From the Pastor’s Desk:
Many changes came with the Second Vatican Council. One of those was the instruction of how people would be instructed in order to come into the Catholic Church. 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. For many people, depending upon the pastor of the parish, little or very little instruction.
Vatican Council II recommended that the Church renew its way of receiving adult candidates. In fact the council looked at the early Church for examples as it did in many of the reforms. 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.
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 needs 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, and 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. Those who act as sponsors, teachers, and “prayer-partners” for the candidates have abundant opportunities for personal growth. I want to thank all those who in the past years have said yes to becoming sponsors for our candidates. I also want to invite “you” to consider becoming a sponsor this year as we begin RCIA next month. If you would like more information, or to become a sponsor please call or email the parish office.
Register for Parish School of Religion
PSR REGISTRATION QR CODE
Our Parish School of Religion classes are beginning and we invite students in grades K-8th grade to join our classes on Sunday mornings from 10-11:00 AM in St. Agnes School. These classes are extremely important for all students, but especially those who attend public school or those who are homeschooled. Our classes are small and help to prepare students to receive the sacraments. All students are welcome and we especially invite families who may not have attended classes in the past. You can use the QR code to easily register for classes. We also have a class for students who may have special needs. Call the parish office if you have any questions.
Confirmation Family Session!
Young people and family are invited to a Confirmation informational session on Sunday, Sept 15th at 12:30 PM in the St. Agnes Library. If students are planning to be confirmed in 2025, they should plan on attending this session. We will go over the process for Confirmation and discuss the schedule, the retreat, sponsors and much more. Please call the parish office or email Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org with any questions.
Thank you, Thank you!
A huge thank you to everyone who brought in supplies for the Faith Formation Program! Everyone at St. Agnes Cathedral is so very generous! These supplies will be used all year long in Confirmation, Parish School of Religion, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and at all of our different activities throughout the year. Again, we thank everyone who brought in supplies. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!
From the Pastor’s Desk:
Our Catholic Schools began the school year 2024-2025 this past week. In enrolling your children in the Catholic schools you are taking advantage of one of the greatest gifts the Catholic Church offers to the people here in the United States. In 1884 the Plenary Council of Baltimore was called. A Plenary Council includes all bishops and representatives of each diocese in the country.
It was at this Council that the largest independent school system in American history was created; American Catholic Schools. At this point in our country’s history, Catholics were the majority of immigrants fleeing from Europe due to wars, starvation and persecution. Most only spoke the language of their birth country. The great majority were poor. There was a large anti-Catholic sentiment in the US. Through local governments there was an attempt to integrate Catholic children into the public schools which promoted Protestant values.
Before the Council was called, there was a recognition that Catholic children in public schools were being flooded with “inaccurate knowledge on Catholicism,” such as usage of the term popery, Protestant-run common schools were causing Catholic children to fall from their faith.
The Baltimore Council declared “bishops are exhorted to have a Catholic school in every parish and the teachers should be paid from the parochial funds.” Bishops were further recommended to “begin these schools whenever possible in their dioceses, since Catholic boys and girls are in grave danger in educational institutions which are not directed by Catholic religious motives.
Our Catholic Schools today still have the same basic reason for existence, to teach our Catholic Faith. When our Catholic School System of Springfield was created over 30 years ago it was agreed that each of the parishes was to give 52 % of their Sunday collection to support the schools of the system. This money would help to offset the tuition that parents would be assessed. When a family is registered in one of the 4 parishes that pay that assessment their tuition is lower.
To have their Active Catholic Form to be accepted, a family needs to be attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis, need to be in some form of ministry or contribute to the finances of the parish. This year St. Agnes Cathedral contributes approximately $20,000 each month. This figure is based upon the previous years’ Sunday income. All parishioners are invited, encouraged to send their children to our Catholic Schools, even if they cannot afford the tuition. That was made clear at the Baltimore Council in 1884.
Fr. Lewis is looking for a part-time maintenance person. Please call 417-831-3565 ext 102
Children's Liturgy of the Word Returns!
Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW) will return on Sunday, August 25th at the 11:30 AM Mass. Children ages preschool through 2nd grade are invited to join other children as they study the Sunday liturgy together. All are welcome and there is no need to register. We thank our VIRTUS trained teachers for their willingness to share their faith with our young children.
PSR BEGINS!
Sunday, Aug 18th beginning at 12:30 with a pizza party, games and a celebration of the announcement that Carlo Acutis will be canonized as our first millennial saint. Carlo loved soccer and the Eucharist and was an avid proponent of how we can use the internet for the honor of the Eucharist. We welcome all of our students back and invite any new families who may not have been enrolled in the past. We meet on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM in St. Agnes school. Classes are open to students in pre K-8th grade. We are also blessed to have a special needs program for students. This special needs program is overseen by a certified special needs instructor. We help to prepare students for the reception of the sacraments as well. We hope to see all of you on Sunday the 18th. All are welcome and if you have any questions, please contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or call the parish office at 831-3565 ext 107.
PSR Registration Form
K of C Meeting
Knights Meeting: Please join us at our next Knight's meeting. We will have installation of officers for the year and you can meet our new District Deputy. We will also be discussing our breakfast schedule for the upcoming school year. The meeting will be in the band room, 7:00 PM, Tuesday, August 20th.
From the Pastor’s Desk:
The Eucharistic Conference has been in the news, on social media, on Facebook and in our Diocesan Newspaper. The
Eucharistic Conference has a history that began in 1881 in Lille France. It was titled, Eucharist saves the World. It
became a movement of Eucharistic Conferences worldwide to unite Catholics around the Eucharistic Table.
Between, 1895-1911 there were 5 National Conferences here in the United States of gatherings of clergy. The
conferences consisted of prayer, presentations of papers on Eucharistic themes and discussions.
Between, 1930 and 1941 the first National invitations to the laity was issued here in the United States to both Catholic
men and women. There were faith seminars and programs for the clergy and for lay men and women.
In 1941 World War II disrupted plans for the Eucharistic Conferences throughout the world. They did not resume until
1952. Here in 1976 was a historical gathering in Philadelphia, but not a Conference as such.
This July after 83 years since the 9th Conference the Catholic Church here will present the 10th National Eucharistic
Conference. Catholics from across the United States will gather to experience profound, personal renewal through the
power of Christ’s love. Like a new Pentecost, this transformation will flow out from Indianapolis bringing spiritual renewal
to our parishes as the Church returns to her first love—the source and summit of our faith, the Eucharist.
Our Catholic faith is built around the Sacramental life of the Church. As we become the adopted children of God through
the waters of Baptism, we are fed spiritually from the Eucharistic Table of the Lord. Nothing can take the place of the
Body and Blood of Jesus as He freely gives himself to us.
The Sunday liturgy celebrates God’s great love for each of us. If we choose to miss, we are cheating not only ourselves,
but the parish community at large. Can you give back to the Lord 1-2 hours of the 168 hours He has given to you this
week?
ANYONE WANTING TO SERVE ON PARISH COUNCIL, PLEASE CONTACT
FR. LEWIS. lhejna@sta-cathedral.org or 417-831-3565 ext 102
AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBORTHROUGH ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
St. Vincent de Paul is a society that helps our neighbors who
continue to struggle to make ends meet. This year we have seen
an increase in requests for help. Our volunteers provide
emergency food, supply bus passes, prevent their utilities from
being shut off and other emergency needs. Through your
financial assistance our funds will be used in direct service to the
poor LOCALLY. We also try to make home visits and follow up
phone calls to help meet their social and emotional needs. God
lives through these works of charity.
All of us have non-profits that we choose to give our money to,
but if you could help SVdP with even a small donation each
month, it would help so many right here in the Springfield
community. All funds are used locally.
Thank you so much for your consideration of this request.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Agnes Parish
Garage Sale Volunteers: Please join Us!
As a way to thank all of the wonderful volunteers who
helped to make our garage sale such a great success,
we invite volunteers to join us for a luncheon on Wed,
Aug 14th at 12:00 PM. We will be meeting in the dining
room. Whether you worked for an hour or 10 hours, we
hope that you will join us. Please call the parish office to
sign up and to be certain that we have enough
food. When you call let us know if you have any dietary
restrictions. Our parish phone number is 417-831-
3565. Hoping to see our wonderful volunteers at the
luncheon.
Youth Activities
Mark your Calendars!
Plans are being made for our upcoming 2024-25 year of Parish
School of Religion! We will celebrate on Sunday, Aug 18th
beginning at 12:30 with a pizza party, games and a celebration
of the announcement that Carlo Acutis will be canonized as our
first millennial saint. Carlo loved soccer and the Eucharist and
was an avid proponent of how we can use the internet for the
honor of the Eucharist. We welcome all of our students back and
invite any new families who may not have been enrolled in the
past. Classes are open to students in pre K-8th grade. We are
also blessed to have a special needs program for students. This
special needs program is overseen by a certified special needs
instructor. We meet on Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM in St.
Agnes school. We help to prepare students for the reception of
the sacraments as well. We hope to see all of you on Sunday
the 18th. All are welcome and if you have any questions, please
contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or call the parish office
at 831-3565 ext 107.
Our Faith Formation program is preparing for a new year of
Sacramental preparation, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Parish
School of Religion and Special Events such as the Advent and
Lenten Fairs. We could use several items to help us prepare for
these events so if you are out shopping and find some great
back to school deals on the following items, we would appreciate
your donations. Items particularly needed included crayons,
construction paper, 2 pocket paper folders, glue sticks for glue
guns, sharpie markers & pieces of felt. You can bring the items
to the parish office or contact Iris at the parish office for more
information. Thanks so much!
From the Pastor’s Desk:
If you have not caught on by now, I will tell you plainly, I am a history person. I continue to study history, watch the history channels and travel to historical places. The human race never seems to learn from the past, but continually repeats the same mistakes over and over again. 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 secured by police and military forces.
The pilgrimage, in the Footsteps of St. Paul which I hosted at the end of May was truly a walk through history. The history of the early Christian period following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. You cannot study the church without studying history. St. Paul used the Roman highway system to walk across Greece from Jerusalem. The cities he preached in beginning with Philippi where St. Paul proclaimed his first sermon in Europe and baptized Lydia the first European convert. It was in Thessaloniki where Paul wrote two of the epistles to the Thessalonians.
We visited the ruins of Delphi which was considered the center of the ancient world with all of its temples to different gods and goddesses. It was in Athens where western civilization as we know it today was born. Great thinkers listened to Paul’s preaching and arguments proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus and politely walked away. In Corinth where I celebrated Mass on a granite block with the ruins of the ancient city all around, Paul lived for two years beginning the church which would cause him many sleepless nights.
In ancient Ephesus the ruins are specular as the pictures are in the history books. There Paul preached in the largest theatre in antiquity holding 24,000 people. On the island of Patmos we visited the Grotto of the Apocalypse where it is believed John wrote the last book of the Bible.
Wherever Paul went he used the Roman or Greek cultures and structures to proclaim the risen Christ. Paul would be followed by the Apostolic Fathers, early Christian writers of the late 1st and 2nd centuries. They represented the generation that had personal contact with the Twelve Apostles and St. Paul. Their writings are the principal source for information about Christianity during the two or three generation following the Apostles. They are an important part of the tradition of the Church.
ANYONE WANTING TO SERVE ON PARISH COUNCIL
PLEASE CONTACT FR. LEWIS. lhejna@sta-cathedral.org or 417-831-3565 ext 102
BUZZ BOOK ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY
We are in the process of updating our Buzz Book, which contains information about our ministries, organizations, contacts for activities, etc. and a complete directory of all our members.
This book is being provided and direct-mailed to each household at no cost to our church. It is being subsidized by local business advertisements. If you own or manage a business and would like to find out about advertising in our book, please call the Church Office at 417-831-3565.
Sacraments
Plans are being made for our Confirmation class for 2025. If you are in 7th grade and above and need information on the process for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation please contact Iris at ibounds@sta-cathedral.org or call the parish office 831-3565 ext 107.
Are you interested in the Catholic Faith and the process for becoming a Catholic? Are you an adult and want to be confirmed? Are you a Catholic who wishes to learn more about the rich history of our Catholic faith? You may be interested in attending our RCIA classes which begin in late August. Please call the parish office to get signed up for these classes.
From the Pastor’s Desk:
Faith and freedom go arm in arm. When Europeans first came to the shores of the new world they were looking for a place to worship God freely, to find land to build their lives upon and unfortunately for some, wealth regardless of how they “got” it. Our nation was established with the freedom to worship God. It did take time for the founders of our nation to work that freedom out. All you need to do is read/study the early 100 years of our history. Depending upon what area immigrants found themselves settling, depended upon how free they were to worship God as they chose. Catholic as well as Jewish faiths were in many places persecuted with Catholic Churches, Convents and Schools and Jewish Synagogues burned. Much of that was due to ignorance. Ignorance we continue to see and experience today.
When people do not have the knowledge or understanding of a faith or way of life, many times the result is some form of persecution. As I just returned from my pilgrimage titled, “walking in the footsteps of St. Paul”. I have a greater understanding of the greatness of Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. I had studied Paul, studied the growth of the early church, studied the Roman and Greek gods, but there were parts I either slept through, forgot or never learned.
At the time of St. Paul, the Roman Empire was the master of the Mediterranean world and beyond. Paul as a Roman citizen due to his family in the past selling goods (tents) to the Roman soldiers, was able to more freely about during his missionary journeys.
Paul was so often misunderstood because the Roman and Jewish worlds were so different psychologically and culturally. The Roman thought could not believe in only one god who created all things, or from the Greek thought there is no such thing as resurrection.
Even in Paul’s teaching to the Jewish people, most did not accept resurrection or his teaching on the Body and Blood of Jesus. I will continue next week with freedom/religion/and their cost.
Volunteers Needed
Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri
424 E. Monastery St. Join our garden team on Thursday, June 28, from 8:30 to 10:30 to help tend the garden that feeds the mothers and babies at LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home. This is an excellent opportunity for service and fellowship!
Please call or email Jill Guise at 417-720-4213, jguise@ccsomo.org
TIME FOR BRUNCH, ANYONE?
Women of Faith group is inviting all ladies of the parish to a brunch at Bev Steelman’s home (625 S. Avenue) on Wednesday, June 19, at 9:15am. Join us for Mass first if you are able. Brunch will follow immediately after. FYI: Bev lives within walking distance of church although you may drive if you choose. Hope to see many of you there. It’s a great way to meet new people!
If you plan to attend please call the office (417-831-3565) so we know how much food to prepare.
DDF UPDATE
To date our parish has given $108,558.30 toward our 143,645 goal. Thank you! If you have not yet made your pledge, please add your gift, as you’re a able by returning a pledge card. Your participation is a show of support for the diocese.
Across the diocese, $1,590,048 has been pledged toward the $2,950,000 goal. That is 54% of our goal. The diocese thanks you for considering a gift to support diocesan ministries which support your parish, as well.