Saint Agnes 4/22/24 Saint Agnes 4/22/24

Mark Your Calendars Vacation Bible School: June 18th-22nd

St. Agnes Parish will be combining with SEAS, IC & other Springfield parishes for "Diving into Friendship with God". Children who are entering Kindergarten through 6th grade are eligible to attend this fun, faith filled adventure filled with Bible Stories, saints, science adventures, outdoor fun and food. Registration forms are available in the parish office, St. Agnes School, or in the Cathedral. This is open to children who may not be Catholic too. You do not have to be members of the parish so invite neighbors, family members and friends. ALL ARE Welcome. Contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org for more information. We also need adult and teen volunteers. "Come SCUBA with us!"

Saint Agnes 4/22/24 Saint Agnes 4/22/24

ANNUAL KNIGHTS GOLF TOURNAMENT BENEFITS LIFEHOUSE

Play golf “fore” a good cause!

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is excited to partner with the Knights of Columbus for its Charity Golf Tournament. The proceeds of the tournament benefit LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home in Springfield. Join us at Fremont Hills Country Club on Mon., June 24, for a fun day of golf and giving back! Time: Noon - shotgun start. Sponsorships are available now, and registration for teams and individuals is open. For more information, consult www.CCSOMO.org or Call Craig Henley, (573) 999-3939; Tom Samsel, (417) 861-4173; or Russ Pignon, (417) 848-1468.

Saint Agnes 4/17/24 Saint Agnes 4/17/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:

This weekend is celebrated as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In our prayers at Mass we pray especially for Vocations to the priesthood, religious life and for holy marriages.

We might expect that the concept of a religious vocation may be difficult for a young person to understand, however I am surprised how many adults many times misunderstand the concept of vocation, especially as it pertains to their lives. Do we have a vocation shortage today? The simple answer is “NO”, the larger answer is “YES”. We need to understand that all people have been called, through our baptism to live a life in Christ, filled with the Gospel values, to share with one another the Good News of Jesus in our daily lives. We might live this vocation as a religious, a priest or deacon. Perhaps we might live it as a mom or dad, a husband, or a wife. We might live this vocation as a single person. How we understand our call to live the Gospel values in our life is our discernment of our vocation. So we do not have a vocation shortage, we have a shortage of ordained ministers, consecrated Brothers and Sisters.

It takes prayer and careful discernment to know if you are being called to priesthood or religious life, and eventually you have to enter a seminary or convent to be sure. Formation takes years and you can leave the seminary or religious life at any time. One of the big questions that young people talk with me about who are looking at a religious vocation is that of celibacy. Contrary to what we see in the media, sex is not the key to happiness. Yes God made us with strong sexual desires, which find their proper expression in marriage, but not only is celibacy possible, it is a sign of the reality of heaven, since no one is married in heaven according to the scriptures. Both Jesus and St. Paul recommend celibacy for those who are called. (Matthew 19:10-12; I Cor. 7:34)

In looking back over my life as a priest, my vocation has led me to serve in places where people are hurting and where people are celebrating life. My vocation has been to young people as well as to our seniors. I have taught in our Catholic Schools, in parishes, in Camp Renewal, been spiritual directors of TEC, Cursillo’s, Happening’s, and serving on different Diocesan committees. I have tried to use the gifts and talents that God has given me to help lead others to a deeper relationship with God. Many different surveys show that one profession consistently ranks number one for personal happiness, Clergy, and religious sisters and brothers. They are some of the longest-living people in the world. This weekend please keep our seminarians in prayer, that they will answer God’s call in their lives, whatever that call be. Please pray for all young people who are considering a religious vocation.

Saint Agnes 4/17/24 Saint Agnes 4/17/24

Youth Activities

Congratulations! to Avery & Carver Parnell who were both Baptized on Sunday April 7th after the 11:30 AM Mass. Avery and Carver are the children of Todd & Ashley Parnell. Please pray for the children and parents as they continue to grow in the blessings of Christ's love.

Congratulations to Mila Grace Minter who was baptized on April 6th here at St. Agnes Cathedral. Mila is the daughter of Michael and Ashley Minter of our parish. Please pray for Mila as she continues to grow in the love of Christ.

Please pray for the 19 children of our parish who will receive their First Eucharist on Sunday, May 5th at a special liturgy at 2:30 PM in the Cathedral. Families and friends are invited to attend a reception to be held in the cafeteria after the Mass. We are looking for volunteers who may like to assist in the simple reception that will follow the Mass. If you can assist with the reception, please contact Iris Bounds at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

Saint Agnes 4/17/24 Saint Agnes 4/17/24

VBS 2024!

Saint Agnes 4/17/24 Saint Agnes 4/17/24

2024 Midwest March for Life

Please join Bishop Rice, Sr Janine, and thousands across Missouri to proclaim the dignity of every person, born or unborn.

Date: Wednesday, May 01, 2024

Time: 8am - 3pm

Location: Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO

Cost of the March: Free

· Buses will leave from two locations: Cape Girardeau at 5:00am and Springfield at 6:00am. Seats are limited.

· Deadline to register for the bus: Friday, March 28

Note: All adults riding the bus will be asked to complete safety environment training. This is because we will have youth riding the buses with us. Thank you for your cooperation.

Saint Agnes 4/4/24 Saint Agnes 4/4/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:

We are celebrating the key, central event of our Catholic, Christian faith. Jesus Christ had broken the bonds of death. Jesus had come back from the dead. As the Easter Candle was blessed and lit, then carried into our darkened church at the beginning of the Easter Vigil we proclaimed Christ risen from the dead. We cannot prove the Resurrection to someone who is not open to such a faith experience. None of the Gospels describes how the Resurrection took place. The Gospels do describe the Crucifixion, for death is an event that every human being will experience as part of their human life.

The Resurrection is something that only God has done and therefore is not a part of our human experience. It did truly happen, but it is a trans-historical event—a divine intervention into human history. Thus an event that historians cannot prove or disprove. God’s actions are not the subject of historical proof.

According to the Gospels, Jesus’ family and friends finally recognized Him. They knew his voice, they touched Him, they shared meals with him. He was not a ghost. The Gospels very definitely emphasized the physical characteristics of His appearance. However, the Gospels also made it clear that there was something different about the risen Christ. He was no longer subject to the limitations that mortality places upon us. Once risen, Jesus was present to his friends without them at first knowing Him. He could enter rooms where the doors were shut. He could appear suddenly and just as suddenly disappear, as he did with the two disciples when He broke bread at Emmaus.

Easter began the season of celebration and hope. In the eyes of the world, Good Friday ended in a catastrophic event. But in the darkness of the night of Holy Saturday, it became quite clear that the devil had lost the fight—death no longer had power over us. Our faith and the hope that springs from it declares that, through the power of God, life will win in the end. Despite what this world throws against the followers of Christ, there is the hope of being with our loved ones once more, sharing paradise with them and with our loving God forever.

Those four words spoken at the grave by the angel, “He has been raised,” are words that sent a shock through the entire universe. The impossible had happened—life from the grave. Our human story was no longer birth, life, and death. It had become birth, life, death, and eternal life. That first Easter was not just a happy ending to Jesus’ story; it was a radical new beginning for the human race. With the Easter Vigil, we began the great celebration of the Easter Season. The purple of Lent and the red of the Passion have been put away, and we celebrate Jesus breaking the bonds of death for us all. CHRIST HAS RISEN!

Saint Agnes 4/4/24 Saint Agnes 4/4/24

First Eucharist families:

If you have a child who will be receiving First Eucharist, there will be a retreat for the families on Sat, April 13th beginning at 9:30. We will meet in the cathedral at 9:30 for rehearsal and after rehearsal, we will move to the cafeteria where we will work on making the First Eucharist banners, write petitions and assign readings. We will have all the materials needed for the banners, but families are encouraged to bring any special items that they may want on the banners to be displayed. Snacks will be provided. We are looking for families to help with setup and snacks. We are also asking that any child who would like to do a reading or petition to contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org. If you have questions, please call the parish office. Please continue to pray for our young people who will receive their First Eucharist on Sunday, May 5th at 2:30 PM

Saint Agnes 4/4/24 Saint Agnes 4/4/24

EASTER MEMORIAL FLOWERS

In Memory of:

Dorsey Roe Jr.

Sonia Tabilon

Nonna Jean Wood

Gary Roe

James M Emery

Roy Eugene Roe

Ramon Enrique Tiong Sr.

Deceased members of Bounds & Prenger Families

Saint Agnes 3/26/24 Saint Agnes 3/26/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:

According to the Gospels, it took some time for Jesus’ family and friends to finally recognize Him. They knew his voice, they touched Him, and they shared meals with him. He was not a ghost. The Gospels very definitely emphasized the physical characteristics of His appearance. However, the Gospels also made it clear that there was something different about the risen Christ. He was no longer subject to the limitations that mortality places upon us. Once risen, Jesus was present to his friends without them at first knowing Him. He could enter rooms where the doors were shut. He could appear suddenly and just as suddenly disappear, as he did with the two disciples when He broke bread at Emmaus.

Today begins the season of celebration and hope. In the eyes of the world, Good Friday had ended in a catastrophic event. But in the darkness of the night of Holy Saturday, it became quite clear that the devil had lost the fight—death no longer had power over us. Our faith and the hope that springs from it declares that, through the power of God, life will win in the end. Despite what this world throws against the followers of Christ, there is the hope of being with our loved ones once more, sharing paradise with them and with our loving God forever.

Those four words spoken at the grave by the angel, “He has been raised,” are words that sent a shock through the entire universe. The impossible had happened—life from the grave. Our human story was no longer birth, life, and death. It had become birth, life, death, and eternal life. That first Easter was not just a happy ending to Jesus’ story; it was a radical new beginning for the human race. With the Easter Vigil, we began the great celebration of the Easter Season. The purple of Lent and the red of the Passion have been put away, and we celebrate Jesus risen from the grave. HAPPY EASTER

Saint Agnes 3/26/24 Saint Agnes 3/26/24

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED at LIFEHOUSE CRISIS MATERNITY HOME

LifeHouse is bursting at the seams with 15 residents, ten babies, and four toddlers! Ladies, if you have a heart for holding babies and the occasional three-year-old, we have daytime, evening, and weekend hours available. Also, with so many residents who need to go to various appointments, we urgently need transportation volunteers. If you have a few hours per week or month to help our mothers and babies, please get in touch with Jill Guise at 417-720-4213 or jguise@ccsomo.org. Thank you!

Saint Agnes 3/26/24 Saint Agnes 3/26/24

EASTER EGG HUNT TIME is here!

Our Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held Easter Sunday morning. March 31st at 11:00 AM! The Hunt will be held on the soccer field! The Easter Bunny will be joining us as well. ALL are welcome, but please be on time because we will start promptly at 11:00 AM. In case of rain, the Hunt will be held in the St. Agnes gym. Pray for good weather. We are still asking for donations of wrapped Easter candy to fill the eggs. If you would like to bring the plastic eggs already stuffed, that is great too. We can use people to help "hide" the eggs on Easter morning. This is a great opportunity for youth to get some service hours for a fun event. Call Iris at the parish office or email ibounds@sta-cathedral.org.

Saint Agnes 3/26/24 Saint Agnes 3/26/24

First Communion

First Eucharist families: If you have a child who will be receiving First Eucharist, there will be a retreat for the families on Sat, April 13th beginning at 9:30. We will meet in the cathedral at 9:30 for rehearsal and after rehearsal, we will move to the cafeteria where we will work on making the First Eucharist banners, write petitions and assign readings. We will have all the materials needed for the banners, but families are encouraged to bring any special items that they may want on the banners to be displayed. Snacks will be provided. We are looking for families to help with setup and snacks. We are also asking that any child who would like to do a reading or petition to contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org. If you have questions, please call the parish office. Please continue to pray for our young people who will receive

Saint Agnes 3/6/24 Saint Agnes 3/6/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:

Each day we make hundreds of choices. Some of those choices involve making a moral decision. How do we make that decision? Is it the same way as choosing which shirt or blouse to wear that day? In making a moral decision, we are called to follow our conscience. Our conscience is actually our sense of the moral goodness or evil of something. Each of us has a duty to listen to God, to listen to the facts, to discern right from wrong, and finally, the responsibility to choose what is right. Morality is the “rightness or wrongness of an action.”

The question arises, especially in our society today, “How do we form our conscience?” Our conscience is formed by our faith in God and in God’s teachings. For the Muslim, conscience is formed through the Quran. For the Jew, conscience is formed through the Old Testament. For the Christian, the conscience is formed through Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament, and for the Catholic Christian, our conscience is formed through Jesus’ teachings along with 2000 years of Catholic teachings. Unfortunately in our society today many let the internet or society decide the rightness or wrongness of an issue.

When we look at moral issues today, many of these issues may not have been present at the time of Christ or the early church. However, there are issues that may have been close to, or of the same area. There were no nuclear weapons before the 1940s, but even in the Roman Empire, in the time of the Crusades, there were terrible wars that caused complete destruction of civilizations, even genocide. When the Catholic Church makes a decision on the morality of an issue such as abortion or gay marriage, it does not make that decision quickly or easily. Part of the study of that issue is to look to the past. What did the early church— the church that was coming from Christ through the Apostles— have to say on that issue or an issue close to it? The Catholic Church struggles in looking at the morality of certain issues, and sometimes the Church and her Bishops must make unpopular decisions concerning those issues.

What we cannot allow is for modern society to form our conscience. Neither can we allow politicians or even courts of law to form our conscience. All of these change as the winds of time blow. For years our society has been driven by the news media and Hollywood. Now in the technological age it is driven by social media and our society centers around the “me, myself, and I” attitude. Thus, we have continued to have a huge percentage of divorces since the 1990s. We have huge debts that destroy companies and threaten even our government. Major banks and companies have gone into bankruptcy. We have become a consumer society that has spent our children’s future. We do not need everything shown on the internet. We do not need to continue to have the biggest, fastest, and newest of everything.

The Church not only has the right, it has the obligation to speak out on moral issues. If the Church remains silent from the pulpit, it becomes only a feel-good organization of service and does not follow in the footsteps of our founder, JESUS CHRIST. As you study the issues on the upcoming ballot in November, and as you look at those who are running, ask yourself one question: “What would Jesus do?”

Saint Agnes 3/6/24 Saint Agnes 3/6/24

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS BREAKFAST

The Knights did not serve our monthly breakfast in February due to our efforts for the fish fry. However, this month we are back. Breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, etc.) will be served on March 17th after the 8:00 AM Mass. Please come join us.

Saint Agnes 3/6/24 Saint Agnes 3/6/24

CONFIRMATION

Congratulations to our young people who were Confirmed at the 5:00 Mass on March 3rd by Bishop Edward Rice! Congratulations to

Congratulations to our young people who were Confirmed at the 5:00 Mass on March 3rd by Bishop Edward Rice! Congratulations to Aubrey Bettinger, Leah Hicks, Noah Hicks, Madison Hoang, Andrew Jones, Augustine Jones, Julius Kuria, Griffy Laney, Alex Nguyen, Alexis Nguyen, Annabelle Nguyen, Melody Nguyen, Thien Phong Pham, Lucas Todd, Gavin Williams and Ryan Wilson. Chloe Auzias de Turenne and Marcus Johnson will be confirmed during the Easter Vigil Mass. We thank our teachers, Rosemary Driscoll, Troy Cronkhite and Sister Grace Nguyen, CMR for helping to prepare these young people for Confirmation. We also thank Kevin Otradovec, Ryan Villapiano. Lynn Vogel and our choirs for helping to make the Liturgy so beautiful! A special thank you to all those who also helped with the reception. Please keep these young people, their families and sponsors in your prayers as they continue their faith journey. As Bishop Rice said in his homily, remember this simple prayer, "Come Holy Spirit!"

Saint Agnes 3/6/24 Saint Agnes 3/6/24

EASTER EGG HUNT

Easter Egg Time: St Agnes will again sponsor the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday March 31st at 11:00 AM. We could not make this event happen without the donations of wrapped candy! We also will need volunteers to help “hide” the eggs on Easter morning. Bring all donations to the parish office or contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org if you would like to volunteer. Thanks so much!!

Saint Agnes 2/28/24 Saint Agnes 2/28/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:

We are already weeks past from ASH WEDNESDAY as we celebrate the third Sunday of LENT. Lent is a time of prayer, penance and of course fasting. We all know about these three, but we may get lazy about half the way through the season and ask ourselves if it is important or even worth it. Perhaps we even ask ourselves, “why do anything at all?” Lent is a special season that is meant to be noticed. It is meant to make an impact upon us. However to make an impact we have to do something.

Within the Catholic Church there is such a richness of prayer. Prayer forms are found in either private or communal and within either there is a large variety. Within the communal during Lent we have two daily masses and the Stations of the Cross on Fridays evening concluding with Adoration and Benediction. There is always private prayer through Sacred Scripture as well as the opportunity to stop by and visit with our Eucharistic Lord from 9am to 6 pm each day. Take the time, make the time for added prayer.

Penance is something that we Americans do not like to hear about. We look at it as a punishment. That is a misconception. Penance is an action that is to be used to help us look deep within ourselves and change ourselves to become more like Christ. In our penance we are to pay more attention to God and the things of God. In the past, people thought of Lent as a personal retreat, forty days to get in spiritual shape by Easter. The opening prayer of the liturgy on Ash Wednesday spelled out clearly the proper meaning of the Season of Lent, “Father in heaven, the light of your truth bestows sight to the darkness of sinful eyes. May this season of repentance bring us the blessing of your forgiveness and the gift of your light.” If we make the Lenten journey with open hearts and minds, we will arrive at the tomb and see that it is surrounded by the light of the resurrected Christ.

Fasting also is a concept that we Americans do not want to hear. We have so much and take so much for granted, that fasting has a negative response for many people. When we fast we are denying ourselves to physically identify with the poor who have so little. The difference is that we can go to our refrigerators or freezers, whereas the poor may not even have a refrigerator. By denying ourselves wine, steak, ice cream, soda, or candy we should then be able to have alms to give to the poor. Alms are not what we give in the Sunday collection. Alms are the extra we give to help the poor. The discipline of Lent is to help us become more aware of others around us. To make us ready to be present at the empty tomb on Easter with more than an Easter basket full of candy. Let us have full hearts of God’s love.

Saint Agnes 2/28/24 Saint Agnes 2/28/24

St Vincent de Paul Society

Thank you to all who have supported St Vincent

de Paul Society during this past year. We have

assisted the Well of Life and Crosslines each

month. Also, we have provided 224 gas

vouchers, 1, 920 bus passes, and have given

utility assistance to 135 families, many of whom were in

crisis. Your generosity is making it possible for us to serve so

many people in need. Thank you.

Thank you to all who have supported St Vincent

de Paul Society during this past year. We have

assisted the Well of Life and Crosslines each

month. Also, we have provided 224 gas

vouchers, 1, 920 bus passes, and have given

utility assistance to 135 families, many of whom were in

crisis. Your generosity is making it possible for us to serve so

many people in need. Thank you.

Saint Agnes 2/28/24 Saint Agnes 2/28/24

EASTER EGG HUNT

Ladies! Mark your calendars! St Agnes Cathedral invites you to a morning of Reflection, Saturday March 23rd. Bishop Emeritus John Leibrecht will be our featured speaker. The morning will begin with the Sacrifice of the Mass at 9:00 AM in the chapel. The morning will continue with Reflections on Women of the Bible, discussion, fellowship & of course good food. All ages are invited! Invite your friends from other parishes & anyone who may want to hear a positive message from Bishop John! What a wonderful way to begin Holy Week! We do ask that you call to let us know how many will be attending. You can RSVP by calling the parish office at 831-3565!