PARISH HEALTH MINISTRY

We continue to stay “watchful” and “alert” amid a raging pandemic. The following are some helpful recommendations offered by Alexander Kern, Director of the Center for Spirituality at Northeastern University, Boston Massachusetts:

Carve out 5-10 minutes each day to meditate.

Focus your awareness on something enduring or beautiful in your surroundings. Discover again the realities for which you are grateful and in which you find again a sense of awe and wonder.

Acknowledge your fears, anxieties, concerns. Offer them up in prayer. Write them in a journal if you use one. Share them with others. Feel what you feel, honor it, and know that it is not the final word.

Remember you are not alone. Ever. You are surrounded by care and support. Reach out.

From the Pastor’s Desk:

Our Christmas season 2020, has been different than any Christmas I can remember. Instead of gathering together in church as a community, we were spread out in different places for the different masses. Throughout the world every nation was/is battling the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. Hospitals are full of patients. Many funeral homes are full of the dead. The pandemic has not only filled the world with concern but has also created a series of emptiness.

More than 2000 years ago, Christ came to earth amid the emptiness and unsettledness of humankind. The Roman Empire ruled much of the known world with an iron fist. Any nation or people who fought back were destroyed and enslaved. Christ came to bring hope and peace to the chosen people, ultimately to the whole world and that is what we are celebrating this weekend.

Epiphany commemorates the revelation of Jesus to the world. The three Magi, after searching for years, are able to find the Christ child. Since Christmas, our manger scene in Church has shown over the past days that the Magi were not present at Bethlehem, but through the help of the star were guided to Nazareth. Here they presented their precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi represent the people of the world other than the Jewish people. Christ was to be the savior of ALL peoples, not just the chosen Jewish people. Traditional nativity scenes portray the skin color of the Magi as white, black and red.

The Christmas Season in the Catholic Church concludes with the Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of His public life next weekend. As we begin this New Year, may each of us make every effort to live the Christmas message of love, peace and joy every day of the year. Let these be our New Years’ resolution. Who cares if we lose a few pounds or give up some of our bad habits? But if we truly lived the Christmas message, we could affect not only our lives, but the lives of many of those around us.

As we celebrate Epiphany and look forward to the new year, 2021 may we live the Gospel message of God’s love by caring for each other even as the pandemic continues throughout our country and the world. May we put the needs of others first before our own desires.

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making our Christmas celebrations beautiful!

Keller and Maksin Families

Deceased members of

Bounds/Prenger Families

Lee and Angie Viorel

Lee Viorel, Jr.

Vernon Hanson

Fredrick and Lena Hanson

Susan Jurgersmeyer

Barb McMillian

Mary Ann Horton

‘Don & Judy Rippee

Steven Refuerzo

Darlene Rapp

Mac & Mary Hammock

Paul, Betty, & Richard Hund

Francis Finch

Raghu Nimmala

Kari & Michael Peddicord

Join us at the Knights of Columbus Striking Out Bowl-a-thon

Can you get a Turkey? Not the kind you eat, the kind you bowl! In case you didn't know, a Turkey is three strikes in a row! We are grateful to be partnering with the Knights of Columbus for the 26th Annual Knights Striking-Out Bowl-a-thon! Join us on Sunday, January 31 as the Knights of Columbus raise money and awareness for three area non-profits, including Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri.

Purchase raffle tickets for one of two great get-aways and you do not need to be present to win. For event information, to become a sponsor or to attend, visit www.ccsomo.org or call our office at 417-720-4213

THANK YOU!

Once again I want to express my appreciation to everyone who took tags off the Jesse trees to buy practical items for homeless adults or gifts for children served by Sammy’s Window and Crosslines. This year there were at least 147 packages/single items for children and 136 for adults. All this despite Covid restrictions for attendance at church. I appreciate your gracious willingness to be part of this Advent project.

-St. Elizabeth Ann Weiler

From the Pastor’s Desk:

As Catholic Feasts are celebrated, the Feast of the Holy Family which we celebrate this weekend is a relatively new feast. It began to be celebrated in the universal Church in 1920. Devotion to the Holy Family became popular during the 17th century. The theme of family and this feast dedicated to it, is of special importance today in the face of challenges to the contemporary family.

Mary and Joseph along with the Christ Child gives us a perfect example of working together as a family. Love, compassion, sharing, caring for one another, are all examples that the three members of the Holy Family provide for us. As couples today have problems and concerns with one another, I invite them to take a good look at Mary and Joseph. Mary, a young girl finds herself expecting a child, and the child was not that of her betrothed. Joseph finds his betrothed carrying a child which he knows is not his. That had to put a strain on the relationship! It took a lot of faith on the part of Joseph to accept the story of the Angel Gabriel and the Holy Spirit. Finally it took the Angel Gabriel face to face with Joseph before the situation becomes calm.

If all of that was not enough to break Mary and Joseph apart, then there was that trip to Bethlehem; a birth in a stable, and the sudden flight to Egypt, leaving behind home and job. All of this was with the fear of King Herod seeking to kill the newborn child. Couples today who are having problems need to sit down together and really look to what the Holy Family teaches through their own life of family. In fact all of us can learn many virtues from Joseph, Mary and Jesus if we would study their lives.

Joseph and Mary work together to provide for the Christ Child and in turn the Scriptures tell us that as Christ grows, He is obedient to Mary and His foster father, Joseph. All three members of the Holy Family have much to teach each of us, single, married, young or old. As we celebrate this feast, let it be a feast that we keep year around.

I want to thank everyone for being understanding as St. Agnes Cathedral worked hard to provide a blessed liturgical Christmas for everyone. A special thanks to our musicians who worked overtime by providing music for double masses in the Cathedral and the gym. A thank you for everyone who helped in decorating.

Join us at the Knights of Columbus Striking Out Bowl-a-thon

Can you get a Turkey? Not the kind you eat, the kind you bowl! In case you didn't know, a Turkey is three strikes in a row! We are grateful to be partnering with the Knights of Columbus for the 26th Annual Knights Striking-Out Bowl-a-thon! Join us on Sunday, January 31 as the Knights of Columbus raise money and awareness for three area non-profits, including Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri.

Purchase raffle tickets for one of two great get-aways and you do not need to be present to win.

For event information, to become a sponsor or to attend, visit www.ccsomo.org or call our office at 417-720-4213

THANK YOU!

A huge thank you to so many of you who brought in hygiene items for Sammy's Window! We will deliver over 7 boxes of toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant to the foster and adoptive kids that Sammy's serves. St. Agnes is such a giving and generous parish. We thank you so very much!

Christmas Schedule for Faith Formation:

Children's Liturgy of the Word, Parish School of Religion &

Confirmation Classes will be on break until Sunday, Jan

10th, 2021. Please enjoy the Christmas season with your

families. We would also like to thank our teachers and

assistants who volunteer their time and share their faith

with our young parishioners. You serve your Church and

our young people week after week and we truly

appreciate your dedication. If you have the chance,

please thank these selfless volunteers. Paige Bailey,

Rebekah Bodine, Ron Bohrer, Troy Cronkhite, Hannah

Demster, Kaydie Demster, Jessica Jennerjohn, Steve

Lobdell, Janet McBride, Genevieve Vallentine & Jen

Velten. We also thank Jill Gold and Jan McEvoy who

have substituted for our program so far this year.

If you have questions about our St. Agnes Faith Formation

Program at St. Agnes Cathedral, please call the parish

office or contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org. We

welcome new families and students. We have programs

for special needs students and for children who may need

to receive a sacrament as well. We have a wonderful

group of

From the Pastor’s Desk:

It seemed like only a few days ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving and now we are celebrating the 4th Sunday of Advent. It is important to remember what we are celebrating and why. In the newspaper a man wrote, “Christmas is about God coming in the flesh to save mankind from an eternal place in hell.” Our country has for the last 25-30 years sought to take Christ out of Christmas and using the Constitution to tell us we cannot sing songs about Jesus or have a Nativity scene on the courthouse lawn.

Why are some people so concerned that Christianity needs to be removed from the public eye? Could it be that the reason people want Jesus Christ out of everything is that they are afraid and offended by the Gospel? The Gospel says we are all sinners and that we need a savior. Christ is our savior who chose to be born, to live, and to die for you and me. On Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Son of God. If that upsets people, then they shouldn’t have a tree, or give presents, or have special food on the 25th of December, or send cards. They should go to work on Christmas Day while Christians celebrate. It is not “Happy Holidays” time; it is Christmas, the birthday of Christ. This year more than ever we need to celebrate our Savior’s birth into our world of pain, suffering and dying. Jesus is the ray of hope, joy and love.

Advent is a journey into the mystery of God, the reckless love of God, the spiritual reality of God, the Incarnation. Within all of us—male or female, young or old, atheist, Muslim, Jew, or Christian, there is something missing that makes the human being incomplete. We are searching and longing for that something. I believe that that something is being in the presence of God, the love of God, the very being of God.

As we celebrate His birth this Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, listen to the words of the heavenly hosts: “Glory to God in the highest and peace to his people on earth.” These are the words we now sing in the Gloria. Be at peace, receiving from the Lord the gift of a loving, trusting, and prayerful heart. Have a blessed and joyous Christmas.

LIVING NATIVITY

St. Agnes Parish will host a Living Nativity on Sunday, Dec. 20th between the hours of 9:00 AM- 12:00 PM. This will be held under the tent and parishioners are welcome to drive through the parking lot to view the Nativity.

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD: CHRISTMAS 2020

Bishop Edward Rice will be in Cape Girardeau to celebrate the Christmas Masses in St. Mary of the Annunciation Cathedral. He will preside at Midnight Mass, the 8:30 a.m. Mass (Live-streamed on parish Facebook page) and the 10:30 a.m. Mass (broadcast on KZIM 960 AM) on Christmas Day

OUR CHRISTMAS COLLECTION

How have priests helped you through difficult or stressful times? How have priests helped you grow closer to our Lord and to each other? How can you help prepare the men who will serve your parish in the years to come? What can we do to show our gratitude for the priests who have ministered to us? The Christmas collection will give us the opportunity to assist the diocese in funding the formation of our future priests – our seminarians – and meeting the needs of our retired diocesan priests. We ask you to generously support Those Clergy Who Have Served and Those Clergy Who Will Serve. Even though we have recently completed a diocesan endowment campaign for these needs, many of those pledges will not be completed for a few years, making this collection still necessary at this time.

From the Pastor’s Desk:

This weekend as we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent it seems as if time is just flying. The last nine months have been unlike anything I have ever lived through, a truly hard time to minister to people. Priests have had to step outside the box, at times way outside to find ways to minister in our parishes. The Advent Season as well as we now look to the celebration of Christmas is so different. Nothing is like it has been in the past. It is not going to be the Christmas of the past. I wanted the Vietnamese youth to realize our traditions and ways we celebrate Christmas has been a long time in getting us to where we are today. So in my homily at their mass I gave them a calendar of Christmas.

332—Constantine the Great, decreed December 25, the birth of Jesus Christ

337—Pope Julius I, decreed December 25 as the date of the birth of Jesus Christ

1050---1st German Christmas Carol

1200---St. Francis, Nativity and 1st Christmas Carol in Italy

1539—Notre Dame in Paris displayed 1st public Christmas tree in France

1659—Puritans laws against Christmas celebrations in Massachusetts

1600--- The Dutch and English place stockings on the fireplace for gifts

1820—German immigrants in Pennsylvania, holiday trees

1822—Night before Christmas poem by Clement Moore

1828—Dr. Joel Poinsett introduces poinsettias to the US from Mexico

1840—Christmas Cards first in England

1856—Massachusetts is the last state to legalize Christmas

As immigrants came to the US from all over the world, they brought with them their traditions, music, foods and decorations of how they had celebrated Christmas and we today are heirs to all along with what we create as truly American. This 2020 Christmas will be somewhat different, perhaps we will create new traditions more centered around our immediate families. This would be a good opportunity to attend one of the nights of the Christmas Novena beginning on December 17th. Confessions will also be available at 6:30 each night of the Novena.

If you haven’t signed up to reserve your spot for the Christmas Masses please call the office at 831-3565 and do so! We want to make sure we are prepared so no one gets turned away.

JESSE TREE

There will be a small Jesse tree and baskets in

church this Advent suggesting items for the poor.

Please take a tag or two and buy the items

and return to the parish office. Again we will

be giving these to Crosslines, Grace United

Methodist Church and Sammy’s window. Thank

you. This is one way to make difference in the

lives of the poor.

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Donations are being accepted for Christmas Flowers. Please

include your name and the name of the person/ family your

donation is honoring.

FEAST OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD:

CHRISTMAS 2020

Bishop Edward Rice will be in Cape Girardeau to

celebrate the Christmas Masses in St. Mary of the

Annunciation Cathedral. He will preside at

Midnight Mass, the 8:30 a.m. Mass (Live-streamed

on parish Facebook page) and the 10:30 a.m. Mass

(broadcast on KZIM 960 AM) on Christmas Day

From the Pastor’s Desk:

This weekend we celebrate the beginning of the season of Advent. A time of waiting in which we are to prepare ourselves to welcome once again the comforting mystery of the Incarnation and the light of Christmas, it is important to reflect on Christian hope. If I have ever needed a season of hope, this year is at the top of the list. Our life changed drastically nine months ago with the shutdown of our economy, followed by a gradual opening of much of our world. But it has come at a great cost, over 251,500 deaths here in the United States. For those families life will never be the same. Advent is a time to look to God with a renewed hope in the coming of Son, it is a hope that never disappoints. Optimism disappoints, but hope does not. In our troubled times that are violent, filled with anger, we have need of hope. We may feel discouraged because we are powerless and seems like there is nothing we can do. We cannot abandon our hope because God is beside us, God walks with us. God has not abandoned us, because God, with his love, walks with us. The birth of the Savior is the hope that pierces and ends violence and hatred. He brings joy, happiness and hope.

The decorating, the parties, the gifts, the cards we send, the special foods we bake; are all ways in which we may prepare to celebrate the birth of the Son of God. But this year these traditions need to be different, they need to be small family groups. As we have begun this new Church liturgical year, make the Eucharist a priority in your life, whether Sunday or one of the daily masses during the week. Only then can you/we put Christ first in your/our lives. Otherwise it is simply happy holidays, give me presents and get this silly tree out of the living room on December 26th. Without gathering around the Lord’s Table, without Christ in our lives on a regular basis, we really have nothing to celebrate on December 25th.

Just as our Advent prayers and Scripture readings are to prepare us for Christmas, so also should our Advent decorations lead us to the celebration of Christmas. The blue violet color of Advent can become the background for Christmas. Using ribbon or material shot through with gold can be enhanced in the Christmas season. The purples can be added to with golds or silvers. Greenery can be left unlit through Advent and then become aglow during the Christmas season. Regardless, as we celebrate Advent this year, we are called as God’s holy people to open our hearts, individually and communally to the reality of Jesus Christ.

In the Catholic Church before Vatican II, Christmas was the only time that Mass was allowed to be held at Midnight. This was because in the early church, it was believed that Jesus was born at midnight, although there has never been any proof of this! A lot of Churches have midnight services on Christmas Eve. This year St. Agnes Cathedral will have 3 Christmas Eve masses, followed by 3 Christmas day masses. It will enable more people to attend and still be social distanced. The parish has Advent Booklets to help you walk through the Season of Advent, and free 2021 Calendars, please pick them up at Church, chapel, or stop by the office.

THANK YOU!

YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of the poor and vulnerable in our diocese by donating to the annual Second Collection for Catholic Charities. If you have not donated, please prayerfully consider a gift: Online donations may be made at www.ccsomo.org, or call (417) 720-4213, or mail your donation to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, 424 E. Monastery St., Springfield MO 65807. Thank you for your prayers and support.

JESSE TREE

There will be a small Jesse tree and baskets in church this Advent suggesting items for the poor. Please take a tog or two and buy the items and return to the parish office. Again we will be giving these to Crosslines, Grace United Methodist Church and Sammy’s window. Thank you. This is one way to make difference in the lives of the poor.

~ Sr. Elizabeth Ann