From the Pastor's Desk:

In 835 Pope Gregory IV moved the commemoration of martyrs from May 13 to November the first. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Eve, or “holy evening,” and eventually it became Halloween.

It will always be up to debate, if Pope Gregory was simply trying to simulate the pagan peoples of Ireland and England into the church. The pagan people of these lands already had a celebration on that particular date. However it was the Irish farmers living in Ireland hundreds of years ago which prepared for the All Saints Day and the following All Souls Day the night before by going door-to-door collecting food and goods for a village feast and bonfire. Those who contributed were promised prosperity; those who didn’t received threats of bad luck. And yes you are right, the Irish Catholics who immigrated in the 1800’s brought this practice of “trick-or-treating” with them. The rest is the great United States use of advertising and commercialism. Next to Christmas Halloween is the largest money “maker holiday” for businesses. Unfortunately our society has turned a night of prayer and celebration into one of haunted houses, witches and ghosts.

Today November 2, celebrate All Souls Day. It could be said that All Souls Day is the Catholic Church’s Memorial Day/Month. The Month of November begins with the feast of All Saints’ Day, followed by All Souls’ Day. We distinguish between our beloved dead who are in heaven, “all saints,” who pray for us and our loved ones who have died and for whom we are moved to pray. These are the poor souls who still may be undergoing the purging process of death-to-self that follows repentance. In the month of harvest and dying, the Catholic Church memorializes the dead and recognizes Jesus as Lord of the living and the dead.

Tickets for our fall musical, “Into The Woods” will go on sale this weekend here at St. Agnes beginning at the vigil mass on Saturday evening. For those who do not know the musical, it a mixture of fairy tales. I hope you come and enjoy the show.

CALLING ALL BAKERS!!

Again this year we will have a table for the Senior’s Bake Sale. We need your help to support the cause. If you enjoy baking please consider contributing to their sale. Baked goods can be delivered to the parish office on Friday, Nov. 6 or bring to the gym after 4:00 on Friday. You may also bring it to the gym on Saturday morning.

PLEASE label what you bake and make a note if you used any kind of nut. Thank you so much for your efforts and support.

[reclaim!] Virtual Watch Party

Please join us as Dynamic Catholic speaker Matthew Kelly hosts his New Virtual Event [reclaim!] Tuesday November 9th at 6:45pm in the St. Agnes School Cafeteria. [reclaim!] starts at 7pm. Refreshments will be provided and you are strongly encouraged to bring a notebook/pen/pencil to take notes. To RSVP or for more information please contact St. Agnes's main office at 417-831-3565.

Youth Activities

Advent Fair Update:

St. Agnes Faith Formation program and St. Anne's Group invite you to our Advent Fair to be held Sunday, Nov. 21st from 9:30 AM until 11:00 AM in the St. Agnes Gym. The Advent Fair will have something for all ages from 3-93. Families can make an Advent wreath to use during the season. You will be able to pick up seasonal devotions from children's Advent calendars to daily reflections to help you to prepare for the birth of Jesus. There will be games such as Advent Bingo to a Jesse Tree Scavenger Hunt. Come to understand how other countries around the world celebrate and prepare for Christmas. You will also be able to come and pick up items if you cannot stay for the event. If you plan to make an Advent wreath, we do ask that you call the parish office to let us know so that we have enough supplies for the Advent wreaths. The Knights of Columbus will be sponsoring a breakfast that day so eat breakfast with the Knights and then come join us for the Advent Fair in the gym. Please call the parish office if you cannot come & want to pick up an Advent Wreath Kit at the parish office. There is no charge.

From the Pastor’s Desk::

So many times, I hear, “Why is the Church involved in this topic or that topic? Why doesn’t the Church just stay with the religious stuff?” To be a true follower of Jesus Christ means that we are to live our faith, to live our belief in Jesus Christ out in the daily world, not just in church, or on Sundays, but every day. Since the Second Vatican Council, the “Church” has been pushing, teaching us to try to live a better life in all that we do. One of those areas is in the taking care of our world.

Whether it is solar panels, better gas mileage, recycling plastics or paper, you name it, it is in the news. That is good since we only have one earth and when we have used it up, or polluted it enough, the human race will cease to exist. As early as 1971, Pope Paul VI in his teaching, Octogesima Adveniens, he speaks about the threats to our environment. In 1979, Redemptor Hominis contains references to the environment. In 1990 Pope John Paul II wrote The Ecological Crisis: A common responsibility which discusses the emergence of a new ecological awareness and views the ecological crisis as a moral crisis. Another teaching coming from Pope John Paul II in 1990 was Peace with God the Creator, Peace with all Creation. It is devoted exclusively to environmental concerns. In 2002, Pope John II and Patriarch Bartholomew issued a call to First World people to turn away from unjust and destructive consumer culture. Pope Francis has been pushing for the human race to take care of our planet or the earth will not be able to recover. The Catholic Church has issued in a relatively short time a large group of encyclicals as well as other documents concerning environmental problems.

In 1960 according to a governmental statistic the average American created 2.7 pounds of garbage per day. In 2001 that figure had grown to 4.4 pounds. Today according to a study by Columbia University each person in the US sends 7 lbs of waste to the landfill. We are filling our landfills and pullulating our earth. The question each of us need to ask ourselves, what am I doing to help the growing mound of garbage? The three major items going into the landfills or is being incinerated is paper and cardboard which makes up 23 %, food is at 21.5% and plastic comes in third at 12.2 %. Americans over all are the worse offenders in the western world. Did you know that recycling aluminum cans saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new cans and aluminum is a non-renewable resource that will one day run out? All of those water bottles, milk jugs and soft drink bottles accounts for much of municipal solid waste. Do you know what plastic is made from? Think about it the next time you fill your gas tank.

All of us can and need to do more to help our earth. We have been entrusted with so much and we have become careless and wasteful. Look around and see the difference you as a family can make. Change your light bulbs, recycle tin, paper, plastic and aluminum. If all 700 households of our parish would do those things, we would be making a difference. There is no reason other than we do not care or we do not want to be bothered. Help make our world a better place today and for our children and grandchildren.

SENIORS UNLIMITED

SENIORS On Oct 25th at 1 p.m., the Seniors who are playing games will sponsor an ice cream social for other Seniors of St Agnes. We would like you to come and socialize with all of us. You do not have to play a game. But I do need you to sign up if you are interested-- so we have enough ice cream and toppings. Priorities, you know!!! Please come only if vaccinated. Call me if you have questions. 831-3565, ext 103 -S. Elizabeth Ann Weiler, ASC

PARISH CRAFT BAZAAR

We had to include the word “craft” in the heading because there will be more tables with crafts than ever before! PLUS an abundance of the best raffle items than ever before…2 yard games: corn hole and lawn Yahtzee, 2 hand made quilts that are beautiful!!!, a handmade cutting board, soooo many baskets: one with Made in MO items, another that is Night Out At the Movies (1 for adults, 1 for children). I could go on but don’t have room. You just have to come on Nov. 6 or 7 and check it all out. PLUS, the proceeds will go toward our new Parish Hall Fund.

REMEMBER: It’s in the gym this year. Saturday, 9:00 – 3:00, Sunday, 8:30-1:00

BRING YOUR FAMILY…BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

LADIES OF THE PARISH

Ladies of the Parish: All are invited to a "Morning of Reflection" Saturday, Oct 23rd. Morning will begin by attending Mass at 8:30 AM which will be followed by the Rosary & then we will have a guest speaker, Sister Charlotte Flarlong, who will discuss the history of the Rosary. Please call the parish office to sign up. Please feel free to invite others who may not be a member of our parish. We are inviting you to bring your favorite brunch treat such as muffins, breads, rolls etc. This is not mandatory, but we do welcome you to share. Please let us know if you will be bringing something when you call to sign up. Hope to see you there!!!

From the Pastor’s Desk:

As I have told you over and over, I am a history person. I continue to study history, watch the history channels and love to travel to historical places. What I continue to observe is that the human race never seems to learn from the past, but continually repeats the same mistakes. Jesus came into human history at a time when much of the civilized world was ruled by the Roman Empire. Roman rule was maintained through brutal force, economic exploitation and society was dominated by military force.

There were very few freedoms. Information was controlled by a select, powerful, colonizing group, which used local secular and religious leaders to push the Roman Imperial agenda. Dissent was not tolerated and those who protested and who dared to resist the dominant government system faced harsh punishment, torture and even death, as did Jesus. Roman rule would like other colonial dominations throughout human history, slowly collapse and disintegrate. Even before Jesus, there had been civil wars, but 300 years after Jesus, the Empire would become frayed and weaken because of its arrogance, political corruption, and overall loss of what was good for the community. We can throughout history see those same problems and characteristics occur over and over.

Jesus began his mission in the period of what was called the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). It was basically a time when the western world was without major wars. However, that promised wave of Roman prosperity did not reach the bottom of society, especially in the conquered provinces. Jesus challenged the political, financial and religious elite that created burdens for the people, rather than meeting the needs of the people. Global prosperity did not work for the Roman Empire, neither did it work for the British Empire and now we have found that there are problems today throughout the world.

People during the time of Christ were searching for answers, good news, and hope. Is that not the same today? The modern poor are confused, disappointed, uncertain, and angry. The middle class is wanting answers and less taxation, while the rich upper class is looking for a way to move their wealth so it would not be taxed. Jesus talked about taxes, the plight of women, disability, social and economic exclusion, and the arrogance of power. The mission of Jesus is not about offering the poor mirages, miracles, or quick fixes. The mission of Jesus is about accompanying vulnerable people in a struggle to make the structures of life resonant with the values and dignity of the individual in the light of the Gospel’s good news. We are in a time of change, and we must be certain that God is at the heart of the changes in our country and that the state does not become God and religion. We must look to the past and learn.

Youth Activities

In honor of St. Francis of Assisi, we will sponsor a pet blessing on the soccer field, Sunday, Oct 3rd at 9:30. Please bring your dogs, cats, guinea pigs and lizards. You will have to check with Father Allen to see how he feels about snakes and bunnies. Hope to see you there.

Youth, mark your calendar! Our next youth event will be held Sunday, Oct 10 from 6:15-8:00 PM. Youth will begin the evening with community service by making sack lunches for Rare Breed. We do ask those assisting to wear masks while preparing the lunches. We will also sponsor a bonfire with s’mores and hotdogs provided.

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join us.

Youth will be meeting the 2nd Sunday evening of each month. Youth events always involve food, so we are asking for donations of bottled water, packaged snacks such as chips and cookies. You can bring all donations to the parish office or contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org. We appreciate any help that you can give us.

Fall In Love With CCM

CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY

INVITES YOU TO

Fall In Love With CCM

847 S Holland Springfield MO

October 30, 2021

5pm Sunday Vigil Mass

6pm Cocktails 7 pm Dinner

$150 per person—8 per table

Sponsorship Table (10 Guests) - $3,000

For Information and to purchase tickets

Visit https://CCM847.org/75th-GALA

ST. ANN’S GROUP MEETING

St. Ann's (Open to all young women in the parish) will be meeting on Sunday, Oct 10th at 10:15 AM under the tent by the parking lot. Please come and join us and share your ideas on ways to revitalize this group.

From the Pastor’s Desk:

Labor day has passed into the dust and we begin many of our fall programs. This past Sunday we began our preparation for Confirmation, Parish School of Religion for those students who are not in our Catholic Schools is in its 3rd week. I urge parents to enroll their children and bring them not only to class, but also to Mass on Sundays. It is so important that our young people are educated in the Faith, not just “pew” Catholics that do not understand what they are professing. I want to thank all those who have accepted the great responsibility to work with our youth in sharing our Catholic Faith.

Vatican Council II recommended that the Church renew its way of receiving adult candidates. In fact it looked at the early Church for examples. A revised rite called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) was approved by Pope Paul VI in 1972. The RCIA stresses formation in doctrine, liturgy, Church life, and service. It involves the larger church community in welcoming, instructing, helping and praying for the candidates. Our RCIA began last Monday evening at 6:30 pm in the Dining Room.

RCIA has been around for about 35-40 years, depending upon how the pastor followed the guidelines of Vatican Council II. Before the Council pastors simply gave “some” instructions in the faith to those wanting to enter the Church and then brought them into the Church either by Baptism or a Profession of Faith.

This whole change came about for many reasons: 1) sometimes adult converts would stop going to church when the priest that instructed them was transferred, their faith had been built around one person rather than the church itself, 2) large numbers of adult converts were/are knocking on our doors and one on one instruction is no longer feasible, 3) it is important that people experience “church” not only from priests/religious, but also from lay people themselves, 4) the faith journey that a person walks is important and many times they need someone to walk with them.

The RCIA can also serve as a focus for ongoing conversion for all members of the Catholic Church. As Catholics see new candidates learning doctrine, they are encouraged to study their faith. The whole parish community is invited to participate in the liturgical ceremonies welcoming new members. Those rites include RCIA Dismissal from the Liturgy of the Eucharist, The Rite of Acceptance, The Rite of Sending & Election, The Holy Saturday service, and Mystagogia. As “old” parishioners see the newly baptized begin ministries of service, they are encouraged to serve more generously. I want to thank all those who act as sponsors and teachers for those who the Lord has led to our doors on their faith journey. A special thanks to Fr. Allen as he leads our RCIA.

Work Day at Catholic Charities/LifeHouse

Please join other volunteers from area parishes as we continue to maintain the grounds at Catholic Charities and tend to and harvest vegetables in their 21 raised beds for the moms and babies living at LifeHouse. Our 7th group workday will be Tuesday, September 28, from 9:00 - 11:00. Work gloves and your favorite gardening tools are needed. To volunteer or for more information, please contact Jana Hukriede @ 417-840-4109 or janahukriede@gmail.com. Our last group workday for this season will be on Tuesday, October 26, from 9:00 - 11:00.

Youth Activities

Sunday, Sept 19th is designated as Catechetical Sunday. This is a day to recognize all teachers, assistants & volunteers who share their Catholic faith with the young people of our parish. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful day to reflect upon the roles that we all play in sharing the gifts of the Catholic faith. We do especially thank those who serve as teachers in our Catholic schools or volunteers in any capacity in our parish faith formation program. Catechists will receive a blessing at Masses the weekend of Sept 18th & 19th.

Families, if you have a child in 2nd grade or who has not received their First Reconciliation or Eucharist and missed the informational session that was in the Cafeteria at 10 am this Sunday, please call the parish office or email ibounds@sta-cathedral.org to make certain you receive this important information.

WELL OF LIFE

The Well of Life currently has no need for plastic bags or egg cartons. We will let people know when they ask for them again.

CONGRATULATIONS

St. Agnes Cathedral celebrated two Baptisms on Sunday, Sept 12! Harrison Rebel Evans, son of Warren & Kristen Evans was baptized after the 8:00 Mass by Fr. Allen Kirchner. Isamarie Rose Orozco, daughter of Rafael Orozco Morena and Loni Blackburn was baptized by Fr. Lewis Hejna after the 11:30 Mass. We joyfully welcome these children into our St. Agnes family. Keep these families in your prayers.

Confirmation classes will begin this Sunday, Sept 19th at 10:00 AM in the school library. If you were unable to attend the informational session last Sunday, you are still welcome to attend these Confirmation sessions. Please contact Iris at the parish office or at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org for more information on registration.

From the Pastor’s Desk:

Centuries ago, the Forty Hours Devotion began in Europe. St. John Neumann came to this country as a

missionary and was consecrated as Bishop of Philadelphia and was known for his hard work and devotion to

the people of his diocese. He had a tremendous devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. St. John had an

intense desire to help lead others to prayer before Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in a

monstrance.

One night, after nearly abandoning his dream of spreading the “Forty Hours Devotion”, St. John fell asleep

from total exhaustion while writing at his desk. A little while later he awoke to the smell of smoke, a lit

candle had overturned and started a fire. Of the charred remains of his papers, only one letter remained

unburned, the letter he had written about the “Forty Hours Devotion.” St. John knelt to thank God for sparing

him from harm and he did not hesitate any longer to carry out his teaching of the spiritual importance of

Eucharistic Prayer Devotion. In 1853 Bishop John Neumann began the Forty Hours Devotion on the feast of

Corpus Christi, in the Church of St. Philip Neri, the saint who had started the Devotion in Rome. In the

United States we are blessed to have over 1100 chapels of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration.

If we believe what takes place at the altar, Jesus is truly present in the Holy Eucharist, When we come before

Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament, we come to Him as we are, creatures made in His image. He already

knows us. He has called us to Himself; He loves us and longs to be with us. “Come to Me all of you who are

weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” (Mt. 11:28)

Please consider spending some time with our Eucharistic Lord on Mondays in the Chapel between the hours

of 9:00 am and 5:30 pm. This is a quiet time to reflect and thank God for all the many blessings He has given

us. “Can you spend even 30 minutes with Me?” asks the Lord.

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration is at Holy Trinity Church here in Springfield. The parish is inviting people

who can make a commitment for one hour, daily or weekly to call or sign up. For more information there are

forms in the back of the Cathedral or contact Holy Trinity, or go on their

website.

Youth Activities

Families, if you have a child in 2nd grade or who has not

received their First Reconciliation or Eucharist, we invite

you to attend an informational session Sunday, Sept 19th

at 10:15 in the St. Agnes cafeteria. We will inform you of

dates for this important year and share information about

curriculum 7 resources that will help prepare your child for

this important sacrament. If you cannot be at this

session, please call the parish office to make certain you

receive this important information.

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to attend our first Fall

event for the year. Come join us on Sunday; Sept 12th

beginning at 6:00 PM. We invite you to attend the 5:00

PM Mass and then join us for sub sandwiches, home -

made ice cream sundaes, outdoor games such as Corn

Hole, tug of war, croquet and more. Families are

welcome! Open to all in Catholic school, public school

and those who are home-schooled. Come join us! Call

the parish office or email Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org

FRIENDS OF THE POOR WALK

WHAT: Friends of the Poor Walk - Benefitting Springfield Area Societies of St. Vincent de Paul

DATE: Saturday, October 2, 2020

TIME: Registration and refreshments at 8:30 AM; walk at 9:30 AM

WHERE: Saint Agnes Cathedral; start and finish in parking lot, rear of building

1-mile walk for the Relaxed and Fun-Loving Walker

3-mile walk for the Serious and Experienced Walker

For more information and to register, visit: www.fopwalk.org

RCIA

Are you curious about the Catholic Faith? Do you

have questions you would like to have answered as

you consider joining our RCIA classes and becoming

Catholic? Join us for Introductory Sessions to help

you make your decision about beginning classes for

the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. Classes

begin Sept. 13. Any questions email akirchner@stacathedral,

org

From the Pastor’s Desk:

As we celebrate Labor Day weekend, we are celebrating all those people who have helped in the past make this country the greatest nation on earth. Those people are the workers. It matters not if they are factory workers, professionals, farmers, housewives, county, state, or federal workers. All people who have worked to earn their way in life have made this a stronger nation. This is what we are truly celebrating this Labor Day weekend.

Over the last 250 years those workers have come from many different nations of the world seeking a better life. My grandparents were among those immigrating from one of the old eastern European countries. Those immigrants worked hard and found their dream, a better life for themselves and their children. One part of that dream was food. The United States had/has the ability to grow enough food to feed its population and more. It may not be able to grow everything we have come to enjoy, but we would not starve if all food coming into our country was halted. That cannot be said of most countries of the world.

With this said, we look at the evening news and find people all over the country that are angry. What are people are so unhappy about??? Is it that we have electricity and clean drinking water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Kabul stores have seen in the last three months. This does not even translate into the amount of food we throw into the trash each day. Having all the thousands of restaurants with all types of cuisine from around the world, perhaps is not good enough. Could it be that when we wreck our cars, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and if need be, send a helicopter to take us to the hospital.

Maybe people are upset with knowing that if our homes are on fire, a group of trained firefighters will come in moments and use the latest firefighting equipment to fight the flames, thus saving our families, and our belongings. Or maybe while we are home watching one of our many TVs and a burglar breaks in, a police officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend us. Maybe they are upset with our neighborhoods being free from bombs and militias raping and black mailing the residents. These neighborhoods are filled with 90 % of teenagers who own cell phones and computers. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world. Are any of these why people are so unhappy????

As we celebrate Labor Day this weekend, perhaps we need to reflect on how hard the previous generations have worked and fought so we as US citizens and Catholic Christians have the best of both worlds, FREEDOMS and OUR FAITH. However, “the fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don’t have and what we hate about the country, instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.” (David Letterman-2015)