscuits and gravy, sausage, ham, and eggs.

The 25th Annual Knights of Columbus
“Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen” Bowl-a
-Thon Sunday, January 19, 2020 1:00-4:00
P.M. Check in time: 12:00 Noon Century Lane * Nixa, MO
The $10.00 entry fee covers the cost of bowling (3
games) plus shoes and bowling ball. Entry form available
at www.thekitcheninc.org Please register by January 15th.
This family friendly event makes a difference in the lives
of homeless children, youth, veterans, families and
individuals. Let’s “Strike Out for The Kitchen” and reach
our goal of $60,000! For further information contact: John
Clarke – 417.880.4292 or Dean Arens – 417.844.1293

WOMEN OF THE PARISH…JOIN US FOR THIS SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY:A MORNING OF RECOLLECTION

You are invited to a Morning of
Recollection on January 18, 2020. Fr.
Paul Mcloughlin will be our presenter. Come and
experience a New Year renewal.
Saturday, January 18, 2020, meet for Mass at
8:30am in the Chapel.
Presentation will begin at 9:15 (or a few minutes after
Mass ends).
Lunch will be served in the school Dining Room about
11:30.
We are excited to bring this opportunity to you. Please
feel free to invite friends and family. Also, please call the
office, 831-3565, to sign up (for lunch purposes). You are
most welcome, though, if you are unexpectedly able to
come at the last minute. Hope to see you that morning!
Also, mark your calendar for Feb. 1. PCCW Mass (for
ALL women of the parish) at 8:30

FIRST EUCHARIST

There will be a parent meeting for those that will have a
child receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist on Tuesday,
Jan. 14th at 6:30 PM in the dining room. Any questions,
please contact Iris Bounds at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org

From The Pastor’s Desk

The pagan philosophers of Greece and Rome reflected quite deeply upon the role of family in human life. They saw that children owed more to their parents than to anyone except to the gods. Obviously, children’s physical existence and basic education depend upon mom and dad. But if you think about it, children owe much more to their parents. We learn our native tongue not from our schoolteachers, but from our parents. We pick up from them, as by observing; attitudes, mannerisms, gestures, and habits. Like it or not, we are profoundly influenced not only by our genes, but by our family experience.

All ancient cultures saw the extraordinary debt that children owe their parents, thus parents were due a unique degree of honor, respect, and affection.  No one has been given more responsibility for us than our parents, and so we must give them more honor and respect than anyone.  We see that reflected in the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.

This weekend, the Sunday after Christmas we celebrate the Holy Family.  It is a celebration built upon the family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. OK, so it was easier for Jesus to give his parents honor, affection, and respect given that Mary was immaculate and Joseph was a saint. And it was certainly easier for Mary and Joseph not to nag or provoke Jesus based on the fact that he was the sinless Son of God.

We very frankly state our families of parents and children happen to be sinners. So we hear in our second reading today from Col 3: 12-21 on the Feast of the Holy Family with its command to “forgive as the Lord has forgiven you.” A Christian family is holy not because it is sinless, but because it responds to sin with forgiveness rather than resentment. When we hurt each other, we cannot let it slide. The offender must find it within themselves to say “I’m sorry, please forgive me.” And the one offended must pronounce those liberating words: “I forgive you.” And then the matter must be forgotten.  That is what’s makes our families holy.

Celebrate your family this weekend.  Love each other and parents even if your children are teenagers give them a hug.  Young people respect and love your parents who have given you life, faith life, love and a home.  Each family look to the Holy Family and become a holy family.

STEUBENVILLE SIGNUP

Steubenville Signup: youth in grades 8-12, join us for The Steubenville Summer Conference! The theme for this year’s conference is “Restored” from Psalm 80:3. This dynamic conference held on the MSU campus brings together Catholic Youth from across the nation.

 Youth will hear nationally known speakers, hear tremendous music & partake in the celebration of the sacraments. St Agnes parish helps to sponsor this event to lower the cost for our youth. Check out STEUBYSTL.com for more information. Our parish must turn in our registration numbers by Feb 1. To sign up or to get more information, contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or by calling the parish office 831-3565.

BOWL -A-THON

The 25th Annual Knights of Columbus “Knights Striking Out for The Kitchen” Bowl-a-Thon Sunday, January 19, 2020 1:00-4:00 P.M. Check in time: 12:00 Noon Century Lane * Nixa, MO The $10.00 entry fee covers the cost of bowling (3 games) plus shoes and bowling ball. Entry form available at www.thekitcheninc.org Please register by January 15th. This family friendly event makes a difference in the lives of homeless children, youth, veterans, families and individuals. Let’s “Strike Out for The Kitchen” and reach our goal of $60,000! For further information contact: John Clarke – 417.880.4292 or Dean Arens – 417.844.1293

A SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE WOMEN OF THE PARISH

Mark your calendars for January 18, 2020!  The PCCW is planning our annual Morning of Recollection.  Details will be coming in future bulletins, but we wanted to make sure you knew to set aside that morning for spiritual development and social togetherness.  There will be lunch after the presentation.

From The Pastor’s Desk

Our lives today are not inconvenienced by darkness or the winter cold as in the early days of Christianity. We, with our modern technology, find winter a mere inconvenience, but our darkness’s are no less real and our day and time are perhaps more terrible than that of our ancestors in faith. For many the Advent days are frantic and hurried as we keep step with our culture’s Christmastime demands. For most of us Christmas touches some memory of childhood wonder and reminds us of those special times that will never be recaptured. Our culture’s expectation of Christmas contrasts with the experience of longing for the coming of Christ. For all of us there is a communal darkness of a time of war and terrorism, our consumer driven society, and selfishness leading to many forms of injustice. Into all of these emotions came the Advent proclamation of the Lord’s coming as the Son of Man.

Advent is a celebration of God’s promise that the Lord will indeed come and we as Christians need to make ready his way. The Advent attitudes are to be joyous and hope filled, trusting in a loving Father who sent His Son. Many of our Advent readings throughout the Sundays as well as the weekday readings referred to events long past and persons associated with Jesus’ first coming. They also include some of Israel’s finest poetry and exciting sections from the early church’s classic collection of letters. Advent’s focus however, is not on the past but on the future. Advent sees those events and persons as symbols and models for a new advent which stretches far before us into the future of human history. It is at some time in history when God’s plan for humanity will be fulfilled.

In our path through Advent, we have been made very much aware of the theme of promise and fulfillment. This biblical theme is fundamental for Advent, in which we see the present time as a fulfillment with regard to past history and as a promise of future fulfillment. The New Testament times could look back to the Old Testament and see in the writing the promise of what was now fulfilled in its gospel experience. Today we see how the New Testament itself is fulfilled in its daily unfolding, full of surprises, guided by the Holy Spirit.

As we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent this weekend, take a deep breath and spend some quiet time with eyes closed (not asleep), thanking God for the gift of His Son whose birth we will celebrate in just a few days. Have a Blessed Christmas.

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE

Christmas Eve Masses 5:00pm, 11:00pm Christmas Day Masses 8:30am, 11:00am 5:00pm Vietnamese Mass Parish Office will be closed both days.

A SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE WOMEN OF THE PARISH

Mark your calendars for January 18, 2020! The PCCW is planning our annual Morning of Recollection. Details will be coming in future bulletins, but we wanted to make sure you knew to set aside that morning for spiritual development and social togetherness. There will be lunch after the presentation.

Travel With Fr. Lewis Hejna

June 30—July 10, 2020
Cost: $4,599
Eleven days in IRELAND AND SCOTLAND
See Shannon, Cliffs of Moher, Our Lady of Knock,
Galway, Dublin, Ayr, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Price
includes airfare, 4 or 5 star hotels, transfers,
transportation on luxury bus, guided tours, all breakfasts
and dinners. Contact Proximo Travel at (855) 842-8001
or (508) 340-9370 and refer to trip #769 or #8684
when registering

From The Pastor’s Desk

During the month of December we are high lighting ministries in the celebration of the Eucharist. As I train and teach new altar servers, I explain how important their service is to the worshipping community. In fact all ministers at mass are assisting the celebrant in leading the people in worship. All ministries are important and need to be approached as such.

When people walk into a church they need to be welcomed, not just looked at, but truly greeted and made to feel welcomed. Greeters and ushers are the first people that are seen when someone enters a church.

As I train new lectors and review with experienced lectors, the first thing I tell them is what you put into a microphone is what comes out of the speakers. If you speak soft your proclamation will be soft. As I age I am more aware of sound or the lack of sound than ever before. We should not need to follow along in the book because we cannot hear, unless we truly have a hearing problem. Proclaiming the Word of God is just that, proclaiming the WORD OF GOD. It is not reading. Lectors should not apologize for what they are proclaiming.

The altar servers help the celebrant lead the people in worship. They are constantly in front of the congregation during the liturgy. They have an important function assisting the priest, thus they need to be attentive to what is happening. Fr. Joseph and I have a different styles, but the servers function is the same regardless. If we want something different then we will tell them and if they are being attentive the liturgy will continue smoothly.

Extra Ordinary Eucharistic Ministers assist the priest in the giving forth of the Body and Blood of Christ. This ministry is not to be taken lightly. They are participating in my priesthood. They are an extension of me to the people, and I am extension of the Bishop to the people. We all hold our ministry from the bishop. Giving the Body and Blood of Christ to the people must be done reverently and prayerfully.

Musicians are also a ministry in which whether vocal or instrumental, help the celebrant lead the people in worship. Music has been a part of worship from the days of Jewish worship in the temple in Jerusalem. They used all types of instruments along with songs and chants. Today we are only following a 3000 year tradition.

In the name of St. Agnes Cathedral Parish I want to thank all those who are involved in any ministry which assist me in the celebration of the Eucharist. I also invite anyone to think about a ministry here in the Cathedral.

RECTORY CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE December 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30pm each night

Steubenville Signup:

Steubenville Signup: youth in grades 8-12, join us for The Steubenville Summer Conference! The theme for this year’s conference is “Restored” from Psalm 80:3. This dynamic conference held on the MSU campus brings together Catholic Youth from across the nation. Youth will hear nationally known speakers, hear tremendous music & partake in the celebration of the sacraments. St Agnes parish helps to sponsor this event to lower the cost for our youth. Check out STEUBYSTL.com for more information. Our parish must turn in our registration numbers by Feb 1. To sign up or to get more information, contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or by calling the parish office 831-3565.

WE ARE CALLED

I remember the first time that Matthew Kelley mentioned Holy Moments. I loved them, they are so easy, so kind, and have a lovely boomerang effect. He explained them as just doing the right thing when we see someone who needs help. Perhaps opening a door for someone, helping someone cross the street… no big deal. This week he’s been encouraging us to develop our amazing possibilities. Admittedly, we have many questions and few answers. But God can turn confusing situations into beautiful answers. So again, Matthew suggests Holy Moments with God which will bring beautiful answers, peace, and love.

Ginny Smithberg 894-2954

THANKS

to all of you who have picked up a symbol from the Jesse Tree or baskets, and have brought an items or two to the parish office. St. Agnes will be able in this way to make the lives of those who need these articles a bit easier. We will donate items either to Sammy’s Window for foster children, Crosslines for Council of Churches holiday giving and to Grace United Methodist Church for the homeless men and women who gather there. Whether or not you are able to buy anything, please pray for all those people who need these items.

S. Elizabeth Ann

From The Pastor’s Desk

Last weekend we began the beautiful season of Advent. It is a spiritual time of walking with the prophets as they pointed the way to the coming Messiah. The prophet Isaiah is the prophet most read during the Advent Season. He had the difficult task of calling the people back from their sinful ways of idolatry and immorality to the one true God. This was not an easy task as the Northern Kingdom had been destroyed by the Assyrian Empire and only Judah was still free and the people had turned away from God.

Advent is a time for us to strengthen our faith, our love for God as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. Isaiah, in fact all the prophets longed to see the Messiah and did not see him. They could not have imagined the great love of God in sending His son to suffer and die for all the human race. In that suffering, Jesus the Son of God left us the greatest gift, the Eucharist.

St Teresa of Avila once marveled at the vulnerability of Our Lord in the Eucharist. She once said, “One might be overcome by the chance to meet a king, however it should never be forgotten that the King of the Universe has made himself available to us at all times, in every Catholic church. In every chapter of the story of salvation, Our Lord seeks us out and draws ever closer to us, to be with us in the most radical way in the Eucharist.”

As we walk through the Advent Season do not surrender to our culture, to the social pressure to celebrate the man in the red suit. The mission of the church, in fact each of us is to hand on the faith from one generation to the next. The celebration of the Eucharist, the receiving of the BODY and BLOOD of Christ is the way He left us to receive His strength, guidance and love. The Eucharist is the food for our journey with all the pressures and stress of our daily life. Bread and wine is served at our dining room tables, the BODY and BLOOD of Christ is given to us freely from the altar of our church.